WHO ARE YOU ?[Episode 2]

EPISODE 2: WHISPERS IN THE DARK.....

 I bid farewell to Mom, unable to hold back my tears. That was my last goodbye to her. It felt surreal, and I wished it was just a nightmare. I prayed it was a dream so I could wake up to a normal day, go to Mom's bedroom, hug her tightly, and tell her everything I felt.

"Matthew, come here. Sit beside me," Papu called gently, dragging a chair next to him.I went and sat down.

"You looked lost in your thoughts. It's hard for all of us to accept that Catherine is no more. She was the loveliest person I've ever known. But you know what? She was so happy giving birth to you. I know I shouldn't say this, but I must admit that........"

"Dad, can I talk to Matthew for a moment?" my father interrupted.He exchanged a glance with Papu, signaling him not to tell me.

"Dada, let Papu finish what he's saying,"I insisted.
"No, Matthew, it is an emergency. Come with me," Dada said, grabbing my hand and taking me to the dining room.

"Dada, what happened?" I asked.

"You haven't had anything since morning. Come, have some toast that I prepared," Dad said, handing me the toast.

"No, Dada, I cannot. I am not in the mood," I refused.

"Matthew, you are 7 years old. You have seen and gone through so much. You know, I cannot bring back your mom. But seeing you suffer would make her sad. She wouldn't be happy seeing you from heaven. So please, Matthew, have some," Dad said, trying to convince me.

"Mom should never be sad. I love her so much. She cares about me so much. But she shouldn't be sad," I said, finally convinced. I started eating, but I couldn't swallow it properly because of the sorrow.

 After having the toast, my dad and I went upstairs. In my room, Dad tried to put me to sleep. I tried to close my eyes, but every time I did, I saw Mom. Everything reminded me of her. I realized that Dad had left the room. I couldn't sleep alone, so I went downstairs.

"Dad, you shouldn't have tried to say that to Matthew today. He's just a kid,"Dad yelled at my grandfather.

"Listen, son, you can't hide the secret. Sooner or later, he will definitely come to know. Catherine tried to sacrifice herself when she was pregnant with Matthew," said my grandfather.

"I know, Dad. It was a hard choice for all of us," Dad said to Papu.

"The first time she was pregnant, she had a miscarriage. We tried for almost six years for another baby. Nothing worked. She was so sad, always blaming herself. But we were over the moon when she conceived again. cath always wanted to experience motherhood. We thanked God for listening to our prayers but...,"Dad said sadly.

"Yes, son, I know. But what happened came with a price. Even though Catherine was so careful with the pregnancy, the evil found its way! And.....

"Evil what? What happened, Papu? Tell me!" I said to myself, overhearing from the stairs.

 They didn't know I was standing behind the wall next to the stairs.

"Matthew, are you here?!!!" my dad yelled.

 I quietly went back upstairs and into my room. I jumped on the bed and got lost in my thoughts.

"Why does Dad want to keep it a secret? What actually happened to Mom? Why did Mom have to make a difficult choice? Am I responsible for whatever is happening now??" .

 There were many questions going around in my head, but the answers were still unknown to me.

"No matter what I will try to unveil the secret and protect my family from that Evil" ,i assured myself .

"BUT HOW?!" I questioned myself.