4

I remember...

The place where I grew up was very dangerous...

I couldn't go out to play...
My mother wouldn't let me...
And with every attempt I made, she would scold me and punish me...

Even so, I tried many times to sneak out...
Only to be found out soon after and get dragged back home again...

She was overprotective...
But I needed to discover the world outside if I wanted to stand on my own feet someday...

She didn't seem to understand that...
She kept lecturing me repeatedly...

I remember...

The place where I grew up was very noisy...

It wasn't a rural area, nor was it a village...
It was right in the heart of a bustling town...
Active around the clock...

Traffic was heavy throughout the day...
Everyone was constantly shouting...
The streets were so crowded that reaching your destination felt nearly impossible...

But I didn't care much.
I couldn't leave home anyway.

I had no siblings...
So there wasn't anything to do to pass the time around here...
At home...
Where it felt like I was a prisoner...

Prisoner...

That thought feels strangely familiar...
As if I've felt this way before...

I suppose it's been so long that I've likely adapted to this state of mind...

I remember...

Mother was absent a lot lately...
Gone for many hours at a time...

Could it be that this...
Is my chance to finally explore the area?

Without a second thought...
I checked around to make sure she wasn't nearby...

Then, I ventured outside...
Into a mystifying place...
To the great unknown...

I remember...

It wasn’t what I expected...
Not that I was actually expecting anything in particular...

But...
It was even worse than that...

I couldn’t even begin to describe the feeling...
The whole place looked like hell...
I felt so disheartened that I just wanted to return home...

But seeing that this could be my only chance...
I brushed the feeling off...
And continued my little adventure...

It was an entirely new perspective on the world...
One I hadn't experienced before...
Both amazing and frightening at the same time...

I didn't know where to look...
Wasn't sure where to go from there...

I remember...

Feeling unwelcome...

I decided to turn back...
But I realized I was lost.

The place seemed extremely hostile...
Full of dangers and traps at each step I took...

Mother was right after all...
There's nothing fun here...

I wanted to go back now...
I was really scared...

But I don’t remember how...
I think I strayed too far from home...

And I could feel the stares of others...
Clinging to me...
And following my every move with their eyes...

I panicked and started running...
With no specific destination in mind...
Just trying to get away...

Anywhere far from here...
Anywhere that feels safe...
Anywhere that feels like home...

I miss my home...
I hope I can find my way back...

Eventually...

I kept running...
And running...
And running...

Running through alleys...
Running through sidewalks...
Running through streets...

I remember...

The final memory etched in my mind was...

A painfully loud never-ending noise...
Followed by a sharp, piercing sound...

And me...
Rooted to where I stood...
Unable to move an inch...

Just facing something enormous...
Rushing towards me...
At an incredible speed...

But after that...
Utter silence...
And a pitch-black void...
As if night had suddenly enveloped everything...

Mother...
I'm deeply sorry...
Please find it in your heart to forgive me...

I should have listened to you...
You only wished to keep me safe...

I'm not ready to go yet...
Not at this moment...
Not like this...

I'm still just a child...
I have my whole life ahead of me...

Yet, time has run its course...

Farewell...

Please...

Remember me...