[YEAR 1989]

The girl woke up one summer afternoon with a rumbling stomach. She was seven years old at the time. She sat up and rubbed her belly.

"Are you hungry again?" she asked her tummy.

Her name was Mildred Shaye Abao, although everyone knew her as Mild. Her friends would sometimes tease her by calling her Millie, a nickname she disliked. Mild got off her bed and went to the kitchen, where her mother was busy cooking lunch.

"Mom, my stomach is growling again," she said, putting her hands on her belly.

"What's that, honey? Your stomach's growling?" Mrs. Abao replied.

She had her back turned, frying some fish and vegetables in a pan.

"Yes, Mommy," Mild replied. "I'm really hungry."

Mrs. Abao chuckled. "Well, it's no wonder, considering how much you ate this morning."

"But, Mom, I'm really hungry," Mild insisted.

"All right, dear," her mother said.

"Just let me finish cooking this, and I'll get you something to eat."

As Mrs. Abao cooked the food, Mild looked around the kitchen, wondering what she could eat to stop her stomach from rumbling. Her eyes fell on the garbage bin. She had an idea. She opened the garbage bin and saw a pile of used paper towels and tissues inside.

Without hesitation, she grabbed the tissues and stuffed them into her mouth. She started chewing.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Mrs. Abao cried out in shock as she turned around and saw her daughter eating the dirty tissues.

"Spit that out right now!"

Mild swallowed the tissues, then licked her lips. "That was delicious!" she said.

"That was disgusting!" her mother scolded. "Don't ever do that again!" Mild pouted. "But Mom, I was hungry."

Mrs. Abao sighed. "I know, honey, but you can't just go around eating everything. That's not proper."

"But Mom, it tastes good," Mild argued.

"It may taste good to you, but it's not healthy," her mother explained.

"Besides, you're not a pig." Mild frowned. She didn't like being compared to a pig.

"Come here," her mother said. "Let's get you something proper to eat." She grabbed a bowl from the cabinet and filled it with rice. She scooped some fried fish and vegetables from the pan and added them to the bowl. Then, she placed the bowl in front of Mild.

"There you go, dear. Enjoy," she said. Mild took a bite of the fish. It tasted good, but it wasn't enough to satisfy her hunger.

"Mom, I'm still hungry," she complained.

"Well, there's more rice and vegetables in the pan," Mrs. Abao replied. Mild looked at the food, then at the garbage bin. Her mother noticed this.

"Mildred Shaye, I said, no more of that," she scolded.

"I don't want you eating garbage."

"Okay, Mom," Mild mumbled, dejected. She continued eating her meal, but her stomach was still growling. She wondered what she could eat to satisfy her hunger. That night, she couldn't sleep. She was too hungry. She got out of bed and went to the kitchen. It was dark and quiet. Everyone else was asleep.

Mild opened the refrigerator and took out a slice of leftover pizza.

She sat down at the table and started eating it. As she ate the pizza, she thought about how hungry she was. Suddenly, an idea came to her.

She rushed to the garbage bin and dug through the trash until she found what she was looking for—a half-eaten candy bar. She brought the candy bar to the table and ate it. As she ate the candy bar, she realized that it was the best thing she'd ever tasted.

After finishing the candy bar, she was finally satisfied. She went back to her bedroom and fell asleep. The next day, Mild woke up with a strange feeling in her stomach. She got out of bed and went to the bathroom. When she pulled down her pants, she was shocked to see a bulge in her underwear.

"Mommy!" she cried out.

"There's something weird going on in my tummy!" Mrs. Abao rushed into the bathroom and was also surprised to see the bulge.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"There's something weird going on with my tummy," Mild repeated.

"Let's see," Mrs. Abao said, examining her daughter's stomach.

To her surprise, she saw that the bulge was not a tumor or a growth, but rather a small piece of candy.

"It's a candy bar," Mrs. Abao said, astonished.

"It must have gotten stuck in your intestines when you were eating that garbage yesterday."

"Is that why I felt so full after eating it?" Mild asked.

"Yes, dear," her mother replied.

"You see, your body doesn't like the idea of you eating garbage, so it tries to reject it. In this case, it sent the candy bar to your intestines."

Mild nodded. She understood what her mother was saying, but she still didn't understand why she had the urge to eat the candy bar even though she wasn't hungry.

"Mild, honey, we need to talk about your eating habits," Mrs. Abao said, concerned.

"You can't go around eating everything you see. It's not healthy."

"But Mom, I'm not hungry," Mild protested.

"I only ate the candy because I wanted to see what it tasted like."

"I understand, but you can't eat things that aren't meant for human consumption," her mother explained.

"And besides, if you're not hungry, you shouldn't eat at all."

