𝗜t's All My Fault

Darkness... I didn't even know if I was keeping my eyes wide open or closed. 

𝗧𝗮𝗽 𝘁𝗮𝗽 𝘁𝗮𝗽

A footstep? It seems the monster found me through my red water trail. Thank god, I can finally rest peacefully now.  

That’s all I knew before I lost consciousness.

 ... ... ...  

I opened my eyes and found myself in a playground. Was this my memory?

Ah, memories flood back—I remember now.

The little girl sitting on the swing was me, alone and weak.  

𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸, 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸  

The old swing squeaked lightly.  

The little girl’s hands held onto the swing’s ropes as she swung back and forth. She swung while humming happily, watching the butterflies and birds flying around.  

“Humm humm~”

The playground was tranquil and peaceful. Perfect for relaxing.

Soon, a big boxy car will park, and two men will approach her.  

𝗕𝗿𝗿𝗿𝗺!  

𝗦𝗹𝗮𝗺!  

𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗽 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗽 𝗗𝗿𝗮𝗽

"Hey little girl, Uncle has candy—do you want some?" the man says with a smile.  

"Candy?" she said while stopping her swing and looking at them. 

"Yes, lots of candy!" The man's smile begins to frighten her.

"A-ah, n-no, Uncle, I-I just want to play here." She begins to tremble and slowly steps down from the swing.

"Hey, he's being nice! He's giving out free candy!" Said the second man, his voice was raised up.

"B-but I don't want to!" She's trembling. She wants to run, but the two men are blocking the way, and the second man grabs her arm.

"Come with us!" Said the second man while his grip turned her wrist bluish. 

"No! I don't want to! Let me go! Uncle, please!" The girl started shedding tears.  

"Shut up! I said come with us!" The second man forcibly dragged the girl toward the car.  

"Help—" Her voice was muffled as she tried to scream for help.  

After that, she was forced into the car.

Inside, she was tied up. The car drove away from the playground.  

Then, the man would ask for the little girl's address.  

"P-please d-don't h-hurt me, I w-want g-go h-home." The girl began to cry hysterically, her words distorted by sobs.  

"Listen to me closely! If you give us your address, we won't do anything to you!" the man said, glaring at the girl while pointing a knife at her chin. 

"W-why?" Her voice was quivering.

"Of course, to sell you to your own parents! If they can't buy you... You'll be sold to someone else! HAHAHA!" the man said with a wicked laugh. 

"HAHAHA! HE'S RIGHT!" The second man also laughed from the driver's seat. 

"N-no, I refuse!" She shook her head, dismissing his words entirely.

"Shut up! You'd better say it now, little girl." He brought the knife closer — until the blade pressed against her neck. 

The girl nodded while crying, then reluctantly gave her home address in a trembling voice.

Then, they would send a letter to her parents. Later, her parents would have to borrow money to raise the ransom.

. . . 

That was the beginning of color fading away. 

My father worked hard to pay off the debt, day and night in the mine. My mother also went to work even though she had been sick for a long time. 

They were still young adults back then; they should have been happy and had more children, but now they only worked and worked, just to pay off the debt because of me. 

Even by the time I was a teenager, the debt was still lingering — because those bastards demanded so much; we were just an ordinary family back then — neither poor nor rich.

When my father was reported missing in the mine, all the color in my family vanished instantly. Only his pickaxe was found, the one I carry with me now.

My mother’s condition worsened, and I began working as a miner at a teenager’s age, just like my father, and in the end...

I was swallowed by the darkness — in another world. 

This is all my fault. If I hadn’t played alone, if I had friends, if I had never left the house, none of this would have happened. 

"Reiho, don't work too hard, take care of yourself. Whatever happens to Father and Mom, just ignore it. We only want to see you go far in life. If you've found a new life, don't hesitate to leave Mom, sweetheart. Wherever whatever happens—Mom only wishes you to be happy." Those were my mother's words, which she repeated every day before I went to work.

𝗜’𝗺 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆, 𝗠𝗼𝗺. 𝗜 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱. 𝗜 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝗽 𝗱𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀. 𝗜’𝗺 𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆, 𝗜'𝗺 𝘀𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰. 𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲. 

𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲.