Kei, on the other hand, was completely unaware of what was unfolding around her. She was subrged deep within her mories, drifting through them subconsciously, observing everything as a detached third party. For the first ti in what felt like forever, she felt light unburdened, calm, almost genuinely happy.
Around her stood a modest two-story house, its worn wooden walls glowing softly under warm sunlight. The air carried the faint scent of ho polished floors, fresh als, and sothing nostalgic she couldn’t quite na. Laughter echoed faintly from within, blending with the gentle creak of the house settling, as if it were alive with mories.
She watched as a young girl dashed past her, feet barely touching the ground, her laughter bright and carefree. The girl made a beeline toward a man standing a short distance away, his broad back turned, frad by the golden light pouring in from the open doorway. The scene felt tiless, wrapped in warmth and safety an untouched fragnt of a life that once was.
"Look, papa, I made this!"
A young girl, no older than six, shouted excitedly as she threw herself toward the man. He reacted instantly, catching her mid leap and steadying her with a firm grip, his tone stern but familiar.
"Little girl, how many tis have I told you no running."
"Peh."
She stuck out her tongue in defiance, cheeks puffed in mock seriousness, before proudly holding up what looked like a cartoonish drawing. It showed a man and a woman standing side by side, with a small girl perched atop the man’s head, arms spread wide as if flying.
The man stared at it for a mont, then his expression softened. He crouched slightly to her level, his voice gentle now, pride unmistakable.
"My little tomato... I’m so proud of you." He smiled warmly. "Co on, let your mama see it too."
Bathed in praise, the girl’s face lit up instantly.
"Yay!"
She laughed, the sound bright and unrestrained, as she tugged at his hand and dragged him toward the house, leaving behind an atmosphere filled with warmth, love, and a happiness that felt achingly real.
Kei watched it all with a soft, blissful smile, as the gentle stream of mories carried her along. She saw a family living in simple happiness, the parents doting on their daughter, the girl repaying that love with harmless mischief, laughter echoing through the halls, warmth clinging to every corner of the house. It felt alive, vibrant, full. Then, without warning, the scene shifted.
The sa house stood before her, yet it felt completely different. The colours were dull, the air heavy and stagnant, as if even the walls were grieving. Sunlight barely filtered through the windows, casting long, cold shadows across rooms that once rang with laughter. The warmth was gone, replaced by a suffocating silence that pressed against the chest.
The girl was older now, around eleven, her small fra trembling as she clung to a woman who looked painfully similar to her. The woman’s face was hollow, eyes swollen and red, holding the child as if letting go would shatter them both. The girl cried uncontrollably, her voice breaking between sobs as she scread into her mother’s embrace.
"Ma... mamma... where... i..is... papa..."
Her words were fragile, desperate, each one scraping raw against the silence of the house. The mother tightened her hold, tears streaming freely as she replied, her voice just as broken.
"He is gone, my child... he is gone."
The house seed to mourn with them, every creak and shadow echoing the loss, the absence of a presence that would never return.
Both mother and child cried on, their voices raw and hoarse, clinging to each other as if that alone could keep the world from collapsing any further. The hours blurred together, grief stretching endlessly, heavy and suffocating. Kei didn’t even realize when the beautiful dream had twisted into her worst nightmare. Her gaze no longer lingered on the little girl. It was fixed on the woman.
"No... stop," Kei whispered.
She wanted to rush forward, to wrap her arms around her, to tell her that everything would be okay, even if it was a lie. More than anything, she wanted to believe it herself. But she recognized that expression all too well. The hollow eyes, the trembling resolve, the quiet surrender hidden beneath despair.
For as long as Kei could rember that woman had worn the sa face in her twilight years a face carved by helplessness and grief. A face that haunted her mories. And looking at it now, Kei understood with painful clarity what it ant.
That expression was the prelude to a terrible choice. A choice born from love and desperation, one that would scar them both, a decision whose weight would follow them for the rest of their lives, no matter how far they ran from it.
Years passed, and Kei continued to watch as the house that was once filled with laughter slowly turned into a place of quiet mourning. After that day, the girl changed. She matured far too quickly. She did everything she could to make her mother happy, gave up her pranks, her stubbornness, her childish selfishness. She tried, truly tried, to beco a good girl.
But it felt as though all her efforts disappeared into a void. Her mother beca nothing more than a hollow shell of who she once was. Endless work to pay off debts, mounting bills, and sleepless nights eroded her little by little. She still tried...tried to smile, tried to sound cheerful, tried to tell her daughter that she loved her. Yet behind those words was an emptiness so deep it swallowed everything.
The little girl, unaware of that depth, never gave up. She learned how to do chores to ease her mother’s burden, learned how to cook so she wouldn’t have to worry after long days at work. She welcod her ho with warm hugs, clinging to her as if that alone could make things better. Sotis, when her mother had already fallen asleep, she would quietly lean in and press a soft kiss against her cheek, hoping without knowing why that it might reach her.
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