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Akutami Gege

Warning!

BxB, OOC, grammatical error

Evermore

"Enough! Get into the car!" the twenty-eight-year-old man ordered.

"Wait−"

"Hurry up! You'd better pray inside the car. You said that your God is all ears." I almost fell when he forced me to get away from my parents' grave.

"Gojo oji-san … it hurts …." A hissing sound came out of my mouth. How cruel my uncle was.

"No more complaint! Don't you remember what day is it?" he asked. With a heavy heart, I chose to go home when I noticed what would happen today.

The blue canvas above my sight reflected on my eyes. The cirrus flourished in the sky. A line of the mountain blocking the horizon. Some people used to joke around, play on their phones, or arguing inside the car. Then, there were us who let the engine sound filled in the car. I never heard silence quite this loud.

My fingers were twisted. Sweat soaked my palms. I rather lost my breath than still alive until today. I felt bad when I realized that I wasn't a pure boy anymore. I was naïve. I wasn't able to fight against adults. All I could do was crying and obeying.

My sight turned to the guy next to me. He showed his hunger on his face. His evil smirk looked like a predator who had aimed at his prey. Yes, I was at his lunch today.

Even though I was a young girl, my uncle still treated me like livestock. This eight-year-old boy had to satisfy his uncle's desire. I had no idea what he did to me, and I couldn't refuse.

Since I had no parents eight years ago, my uncle has taken care of me with open arms. He welcomed this newborn baby with sparks in his eyes. Cruel? No … not yet. My uncle had a wife and they had no a child yet. They felt bad for my parents' death, on the other hand, they felt good when they were given a chance to take care of me.

Pet their niece like their own daughter. They gave an affection which made my smile was shown. They talked to me; although, I didn't give them a reply. There was a look of ecstasy on their face.

People said that my face looked alluring when I was a toddler. Captivating inside out. Who didn't open their eyes wide open while seeing this little boy? His face made some people were envied. However, I didn't feel grateful for my looks. My face caused a disaster.

Goodbye came after rendezvous. Everyone needed to build a strong foundation to protect their household, or the storm would destroy it. The word 'legal' became their shield so they could do everything they wanted. That happened to Uncle Don's household. He suddenly became an aggressive guy. I used to watch their feud. My aunt took the case to the court, and then they divorced.

Unluckily, that hungry wolf won the child's custody. I gasped when I saw that my uncle turned into a different person. Where was the love that you always give? Did you give it another way? Served you like a slave … was it true? Honestly, I didn't get it. I was too naïve. All I could do just say yes to this lecherous man.

I was too busy to serve my uncle till I had no time to socialize outside the home. I even wasn't allowed to enroll in a school which was worse. As a sexual abuse victim, I was always being mocked once I went out of my house.

"Look! How come he wants to serve a bastard?"

"He's not his dad, but his uncle. How could his dad let his son hang around with a bad guy?"

"That jobless man should be exiled from our village!"

"His nephew as well! Such a shame!"

Nobody defended me. My mind and soul obscure and crumpled. I could complain to no one. God, do you exist? Please, help me, I begged.

Why did I suffer like this? My parents left me quickly. I even hadn't seen their faces. I was raised by a vicious man. Now, I only could rely on my uncle; although, I should pay with this little body.

Click.

"Megumi! Don't be foolish!" my uncle yelled as he locked the door again.

Slap!

A hard slap landed on my left cheek. It felt like water splashed out to your body when you jump from the high. A red mark was printed on my face. My eyes bleed with pain.

"Don't ever do that again, or you will get a severe punishment. If you don't want that to happen, be nice!" That high tone made me freezing.

All I wanted was gazing at the ether, but I had no guts, even to turn around.

I had ever heard about hell. They said that you couldn't imagine how petrifying it was. So, where was it? Was I staying there at this moment? I was downcast as long as I lived here. They said that hell was an eternal torture chamber. Yes, I probably had been fallen onto the embers.

I had also heard about heaven. They said that it was magnificent. Two rivers flowed there. The air was fresh, not too cold nor too hot. The houses were made of gold. I didn't know for sure, but I had heard that all humans came from heaven. But why? Why did God kick me so that I fell into hell?

"Ehm."

That voice made me awoke from my reverie. I was daydreaming too long until I didn't realize that I had arrived home. The noise of the engine stopped entering my sense of hearing.

"Get out from the car!" His tone increased one octave. He seemed didn't care about his vocal cord that couldn't reach a C5 note.

"You'd better get ready!" he added as he opened the door.

"Oji-san …it is still 2 p.m.," I asked with my lips trembled.

