Throughout her life, Miranda was surrounded by tragedy.
Born in the early 18th century, Miranda was always an enthusiastic and upright young woman. But above all, happy.
Married from an early age, and with two beautiful children, she had big plans for the future.
Jason and Eva were their names, adorable children, who, to her utter joy were a carbon copy of her; black hair and brown eyes.
Jason was about 12 years old, and was what every mother wanted in a son; kind, polite, and above all good-hearted.
Eva was the youngest, just turned 10, she was the joy of the home; hyperactive and extremely curious, she was always the one who got her brother in trouble.
Miranda adored and loved them with all her heart, Jason was her greatest pride, and Eva was her greatest joy.
If only her husband were still here, everything would be ideal. The young mother dared to think.
Her husband, a fine looking and pleasant young man, had been serving in the army for a few years now, as the Great War was at its height.
The young mother, not even in her worst nightmares would she have dreamed of everything that would happen in just a couple of weeks.
A strange flu hit the whole of Europe, the spanish flu they called it, since its greatest concentration was in Spain.
The flu did not take long to reach his town, completely devastating the population, taking with it a very high number of dead.
Miranda could only watch with absolute helplessness and suffering as the flu also took her little Eva, just 10 years old.
Days passed, and Miranda was no longer the cheerful and loving young mother; no, she was a mere shadow of her former self, a mere ghost haunting the house.
Jason despite his still young age understood this at once.
In an attempt to help his mother, he sent a letter to his aunt, an elderly woman who happened to be his grandmother's sister, and who, as far as he remembered lived a few miles away.
Her aunt, having been notified by Jason of the situation, answered his letter, in this case to Miranda, offering first her condolences, and second, a change.
She had offered to move out of there, and go live in what she called the Village. A town only a few miles away, quiet and completely unknown.
The young mother was already totally consumed by grief, and, with nothing else to do, she ended up listening to him.
Weeks passed and Miranda did not forget Eva, not even the presence of her other son could keep her on her feet. And one day she couldn't take it anymore.
Driven to complete despair, Miranda ventured into a nearby cave, with only one intention. To kill herself, to finally end all the pain.
However, as she was on her way to her end, she came across a huge, ancient, absolutely gigantic mushroom colony.
-"The Mold!". Exclaimed a voice behind her.
Turning around, she ran into her aunt. But this one looked very strange; she looked even older than she was, she was dressed all in black, and her staff bore a skull.
-"Come on, daughter, touch it, and feel the power...". She continued, in an absolutely intoxicating voice.
Miranda hesitated, and the old woman decided to come even closer.
-"What if I told you that your daughter could be saved?". She assured, as she leaned heavily on her strange cane.
The young mother's eyes widened, and the old woman simply smiled in anticipation.
Miranda couldn't help but let herself be carried away by that small hope, the very idea of seeing Eva again, of holding her in her arms, was too much.
With that in mind, she finally made up her mind, and touched the large mass growing from the so-called Moho. There, the old woman spoke again.
-"The root of the mushroom".
Immediately Miranda was seized by memories of hundreds of people, no, even more, there were thousands. Thousands of people who had been consumed by the fungus over the centuries.
She opened her eyes deliberately as she saw her own daughter Eva there too. And the old woman noticed.
-"Now do you understand?".
Miranda suddenly saw the infinite possibilities of all that power. But only one mattered to her, her daughter.
-"Eva". She declared in a whisper.
-"Oh, my child. Of course you do. That and more". The old woman closed the distance even further.
That was until another voice echoed in the huge cave, drawing both of their attention.
-"Mom? Are you here?".
Jason. Miranda thought.
Immediately, the young man appeared at the entrance, his face absolutely intrigued at what he saw.
-"Mom. What are you doing?". He asked, as she approached.
-"Not another step Jason". She alerted him.
-"It could be dangerous". She added.
-"Mom?".
-"I have to, Jason. For Eva".
Hearing his sister's name, the young man instantly looked down, a few tears beginning to fall.
-"Mom... Eva... She's dead". He declared, finally looking up, his eyes covered with tears.
-"Don't say that!". His mother shouted, and Jason staggered back a step.
-"You don't understand...". She added, softening her voice.
And there, the young man who had missed his mother's love so much, jumped.
-"What don't I understand?!". He cried out in pain.
-"What do you mean you're here to kill yourself?. No, Mom. I won't let you do it". He continued, moving slowly toward his mother.
-"Oh. Stop right there, boy. You can't stop the inevitable". The old woman threatened him, and with that, he turned to Miranda.
Just there, the young mother realized how close the old woman was to her.
-"Now... Before you, Black God...". The old woman spoke again, in a kind of prayer.
-"From this moment on. We... We will be one". She finished, in a totally perverse voice.
-"Mom!". Was the last thing Miranda managed to hear, just before she fell into complete darkness. With only one word leaving her lips.
-"What?".
-"Mom?". The young man asked, as he tried to lift his mother's unconscious body.
Slowly, Miranda managed to open her eyes, she felt rejuvenated, no, much more than that, strong, unstoppable.
-"Yes. I'm fine". She declared, as she managed to get up with extreme eagerness.
