"Why me? Why, why, why?"
"Wasn't my life enough to entertain the gods already?"
"If this is a punishment for a past life, then I'd rather be FUCKED by demons in hell than keep living like this."
My thoughts spiraled into darkness, a suffocating void I'd grown far too used to. But then like a drop of color in a black-and-white world a little girl approached me. She held a worn book tightly against her chest.
No one had come close since… everything. Her face was soft and round, her smile delicate like a porcelain doll's. Her eyes held no fear.
"Mister? Why are you sad? Are you not feeling well?" she asked gently.
I wiped the tears off my face, trying to mask the pain with indifference.
"It's nothing. What do you want? Aren't you scared of me?"
Her voice, so honest and innocent, cracked through the armor I'd built around my heart.
"No… Why would I be? I was going to ask you the same thing. Everyone, including my parents too, says I'm a freak."
I looked at her, a chuckle slipping out despite myself.
"Is that so…? Then maybe we're the same."
She held up her book. "Oh! I almost forgot! Would you read this for me?"
I smiled softly and nodded.
"Sure."
It was a night swallowed by thunder and rain, the kind that feels like the world itself is mourning.
Two figures ran through the forest, their boots splashing through the mud. Behind them, flickering torches and angry voices cut through the trees like knives.
"There! A shed!" the woman shouted.
The man grasped her hand tighter, yanked open the shed door, and slammed it shut behind them. He frantically shoved a broken shelf against it, glancing around for anything else to block the way but the place was nearly empty.
He turned to her and pulled her into his arms, holding both her and their small child.
"Everything's going to be okay," he whispered.
She looked up at him, eyes filled with tears.
"Do you trust me?" she asked, voice trembling.
"I trust you with my life. Until my last breath."
"Then..... take our son and run. Please. They haven't seen you. You can escape."
"No!" he shouted. "I won't leave you behind. If you die, I'll die too!"
She gripped his hands tightly. "Please. I'll be happy knowing you and our son live on. That's enough for me."
He hesitated, shaking with anger and sorrow.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry." He kissed her forehead. "I'll love you until the very end."
She smiled through her tears.
"They say the one closest to you knows your weakest spot… and can hurt you the most."
He took the child and escaped through the back window, running as dawn began to break. His tears sparkled in the light, the only witness to his grief.
The mob broke into the shed and dragged her to the center of the town. They called her a demon without proof, without mercy. From a distance, her husband watched, helpless and breaking.
They tied her to the stake. She said nothing. No screams. No tears. Only silent acceptance.
The preacher roared, "IN THE NAME OF THE LORD, WE HAVE CLEANSED THIS DEMON!"
Beside him, the town's duke stepped forward.
"THIS WOMAN WHO CURSED OUR LAND SHALL PERISH!"
Then, in a hushed voice, he leaned toward the preacher.
"You'll receive your payment once things settle down."
The preacher gave a solemn nod.
The flames rose high, but she only stared ahead.
"God…?" she whispered, coughing on the smoke. "Is this the god who got me into this mess?"
A broken, bitter laugh escaped her lips.
"God cursed me… and my family."
And then, finally… silence.
Her body burned, but in her final moments, she was calm.
At least… My husband and child are safe.
I closed the book slowly.
"That's the story I once read to a little girl in a church," I said softly, smiling to myself. "Some tale, huh?"
I looked at the girl beside me.
"I wonder if she was cursed too. I never really understood what she meant when she called herself a freak, a monster and discarded."
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