The River

Returning home, Nodo sees Eosaph and his brother, Gill, sitting in front of his house's front door, waiting for him.

— Nodo! You’re so late! — Eosaph gets up and goes to him. — Where did you go with Eva? I went on the river with Gill and we didn't find you

— Erh, if I tell you you won't believe it.

— Hey, why not?

— We went to that Annzi family mansion, with their daughter and —

Nodo is cut off by Eosaph's laugh.

— Hahahahah, you don't need to invent something like that, just say you went anywhere else with her.

— I’m being serious Eosaph! Tomorrow you'll go with me and I'll show you this girl.

— Let’s see then, haha.

— By the way, what are you doing sitting in front of my house?

— Ah, we came to ask if you want to go to the pear woods outside the city with us, we would go today, but as you took hours to get back, it will have to be tomorrow.

— Can we take Eva and Safi?

— Yes, yes, but who is Safi?

— It's the girl from the Annzi family I said.

— Does she really exist?

— Of course, there is no reason for me to invent something like that.

— All right then, the five of us are going there tomorrow.

— Oh, hey Gill. Nodo shifts his gaze from Eosaph to Gill, who is quietly watching the two talk.

— There are a few days that we don't see each other, right? Eosaph told me you got a girlfriend and all. — Said Gill

— Well, Eosaph lied to you, Eva is not my girlfriend.

…

Gill gets up, and goes to Eosaph, putting his hands on his shoulders.

— I'll tell mom and dad that you lied.

— Huh? Why?

— Well, it's not nice to go out spreading something like that is it? I have to scold my little brother when necessary!

— That's it Gill! — Nodo says Gill.

— But I was just joking!

— Oh! And how are we going to go outside the City without an adult? — Nodo asks.

— Don’t be afraid, my dear friend! We talked with your brother Hese, he’ll take us after his shift on the City Gate. — Gill responds.

— Really? I didn’t expect Hese to do this, but that’s nice.

— Well, let's go back home, Eosaph, it's getting late and our parents are having dinner earlier today.

— They do? So okay, bye Nodo.

— Goodbye.

— Damn girl, Eva! Where are you? — A man yells for Eva, who was hiding under the living room table of her house. — Why are you back so late today? Just the day I come home? Are you avoiding me? If I find you, you'll have to sleep on the street huh! It's better to leave wherever you are!

Panting, Eva could barely think, she was desperate for having forgotten that today would be the day her father comes home, and just today, she came home too late.

— I can hear your breathing! It gets louder with every step! Are you here? — He opens a closet that was in the living room. — Well, it's not here, so... — He approaches the table. She could hear his footsteps getting louder. Beyond the darkness under the table, Eva's mind was completely overloaded in fear, with her head aching and heart burning,

Thum thum thum…

The man pulls the tablecloth off the table, revealing Eva beneath her, who runs off towards the living room door, and out of the house.

— Stupid girl! Come back here!

After taking a distance and realizing that her father was no longer following her, she looked all over the street, trying to remember which direction Safi's house was, but to no avail, she decided to go to the river where she always is.

Gasp, gasp, gasp — In the streets that were emptied by the night that had arrived a few hours ago, only the sound of the heavy breathing of Eva could be heard, the girl who was tired, finally arrived at the riverbank, kneeling before him.

— Mom, gasp, gasp, I can't take it anymore, what did I do to make father hate me like that? After you left, I don't have peace anymore, that man hates everything related to me. I can't walk with Safi without him seeing, I can't sleep at home without him trying to hit me, it's hell, huff, huff, huff, it’s hell! I can't take it anymore! I don't know what to do, I don't know, gasp, I don't know, I don't know and I don't know! Why did they kill you? Why did they throw your body there? You used to say that this city was the best place to live in the whole world, but you were killed here, why? Gasp, gasp gasp gasp. — Her face falls asleep in the dirt on the riverbank, and until dawn, it stays like that.

— Eva! Eva! Wake up! What happened? — Several voices around Eva woke her, worried about her, who slowly woke up, kneeling, looking around her, she saw Safi, Nodo, Eosaph and Gill screaming for her.

…

— What happened!? — Safi kneels beside her asking.

— Did someone hit you? Were you brought here? — Nodo also inquires.

— Hmm… it doesn't matter, why are you here so early? — Eva avoids responding.

— It does matter! If you don't tell me what happened, I'm leaving now! — Safi yells.

…

— I got home late yesterday, and my father was threatening to beat me… So I fled here… the only place where he doesn't come near. — She speaks embarrassed, feeling weak.

— Why didn't you go to my house? I would arrange for my parents to let you in anyway! — Safi yells.

— I tried! I tried to remember where it was, I couldn't, I also tried to guess where the Nodo's or Eosaph's house was, but I couldn't I—

Getting interrupted by Safi who gives her a hug, Eva shuts up, and after a while, closes her eyes.

— Eva, you're not coming back to your father's house. — Safi says, looking into her eyes.

— And where will I live then?

— There's a room in my house that nobody uses or enters, I'll put you there.

— That's too dangerous, isn't it? — Said Eosaph.

— No, it's not, it's been months since nobody goes there, what are the chances of coming in now just because I'm going to put Eva there?

— I can't accept that Safi, if it's to leave my father's house, I'd rather stay on the edge of this river than live in someone's house.

— What's in this river that can't let you get away from it? — Safi asks.

…

— You can tell, we'll understand you.

— My mother.

— What do you mean? — Eosaph inquires.

— My mother was thrown there. — She screams in a tearful voice. — They killed and threw her there! After that, my life was over, father took me to a house on the other side of town, he tried to hit me every day! I, I… I just wanted her back.

…

After the silence, Eva speaks again:

— The City Garrison discovered my mother’s body in the river some months ago, they took her out of it and buried her in the graveyard outside the city. But I know that her soul is still in the river, that’s why I am always here.

— Even if your mother soul is there, it can't feed you, give you warmth, a bed, or anything like that, if you started living here outdoors, the City Garrison would end up taking you to one of those religious schools, they would treat you badly, I don't want that for you, you'll live in my house from tomorrow, and I'll take these two there to see you every day, let's go out to play together, eat, I will face my parents as much as I need for them to accept you there! Ah, by the way, you two who came with Nodo, my name is Safi.

— My name is Eosaph, are you an Annzi yourself?

— Yes, my name is Safi Annzi.

— Mine is Gill.

— Why do you do these things for me? What did I do to deserve it? — Eva asks.

— We just want you to be our friend, it's that simple. — Nodo finally says something.

— I still can't understand, really.

— You don't need to. — Nodo responded