Jason's face took on an intriguing expression, and Miranda knew in advance that something was making him very uneasy.
-"Mom?".
-"What's wrong Jason?".
-"What about the lady?".
-"I don't know". She replied, hiding a small smile inside.
-"Mom... Can we get out of here?". Asked the boy.
-"Sure. Just wait, there's one more thing I have to do". Declared the young mother.
Jason gave another questioning look, and, without another second, Miranda took his son by the hand. A gesture to which Jason immediately smiled, for it was now a simple fond memory of something they did a lot back in the days when Eva was still alive.
But something was different, her hand, once warm and full of love, was now cold and with an evil aura.
Miranda drew her son towards the megamiceta, and, despite the noticeable refusal on Jason's face and movements, she touched the mushroom again; but with a difference from her previous time, this time she didn't do it alone.
The boy seemed to endure all the images that popped into his head, until he saw his sister; that, for him, was enough. He fainted.
Miranda caught him in time, cradling her beloved son in her arms, rocking him little by little with her newfound strength.
-"Sleep my little Jason. Sleep!". The young mother lovingly exclaimed.
-"Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be another day".
Days passed, and Miranda couldn't hide her frowning face; her son showed no change, it was as if he hadn't even touched the megamiceta.
Still, she decided to put it aside, at least for now. And the renewed and now called Mother Miranda decided to infect several villagers with the Mold. Causing them to be cured of whatever illness they were suffering from.
She began to give sermons in the local church, proclaiming herself a prophetess of the Black God, and asked to be called henceforth as Mother Miranda.
Immediately, the villagers, completely grateful and somewhat affected by the Moho, abandoned their Christian faith and converted to the new pagan cult. Worshipping not only the Black God, but also their new Mother, Mother Miranda.
The years began to pass, and she devoted herself entirely to Mold research; makeshift laboratories and ceremonial sites serving her purpose.
As a result of this research she came upon the Cadou, a parasitic nematode altered by the Mold.
Problems began to arise in the village; peasants and nobles alike were implanted with these parasites as part of his research. With which he fervently sought to find a superhuman host for the copy of Eva to manifest within.
The vast majority of the test subjects failed, dying or becoming lycanthropes. Lycanthropes which, Miranda expelled from the village, leaving them on the outskirts, to protect her test site.
From that moment on, she began to rigorously choose who she would infect with the Cadou, and thanks to her son, she came across some promising candidates. Alcina Dimitrescu, Donna Beneviento, Salvatore Moreau and Karl Heisenberg.
To his regret, none would prove to be the right vessel for Eva. But, still, he decided to take an idea from his beloved Jason.
She made them hierarchs of the town, giving them all a part of it; she created a council, in which they met, to decide the most important things, with her having the final say.
The years began to pass, and Mother Miranda began to regret the departure of her eldest son; she missed him, too much. And even more so on that very day.
Miranda was in her laboratory, in complete silence, as today was the anniversary of her beloved son Jason's departure.
With a slight grimace of longing on her face, finally, after so many years, she allowed herself to remember that day...
The day Jason walked away was one of those hard days in town, those days when it was too cold and snowy.
Miranda was testing something new, for when then out of nowhere, the door to her lab creaked open, and from there her son appeared.
-"Mother!". He exclaimed, her voice dripping with anger.
-"Jason. What's wrong?".
-"You know damn well what's wrong". Jason immediately lashed out at her.
-"I don't understand".
Jason shook his head, and tried to look away, he couldn't look her in the eye. His mother, she was a monster.
She approached, and the young man instinctively recoiled.
-"Jason".
-"No...". The young man whispered, and then looked up finally.
-"Tell me the truth mother... Did you?".
She didn't answer, and he jumped again.
-"Did you do it?!". He urged, already with tears in his eyes.
Mother Miranda looked carefully into his eyes. And right there she knew, she couldn't lie to him anymore.
-"Yes". She said.
Jason recoiled as if he had been struck.
-"W-why?".
-"Because of Eva. You understand Jason, I'll do whatever it takes to have her by my side".
-"Together with us... We'll be a family again...". She continued, but was cut off by her son.
-"Eva is dead...".
-"No. She's not".
-"Mom...".
-"She's not!". His mother shouted, her voice distorted and her face terrified.
The young man recoiled again, with reality hitting him full on. That thing in front of him was no longer his mother.
Miranda looked at him with an embarrassed look, and instinctively tried to stroke her son's cheek, but he pulled away, eyes narrowed.
-"You're not my mother". He spat painfully.
-"Yes, I am".
-"My mother would never...". But he was cut off by his mother.
-"Do you want the truth? Do you think you're capable of bearing it?".
-"What?". Jason's face was one of complete disbelief.
-"Your old mother died and was reborn in that cave? Thanks to the megamiceta, thanks to the Black God, I am so much more than that simple young woman I once was". She began.
-"Still, I am your mother, and always will be, my dear Jason. You are my baby. Today and always". She continued, stroking his cheek tenderly.
-"Just... You must wait... Soon, soon the three of us will be together again. You, Eva and me. And we'll be happy again".
