moonless
FATES TASK 001: THE THREAD OF PRESENT LIFE
Your father would say you were a bomb, ready to explode. Your mother thought differently; theirs was a girl who endured patiently, and acted only out of good intentions.
But they say the road to hell is paved with just that.
Content warning: dogs, implied animal abuse, violence (?), injuries, bullying
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Do you remember the feeling you had when you first laid eyes on Maera?
You were well-adjusted to the streets of Athens by then, midway through your residency, and had seen your share of stray dogs. Nothing should be unusual about one or two walking about. However, something about the stray with the black, matted coat just begged for your attention. “It’s normal,” your companion had said, noticing how you stared at it. An unsaid longing to help... Out of what? Pity? Concern? The goodness of your heart? “You can’t save all of them, Heidi. Sure, maybe now you’ll say, ‘it’s just that dog’. But you get attached to one, you get attached to them all.”
Tearing your gaze away from the stray, you simply smiled at their advice. Shan was enough. You would convince yourself he was enough.
The odd white spot on its temple was more than enough for you to recognise it in an instant. It looked like a star. And over and over again, you looked the other way. Another stray dog. You couldn't possibly save them all even if you wanted to.
That was why rage filled your very being when you noticed what was unfolding in front of your eyes when you were on your way back to your apartment. Rage — at the group of kids for their actions, then at yourself. They couldn't have been older than sixteen. Every step you took was resolute, jaw clenched so tightly your teeth hurt. “What,” you spat out through gritted teeth, “do you think you’re doing?”
One glance at you had them scrambling. A tall figure looming in the dark of the night, haunted. The look in your eyes had never been so spiteful.
Though if anyone was the subject of your hatred, it would be yourself.
Perhaps if you had acted faster, the dog would never have suffered such a fate. It laid before you; bleeding, limp and helpless. Gingerly, you carried the stray, searching high and low for a veterinarian that was still open. It was strange. As you carefully held the dog, there was a strange sense of déjà vu. Nostalgic. Familiar. In its eyes, you saw an echo of a long-forgotten memory.
But who? Yourself? Someone else? Something else entirely?
You knew then, from the deepest depths of your heart, you had to take care of this child. Love her, protect her and maybe... Just maybe, she would come to protect you as well.
THREE.
The vice-principal stared you down as you sat quietly in the chair opposite him. Like a puzzle difficult to piece together, he studied you long and hard with a stressed look on his face. Then a sigh. “Heidi,” he finally uttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. The name rolled off his tongue effortlessly, but it still sounded foreign to you. Liu Jing -- how hard was it to pronounce without completely butchering it? It took a few seconds for you to register the new name, but you eventually looked up from your bruised knuckles.
“Am I... trouble?” Your voice was soft, but not timid and meek, having an almost resigned quality about it. You never learned how to punch so it had hurt you more than it hurt him. It still left him with a noticeable mark on his face, which would probably bruise up into something nasty. He could play the victim and people would eat it up. No matter what he had said to you -- about your parents or yourself -- you hit a boy much older than you and that was the truth of the situation.
Since you didn't have any outward reaction to their relentless teasing and constant snide remarks, they had moved on to your parents. Starting off with your father, then your mother followed. A split-second red. That was all it took.
Yet there was a lack of remorse for the actions you took out of frustration and anger. If you possessed any at all, it would be that you couldn’t think of the ramifications it would have on your parents.
“It’s only your first offence, so we called your parents. Your mother is on her way to pick you up. But if you think you’ll get away with anything else, you’re mistaken, young lady.”
In silence, you sat there with a blank stare.
Your father would say you were a bomb, ready to explode. Your mother thought differently; theirs was a girl who endured patiently and acted only out of good intentions.
But they say the road to hell is paved with just that.
(You have to let it all out eventually, Jing. Otherwise, it’ll rot in you.)
TWO.
You’ll soon learn some people say one thing yet do another. Like how ghosts aren’t real but there’s still fear in their eyes as they dismiss such talk. Your grandmother says respect is vital, to the living and the dead. She says, “We are living because of the dead and for that, we must show our gratefulness. To get along with our neighbours, there must be mutual understanding.” Your face contorts into one of confusion, your six-year-old brain struggling to understand her words. Grandmother laughs at your adorable expression.
“It means we must be patient and soften our hearts. Do you understand?” She strokes your hair. “You have to think for yourself someday. Determine the truth at your own pace because sometimes it’s just hidden.”
ONE.
.
.
.
Heidi, do you remember? When we were younger, the other kids would call us names. Witch was their favourite insult. You had cried then, but Heidi, here’s the thing,
what if they were right?