"But, Mom—"

"No 'buts'," her mother said firmly.

"From now on, you're only allowed to eat proper meals prepared by me." Mild pouted. She didn't like her mother's rules, but she didn't want to argue with her.

"Okay, Mom," she sighed.

Over the next few days, Mild tried her best to follow her mother's rules. But it was difficult. She was always hungry. One afternoon, her mother was busy cooking dinner. Mild was sitting at the table, reading a book.

Suddenly, she heard a loud bang from outside.

"What was that?" Mild asked.

"I'm not sure, dear," her mother replied. "Maybe a car backfired."

"Should we go and see what happened?" Mild suggested.

"No, it's too dangerous," her mother replied. But Mild was curious. She went to the window and peered outside.

"It looks like there's been an accident," she said. "There's a big truck that crashed into a building."

"Oh, dear," Mrs. Abao exclaimed. "Are there any injuries?"

"I don't know," Mild replied. "The truck driver is getting out of the vehicle, and it doesn't look like he's hurt."

"That's good," her mother said. "But we should keep our distance there could be other dangers." Just then, they heard a loud crash. The ceiling collapsed, and debris fell into the kitchen.

"Mild, watch out!" her mother shouted. She ran to her daughter and pushed her out of the way. A large piece of rubble landed on Mrs. Abao's back.

"Mom!" Mild cried out.

"I'm okay, sweetheart," her mother assured her. "Help me up."

Mild lifted the rubble off her mother's back. She was bleeding from a deep wound.

"Mom, you're hurt," Mild said, panicked.

"I'm okay," Mrs. Abao reassured her. "But we need to get out of here. It's not safe." Just then, they heard another crash. A part of the kitchen wall collapsed, and the refrigerator fell over.

"Mom, we need to leave," Mild said.

"Yes, we do," her mother agreed. They ran out of the kitchen and headed for the front door.

"Wait," Mrs. Abao said. "I need to grab my purse."

"But Mom, we don't have time," Mild protested.

"I need my phone," her mother said. "There's an ambulance service on speed dial."

"Okay," Mild relented. Her mother grabbed her purse, and they hurried out the door.

Outside, the street was chaotic. There were people running around, trying to help the injured.

"Over here!" Mrs. Abao shouted. "I need an ambulance!"

A paramedic rushed over to them.

"Ma'am, are you hurt?" the paramedic asked.

"No, but my daughter is," Mrs. Abao replied.

The paramedic checked Mild's pulse and breathing.

"She's okay," the paramedic said. "But her mother has a serious wound."

"Mom, are you sure you're okay?" Mild asked, concerned.

"I'm fine, honey," Mrs. Abao said. "I'm more worried about you."

"I'm okay," Mild replied.

"We'll take good care of you both," the paramedic assured them.

"Don't worry."

A short while later, the paramedics loaded Mrs. Abao onto a stretcher and wheeled her into an ambulance. Mild followed, holding her mother's hand.

"It's okay, sweetheart," her mother said. "I'm going to be fine."

"I know," Mild replied. "I'm just worried about you."

"Don't be," her mother said. "I'm a tough old bird."

The paramedics drove the ambulance to the nearest hospital, where Mrs. Abao was taken to the emergency room. Mild sat in the waiting room, watching the TV. A news report was showing footage of the accident.

"It appears that a truck lost control and crashed into a building, causing massive damage and injuring several people," the reporter said.

"I'm glad we got out when we did," Mild murmured. As she watched the news report, she thought about how close they had come to being seriously injured. Then, she remembered that her mother was still in the emergency room. She got up and went to the reception desk.

"Excuse me," she said. "I'm looking for my mother. Her name is Mrs. Abao."

"Are you her daughter?" the receptionist asked.

"Yes," Mild replied.

"She's still in surgery," the receptionist said.

"As soon as she's out, I'll let you know."

"Thank you," Mild said. She went back to the waiting room and sat down. As the hours passed, she grew more and more worried. She was also very hungry. She went to the cafeteria and bought a sandwich and a drink.

"Are you hungry?" the cashier asked.

"No, thanks," Mild replied. She sat down and began eating the sandwich. As she ate, she thought about her mother and how brave she was. She wished she could be as strong and brave as her. Just then, the doctor came into the waiting room.

"You're Mildred Shaye, right?" the doctor asked.

"Yes," Mild replied.

"Your mother is out of surgery and is stable," the doctor said.

"You can go and see her now." As a seven year old kid, I didn't know that empathy grows on me, my brain capacity was like 4000 cc that exceeds the human brain.

"Thank you, doctor," Mild said, relieved. She went to her mother's room and found her lying in bed, her back bandaged up.

"Mom!" Mild cried out. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, sweetheart," her mother said.

"I was so worried about you," Mild said.