Jason was completely silent. For a moment he could see his little sister next to him, playing, and his mother, smiling at them with complete love.
-"You see. That's our future son. This time, no one will take him away from us".
The young man's eyes widened.
-"What? How?".
-"You have the power... But you won't let it out...".
Jason frowned, uncomprehending, and his mother smiled, her son would always be the same. Despite being smart, he was always dense.
-"Oh Jason, you seriously thought that you, being my son, wouldn't be infected too. Just like me, you're part of the megamiceta".
Jason froze. And she took that moment to hug him; feeling immediately good, her son needed her, and so did she.
The young man did not pull away, but began to cry even more.
-"Am I... I'm... I'm a monster?". He asked, closing his eyes.
-"I wouldn't say that".
-"But... Am I like you?".
-"Yes".
-"I am... I'm a monster. Just like you".
With that, the young man broke away from his mother.
-"No. You and I are evolution, son. And when Eve returns with us, no one can stop us".
Jason shook his head.
-"Yes, I am".
-"Jason".
-"Why did you have to do that to my friends? They... They trusted me... And I...".
-"I'll give you the same answer. And I know it's not the one you're looking for".
-"Eva". Jason guessed wearily.
-"Always. You and her are all I want. I just want you both to be with me... Forever".
-"What do you say?".
Miranda smiled warmly, as she slowly sank into a memory of her son's childhood.
-"Stop it mom!". She exclaimed out of nowhere, eyes closed, completely immersed in her memories.
-"That's what you always repeated to me...". She opened her eyes, looking directly at her son.
-"And I would answer you. Just one more lesson Jason, one more". She added.
The young man in front of her didn't flinch.
-"What's that all about?".
-"That I'll teach you one more lesson...".
-"You don't understand the power you have. Strength, immunity, and so much more...".
-"Touching the megamiceta didn't just bring you that, no. At this point, you're as immortal as I am, son".
-"What are you talking about?". Jason asked in disbelief.
-"You never wondered why you never get sick, or why you're so resistant to harm".
The young man's eyes widened for a moment, realization taking its toll on him, and then he looked down at the ground, devastated.
After a few long minutes of silence, his mother spoke again.
-"I know what you're thinking... Or are you forgetting who raised you?".
-"You don't think you're worthy of all this. You were always like this... You've always lacked that little bit of evil, my dear son".
-"And that's why you're thinking of leaving here... You feel so guilty that you dare not look your friends in the face... But you are wrong".
-"I assure you that if you leave, you won't solve anything, you'll only earn their hatred. Do you think that by turning your back on me, everything will be reversed? I never thought you were so blind, Jason...".
-"Or is that what you want?".
-"Do you really want them to hate you so much that they end up forgetting about you?".
-"No". Jason replied.
-"Who cares what I want...". He continued, defeated.
-"It does matter". His mother spoke, approaching him. But Jason pulled away.
-"Don't come near me". Urged the young man, his head already a complete tangle of anguish and despair.
Mother Miranda planted herself, devoting herself to looking at him with a pained expression, her son, was rejecting her, her baby, was thinking about... Leaving her.
With that, she decided to use her last card, maybe adding salt to the wound would make him react, even if it hurt herself.
-"Look at you now. Turning your back on me, on your mother... And even to her, to Eva... What would she think of you right now?".
-"Leave her out of it!". The young man suddenly shouted, not bearing it anymore.
His mother understood there, that her son had already decided what to do.
Part of her wanted to kill him on the spot for daring to leave her, but another part of her couldn't do it. He was her son, and always would be. He would always be her little baby.
-"Go on, go. Let your sister and your friends down. Do it. I won't stop you...". She whispered.
Jason simply turned away, without even responding and started to walk away; but then his mother spoke again.
-"Listen to me well. Jason!". She exclaimed, practically spitting out the name, this time her tone of voice had abruptly changed.
If you asked the young man, his voice, sounded very much like that of an old aunt, an aunt who had simply disappeared.
-"The next time I see you around here, you will not be welcome, not by me, not by anyone. Everyone here will know what you've done...".
-"You're as guilty as I am, Jason. And now, you've just added another nail in your coffin, for you, too, are guilty of abandoning your family...".
-"Therefore, I warn you. Death will follow you wherever you walk. That, I promise".
The young man looked at her just once, which would be the last time for a very long time, and with a sorrowful voice, full of remorse and pain, he answered.
-"Goodbye, Mother Miranda".
Sorry guys.I had to completely redo the whole chapter, since my cell phone screwed up, and I had everything written and saved in notepad.Haha, I know what people will say. Why don't you use Word?.I found it much easier and more comfortable to write in the notepad, and it was something I always had at hand. I kept everything there, even work info, password, everything.I was literally screwed.For me, I think the worst thing that can happen to you as a writer is having to rewrite everything; it's a real pain, and even more so when you feel that the rewrite wasn't as good as the original.I sulked about it for the whole month, and ended up putting it aside; with that out of the way, I started reading the books I had pending, trying to clear my head and forget my frustration.I did it, and that's why I'm here again hehe, just a few hours ago I started writing this chapter, and well, here it is hehe.Well, now that I've explained it, I say goodbye, greetings.
