What is love?
I asked myself many times and the answer would still be the same.
A kind of feeling which grows in me as I stay together with my family happily and peacefully.
It was wonderful: the days were bright, nights filled with sparkling stars and moon.
A caring father who wouldn't let me do a single hard work as he smiled widely watching me play outside.
A loving mother who wouldn't let me stay empty stomach and always shares her day's experience.
A little sister, five years smaller than me. I played with her half the day as it would always bring me happiness.
This is love.
Until…
The Navy in our town changed. New officers were signed here who were very corrupt.
The taxes increased.
The Navy Lieutenant Commander, who roamed the town with an arrogant look, seemed to like my mother.
I saw my mother leaving late at night, and coming back early in the morning.
I talked with my father about it to only get a scolding as his personality also started changing.
My father became a thug for the Navy, he would extort money from the neighborhood.
One day, while my father was away with my little sister. My mother came in with that Lieutenant Commander.
I saw everything, how that Lieutenant Commander was fucking my mother.
When I was discovered, the Lieutenant Commander beat me almost to death.
Only after my mother begged, did he leave me alive. But what was the use? I was locked in my room for days and nights.
* * *
"You! Fucking Bitch! How dare you have sex in my own house with another man!"
Father's shout was loud enough for me to hear from my room. Then mother shouted back and the two seemed to get into a fight.
"Stop! Please!"
The cries of my little sister came as I heard loud noises of kicking and slamming.
I managed to get the lock broken by a chair in my bedroom as I dashed down the stairs.
The fight between my parents took my little sister as well. Her elbow was bleeding as she tried her best to stop the two from fighting.
"Hey! Stop it!"
Just like her, I got between them and did my best only to be kicked by father.
I had to do something.
"Beat me as you want! But please stop!"
I meant it. Not for me, nor for my mother or father but my little sister who was crying.
My words worked. Their eyes focused on me while they thought of what I said.
I regret saying that…
* * *
In the basement, my hands and legs were tied up with metal chains.
Every day, either father or mother would come down to release their anger in me.
I was kicked.
Punched.
Cut.
It was painful. I hate it.
Love is but a word I now learned. It is a very dangerous thing to come across.
Love grows in you as it eats you up from the inside slowly but steadily.
Love might be temporary, but the time it grows in you, it will completely empty you from the inside.
When the ones who you love, leaves you, the love you have in you also goes.
Then what?
You will be nothing but just a shell.
A shell that can at most be a disguise and nothing else.
All those memories I had, a picture of my happy family, ripped apart.
A slut mother.
A dangerous father.
Thankfully I still had my sister. That's what I thought until that happened.
* * *
"Damn it! Bastard didn't even give me enough money!"
The angry voice of my mother, entered my ears as I looked up to the stairs leading to the basement.
Followed by a little girl about five years old. I was in a very weak state.
Food was given to me in a few days. Most of the time was spent tied to the wall in the basement.
*Bam*
The kick landed on my face. It hurt. But I couldn't do anything, not even my mouth would move to speak.
*Bam*
I got beat for many minutes until my mother got exhausted. She sat on a table near the stairs.
"Who is this thing? Why are you beating it?"
I was surprised, not just me but my mother as well as we heard the light girl speak up.
Barely able to open my eyes, I looked up at my sister's face to see her frown.
"This ugly thing! How dare you look at me!"
She was angry, but my mother's laughter came immediately.
"That ugly ass is your big brother, lily. Don't you remember him?"
Mother asked while crossing her arms over her sagging chest.
"This thing is my brother! No! I don't!"
I was heartbroken. The light girl walked over me as she frowned even by my site.
*Spit*
It was shocking. To have a person change to such an extent. What was the god doing up there?
"Ha ha Ha ha!"
The laughter from my mother rang in the basement. The light girl spit on me again and went up the stairs not wanting to waste her time.
For the entire year, I endured this torture for her sake only to end up as the unwanted one.
* * *
Life was definitely hard…
"I am so happy today!"
My father walked down the stairs while carrying a plate of meat and boiled vegetables
He stepped near me and looked down on my face to only raise his eyebrow.
"Why aren't you smiling? Today is a good day. I got a hundred thousand bellies! Why aren't you happy!"
He threw the plate on my face as his shout made me want to rip my ears off.
He moved his gaze around the basement and locked on a knife on the table near the stairs.
"I will make you smile forever! I will make sure that you won't be able to forget to laugh!"
He grabbed it and hurried towards me. His eyes looked scary with red vessels.
No!
Stop!
Please!
He held my face, my mouth gripped tightly as he ran the knife from my left lips corner into an arc.
Blood flowed out of the cut as the knife cut through the flesh and also ripped some of it.
Ah!
It hurts!
He then cut the other side exactly the same way as he did on my left side.
My lacrimal glands were dried as not a single drop of tear came out.
Instead, what came out was something warm and red from my eyes.
"Now it's better!"
The monster in front of me nodded with satisfaction as he turned around and left the basement.
In the dark and cold basement, filled with tables, metals and other equipment, a lonely figure was tied to the wall with chains.
Thin, almost all his bones visible through the dry skin. Blood vessels popping out while continuing to pump the blood.
"He…"
A short and very low sound came from the figure, his head lowered making one unable to see his face.
"He…he…"
The low sound was increasing as the figure, a boy about 10 or so years old, was moving his head.
*Drip*
A red liquid dripped on the cold floor echoing in the silent basement.
"Hehe… he…"
The boy raised his head, showing his face which was flowing with blood.
His lips, not a smile yet, looked like one because of the cut from before. His eyes tearing down red blood like rain.
"Hehe… hehehe…"