"Will you listen to the story of my life?" Was what I always started with whenever I tried telling someone a story about myself. They don't seem to believe me whenever I said I wasn't crazy.
I was still 8 at the time this happened. Although it has been a long time, I will forever remember it since it was the most interesting time of my life.
My father had long left home, and I stayed alone with my mother. I can remember her as a kind and sweet woman.
Even after her stress from her workplace, she still did her best to take good care of me.
At night, before bedtime, she usually laid by my side, singing a lullaby or telling me a bedtime story.
It all started one evening when I listened to one of her stories.
"Are you excited for tonight's story?" She had asked.
I was worried about her. She had bags under her eyes and sounded really tired, but she still tried her best to read it out for me.
It was the same usual title, so boring. Even though they were all almost the same, I still tried my best to act interested since she did her best for me.
And so, the story began...
A young girl who lived in the woods with her adoptive father. She had never seen the outside world before.
Her father was a creepy man who stayed holed up in the basement, conducting experiments she had no clue about.
She lived a boring life but still tried her best to be happy.
Whenever she tried to leave the woods, her adoptive father would always beat her and drag her back into the house.
Her life went on like this until she somehow got herself in the basement.
She shrieked when she saw the bloody mess in there.
There were skulls in the room, all of them dripping with blood.
There were human bodies in glass-like objects with some kind of liquid inside them.
She slapped her hands over her mouth to avoid puking in the room.
She ran away as fast as she could. Luckily for her, her father had gone out for some business.
As she ran out of the woods, she panted heavily, praying that her adoptive father wouldn't find her.
"Ow..."
She fell on her butt after she bumped into someone.
She dreaded looking up, fearing that it was her adoptive father who she had bumped into. But then she saw an outstretched hand.
"You... where are you off to?" The guy she had bumped into asked.
Her eyes glistened with hope and relief when she heard his voice.
"I... I..."
Tears began rolling down her eyes, and she couldn't let a word out.
That was when she met the prince and fell in love with him.
Anyway, the story didn't end there as the prince decided to go end the life of her adoptive father.
It turned out that the father had been wanted in the capital for ending the life of a noble, who the Prince thought was the girls real father.
The pained girl decided to meet her adoptive father and get revenge for her real father.
"You better stay back here, you useless brother of mine." The crown prince said.
'Hmph, since he's a wanted man, I'll bring back his head and give father. Only then will Father favour me once more.' The prince thought, ignoring the crown prince and walking away.
When they arrived at the woods, the adoptive father sat in front of the house as if waiting for them a long time ago.
"You heretic! I'll end your life and make everyone feel safer!" The prince shouted, jumping into a fight without warning.
"No wonder you are considered useless. You aren't even worthy to pick your brother's shoes." The father said.
And with the speed of lightning, he stood from the bed and lunged at the prince, chopping off his two hands.
"Argh!! Argh!!" He screamed in pain, falling on the floor.
"You didn't even bring any guards with you. Aren't just stupid?" He asked, sheathing his sword.
He looked up at his already frightened daughter and laughed loudly.
"I really can't believe that I have a stupid child like you, that makes me sad." He smiled evily.
Her legs gave out, and she fell on the floor.
"Don't... don't touch her! You creepy bastard!" The prince shouted.
"Oh? And who'd make me?" The man asked, stepping on the prince's face.
His lips spread further in excitement. He enjoyed torturing the prince so badly, especially in front of the girl.
That was when my mother shut the book.
"Eh? What's wrong?" I asked, trying to reach out for the book.
She must have bought the wrong book since she was tired.
"It's time to go to bed." She forced a smile, trying to tuck me into the bed.
"Aww... I really wanted to know what the man would do."
"Just go to bed, okay?" She said, planting a kiss on my forehead.
"Mn... I just think he was cool." I muttered.
She froze for a second and must have thought, 'I think I'm hearing things.'
The next day, I took out the book and kept reading it.
It turned out the adoptive father was actually the girls real father, and the noble he had killed tried to rape his wife.
"Whay are you reading?!" Mom asked in a really loud voice.
She drew the book away from me.
"Aww... I was really enjoying that."
"You..." She started.
"Hey, hey Mama, tell me when you'll read this story for me again." I grinned widely.
"You're not in your right senses..." She muttered.
My eyes widened... but then I smiled again.
"Tell me, tell me. When next will you read it? I really enjoyed it! The old man and his ways... it was so cool!" I shouted.
"You're crazy!! You're crazy!!" She shouted, stepping back.
"Crazy? I'm not crazy..."
"You're crazy! Something is wrong!"
"Ah, you must be tired, mother. Was work so stressful?" I asked, placing my hands on hers.
"Argh! Get away from me!" She shouted, slapping my hands away.
"Mother..." I started, my eyes widening.
She must have expected me to cry, but I just couldn't. After all— after all...
That felt kind of... exciting.
