The sky was blue. In the distance, several trees appeared, their branches intertwining. Green leaves fell around a cabin. A green garden isolated it from everything, hidden beneath the towering trees.
My hair is white, and my eyes are blue. My appearance definitely didn't resemble that of my parents. My mother has brown hair and amber-brown eyes; my father, black hair and dark brown eyes. Clearly, something was off.
At first, my father believed my mother had cheated on him. However, the local healer said it wasn't so uncommon for children's appearances to differ from their parents'. Besides, there was no one else in the region who looked like me.
After thinking it over, my father remembered that my grandfather had blue eyes. The problem was the white hair.
Well... it doesn't matter.
My father would leave early in the morning to work, and my mother took care of the house, while I just procrastinated, with not much to do.
The houses were very far apart, so I didn't know many people. It was a rather boring life.
-DAAAVES
While I wasted my time looking out the window from my room, I suddenly heard my mother's voice. Looking up at the sky, I realized it was already around 12:00 — lunchtime.
I left my room and went downstairs to the first floor. When I arrived, I saw a table full of food, with quite a variety. Well... vegetables, legumes, fruits... and that was about it. We didn't have much money; we lived off nature, and, well, we didn't eat meat. It wasn't really a choice, just because we couldn't afford it.
As I went down the stairs, I soon saw my mother in the kitchen. She was wearing a brown dress with a white apron.
When I sat down at the table, suddenly, I heard a noise.
Knock knock.
Knocking sounds came from the door. I was a bit confused — we didn't get visitors, at least not often. My father wouldn't be back until the evening.
Well, thinking about it, there was a house not far from here. From time to time, we would visit that house; it was the only contact I had, besides our own family.
I got up. They were probably returning the visit. The moment I reached the door and turned the doorknob, I thought: Maybe I should have asked who it was before opening.
When I opened the door, a figure of a man appeared. He was tall, with deep black eyes, black hair, and pale skin. A black cloak covered his entire body.
Watching the man, I was sure I had never seen him before. He gave off a frightening aura. I didn't know what to say. That's when his words came:
— Blue eyes, blonde hair, light, slightly yellowish skin, wearing a blue dress... Have you seen her?
The man's words were direct. He seemed to be looking for someone. As I thought about the description he had given, I was suddenly pulled back. I looked and realized it was my mother. I was surprised, but soon noticed something strange: her eyes seemed shaky. It was the first time I had ever seen her scared.
— Hello, is there a problem?
My mother asked, with a forced smile on her face.
— Blue eyes, blonde hair, light skin, slightly yellowish, wearing a blue dress... Have you seen her?
The man's words remained the same. He seemed to be searching for a girl.
— Noble sir, since the day began, we haven't left the house. Unfortunately, we haven't seen such a person, nor could we have.
Silence filled the air after my mother's words. There was a palpable tension. The man was almost leaning against the door, and my mother stood behind it.
While I was watching, everything changed in an instant. The view I had of the man behind the door and my mother inside the house shifted.
In the blink of an eye, I saw my mother lifted into the air, while the man's hand gripped her neck. She struggled, while the man remained firm. Seeing that scene, I was frightened. Everything seemed to have changed. Slowly, my mother's face turned red... Was she dying?
I felt paralyzed. What should I do? What was happening? Why is this happening? I don't understand.
I realized my mother was slowly stopping her struggles, her body weakening. The moment she stopped moving...
PRAAA!
The man released her, and she fell to the floor. Was she dead?
Her body convulsed on the floor. A clear mark wrapped around her neck.
Seeing my mother like that made my entire body tremble — vibrate. Something inside me twisted, overwhelmed. My life had been so simple... tedious, yes, but still simple. I'd wake up in the morning, eat breakfast with my mother and father. Then he'd leave for work, and I'd spend the day with her. We'd have lunch together, stay close, and in the evening, he'd return. The next day, it all repeated. It was routine. Sometimes boring — but I never hated that life.
And now... everything had changed.
That man — what had we done to him? Why did he do this? Why was my mother lying there, on the edge of death? I didn't understand. But something inside me was burning — burning with emotion.
Then the man began walking toward me, repeating the same words like a broken machine:
— Blue eyes, blonde hair, fair skin, blue dress… have you seen her?
He was like a robot, stuck in a loop. When he stopped right in front of me and realized I wasn't saying a word, he reached out and wrapped his hand around my neck, squeezing hard. My body was lifted into the air as if I weighed nothing. His grip was so tight, I felt my neck might snap.
Still, my eyes stayed fixed on her — my mother, lying motionless on the floor, her body slowly giving in... until it stopped completely.
My vision dimmed. I couldn't breathe. My body was failing. And the last thing I saw before my eyes finally closed... was my mother, lifeless on the floor.