"Just do what I say!" my uncle snatched. I gave him a wry smile. Why was I doing this dirty routine? Why did I accept it? Oh … I know. It was because this helpless boy had no power to against and had no friend to cry for help.

•••

Tomorrow was my country's Independence Day. During the day, there were a lot of competitions that were held online because of the pandemic.

"Megumi!" my uncle called me in the living room. I was walking toward him. "Buy me a pack of cigarettes. Hurry up!" He gave me the money, and then I went out.

On the way to the store, I saw a lot of houses opened their main door. My eyes couldn't take my eyes off of each house. They looked fine and simple.

My soul was shaking. My tears were about to fall when I saw those people were having fun inside their house. A delighted laugh came through my ears. An old woman chuckled when she saw her son was playing around. His elder sister took a picture of him. Their grandfather showed his smile. The warmth filled throughout the house.

"Hey! Don't ever stand in front of our house!"

Ah, I even didn't notice that I mused too long. That made the owner of the house annoyed. She told me to leave without being subtle. Therefore, I had to go as soon as possible.

"One pack of cigarettes, please."

"You smoke as well?" the seller asked as he grinned.

"N-no … of course, no!" I denied.

"Tch. Why do you want to accept his order?" The seller handed my order. When I gave him the money, he yelled at me. He said that I didn't bring enough money to pay.

"But … isn't the price—"

"Your uncle has a debt, and he hasn't paid it!" he argued. "Anyway, he must pay tomorrow! How come he could buy a cigarette, meanwhile he couldn't afford a few amounts of his debt. Weird."

"Sorry …." I lowered my head. In the end, the seller took the money without giving me the changes.

Staring at the velvet cloak was my cup of tea. The clouds rested in their place. Once, there was a flock of birds crossing the sky. The sun hid behind the clouds. I wanted to enjoy this calming atmosphere for a while. I wouldn't move so I could take a deep breath. I didn't care if I would be hit by a car. I thought it would be great.

"Gojo oji-san … are you here? I've already bought the cigarettes," I called, but there's no answer. I tried to speak louder so he could hear me, yet there's still no response. How long have I been outside? I thought.

I put the cigarettes on the coffee table. I had no idea what to do today. Watched television? Slept? Walked around the neighborhood?

"How about to the lake?" I wondered. I brought a fishing rod and a bucket after I was sure to go to the lake. I went out of the house as soon as possible, so my uncle couldn't keep me from going.

As I arrived there, my eyes caught an outstanding view. The lake was wide enough, and it was surrounded by hills and trees. I was musing for a moment until I didn't realize that my fishing rod wasn't in my grip. No—it was on purpose.

Fishing? Who said? I had no interest in fishing. I just wanted to …,

Byur ….

•••

My eyes opened and showed my clear brown iris. Everything reflected in my eyes. There's a cobalt blue canvas above me. I was stepping on the water table. Space reflected on the wide ocean that I stepped on.

My memories seemed to be demolished when I looked at something strange. I was thinking about the correct name. I felt that I had ever seen this in the magazine. Galaxy. Yes, I guess that's the right one.

So, this was called 'the universe'? Sometimes I hoped that I was able to see the world from above, at least I could see the shape of the earth. However, I didn't know how to do that. Until one day, something crossed my mind. Yes, I needed to come back where God lived. Begged to be lifted to heaven was a perfect choice, wasn't it? Moreover, I missed my parents even though I never met them.

Out of the blue, a sunbeam shone at my face which made me closed my eyes. The pupil regulated the amount of light. The night turned into morning view. I seemed floating above a sheep in the sky. What happened?

"Megumi!" Someone mentioned my name, but I couldn't see them.

"Who's there?" I asked. At once, a couple was standing before me. A bulky man and a bright-skin woman. Their hair was as black as I was.

"Mom … Dad … is that you?" I went after them when I noticed that the woman opened her arms. They're my parents. Finally, I met them after a long-time suffering. I wanted to hug them. I wanted to tell everything to them. One step closer, and …,

Deg!

"Megumi!"

Wait … what? It's only a dream? For real? I thought.

"Finally, you have awoken." I turned my face to the guy with a raspy voice.

"Gojo… oji-san …," I said softly.

"What were you doing! You know that I can't pay for the treatment if you need to go to the hospital?" he yelled which made me shocked.

I didn't reply. I was desperately exhausted. Why did God let me dragged to hell again? I almost arrived at heaven and hugged my parents. I wanted to live forever with them, but I was wrong. This was the real eternity. My mental and physic were being tortured with no mercy. I was admiring happiness which wasn't real. In the end, I was still surviving each day in this everlasting punishment. This pain would be forevermore.

The End.