"Don't worry, I'm going to be okay," her mother reassured her.

"How long do you have to stay in the hospital?" Mild asked.

"A few days," her mother replied.

"I'll come and visit you every day," Mild promised.

"That's very sweet of you, honey," her mother said.

Just then, Mild's stomach growled.

"Are you hungry?" her mother asked.

"A little," Mild replied.

"Why don't you go and get something to eat?" her mother suggested.

"Okay," Mild agreed. "Do you want anything?"

"No, thank you," her mother said. "I'm just going to rest."

Mild went to the cafeteria and bought another sandwich. She went back to her mother's room and sat down in a chair next to the bed.

"I'm glad you're okay, Mom," she said.

"Me too," her mother replied.

As Mild ate her sandwich, she thought about how lucky she was to have such a strong and brave mother.

"I love you, Mom," she said.

"I love you, too, honey," her mother replied.

As she finished her sandwich, Mild thought about how brave and strong her mother was. She wanted to be just like her when she grew up. After her visit with her mother, Mild went home. She went to the kitchen and looked for something to eat.

As she was searching the cupboards, she saw a package of cookies.

She took the package and opened it. There were five cookies inside.

Mild knew that her mother wouldn't like her eating cookies, but she was too hungry to care.

She put one of the cookies in her mouth and bit into it. It was the best cookie she had ever tasted.

"Wow," she said to herself. "These cookies are amazing."

She quickly finished the rest of the cookies. After eating the cookies, she felt full and satisfied. She decided not to tell her mother about the cookies. She knew that her mother would be upset with her for eating junk food.

"It was worth it," Mild thought to herself.

That night, she dreamed about the cookies and suddenly she notice her stomach swirling. She woke up feeling nauseous. She went to the bathroom and vomited. Afterward, she felt better.

"I think I ate too many cookies," she said to herself.

She washed her face and went back to bed.

The next morning, she was still feeling nauseous.

"Maybe I'm sick," she thought to herself.

She decided not to go to school. Instead, she stayed home and rested. In the afternoon, she went to the kitchen and made herself a sandwich. As she was eating the sandwich, she noticed her stomach was growling.

"Maybe I'm hungry," she thought to herself.

She ate the sandwich and felt better. She decided not to tell her mother about the sandwich. She knew that her mother would be upset with her for eating between meals. After the sandwich, Mild's stomach was still growling.

"I think I'm still hungry," she thought to herself.

She went back to the kitchen and made herself another sandwich.

As she was eating the second sandwich, she noticed her stomach was growling again.

"Maybe I'm still hungry," she thought to herself.

She continued to make herself sandwiches until she ate the entire loaf of bread.

"That's better," she said to herself.

She washed her face and went back to bed.

[YEAR 2023]

The next morning, Mild was feeling much better.

"Maybe I wasn't sick after all," she thought to herself.

The phone was calling with a creepy ringtone. She went to the living room and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Is this Mildred Shaye Abao?" the man on the phone asked.

Mild was being skeptical, and asks if how is her mom doing in the hospital. It's been thirty-four years since the tragic befell on our wreckage life especially my mom who's bedridden for 3 decades now.

It's been so hard for me accepting the fact that I'm alone supporting myself and the idea when my aunt's adopt me which is my father's sister.

I just want to stay by my mom sides but guess what I don't have a choice. I cried for my dear life begging for them to let me live beside her. I don't resent anyone especially my mom or the one who kept me alive.

I'm afraid she might sell me to encels who loves kids like me that unusual. But she didn't instead she gave me a lovely home, a warm food on the table, and a room filled with love twenty-one years ago.

"She's doing much better now," the man said.

"I'm glad," Mild replied.

"Listen," the man continued.

"We have a new product that we'd like to test on you.

Would you be interested?"

Mild was still skeptical, but she agreed. The man told her that he would send a package to her house.

"What is this product?" Mild asked.

"It's a pill that will give you the power to eat any non-living substance," the man said.

"Any non-living substance?" Mild asked.

"Yes," the man replied. "If you eat it, your body will break it down and convert it into energy."

Mild thought about it for a moment, and was very confuse of what the man's means.

"This is a prank call, isn't it?" she asked.

"No, this is a genuine offer," the man assured her.

"All right," Mild agreed.

And she asks again about her mom, but the man insisted that she's doing well. Mild left fearful and confused. She couldn't stop thinking about the offer.

"What if it's true?" she thought to herself.

"There's only one way to find out," she said to herself.

She decided to contact the hospital and check on her mother.

"Hi, my name is Mildred Shaye," Mild said.

The receptionist checked the computer.

"Your mother is doing well," the receptionist said.

"She's even been given permission to eat solid foods."

Mild was relieved to hear this news.

"Thanks," she said.