She does not check to see if I am in bed. Then she turned and quickly exited the room. I was scared for a moment.
Michael stopped me just as I was about to jump inside. "That was not a good idea. Listen to me before meeting her." Michael coerced me.
As we walked through the snow a short distance from the house, I wanted to put my hands in my pockets. "What are you thinking?
"I was feeling down. About my mercy. I feared that she might be truly cruel to her. Her actions are ruining Mercy's life." I said.
"You are mistaken. She will not destroy her daughter's life." Michael's speech was slow.
"How are you aware?" I had known her for two days before you came here." I spoke with a firm tone.
"Nobody knows her better than me." He paused. "Yes, Olivia is my wife, and Mercy is my daughter." He whispered pathetically.
"What?" I exclaimed, stunned, "I—I just can't get it." I struggled. "Tell the truth."
"Truth is the most powerful weapon that anyone can use when they feel helpless." He sat down and motioned for me to join him. I sat halfheartedly, hoping to discover the truth.
I smiled. "So Mercy's your daughter!" I was completely calm, with an unexplained excitement in my voice.
"Hm. My little Princess." He nodded.
I gasped. "Okay. Why don't you go inside and meet them? Mercy eagerly awaits your arrival. Go." I hurried.
"How can I see their faces? I left them to struggle in the forest." He exclaimed, despairingly. The pain in his voice was palpable.
"But they're waiting for you." I mumbled.
"I understand." He began fervently. "Kevin, I need your help. Would you? He asked gently.
"Anything," I said with a sudden urgency.
"You must explain everything and take them with you." He begged, looking anxious, and his face ached again.
"I have always wished for that, but I can't do it without you." I replied.
"I will not let you handle this alone." He whispered softly and appeared distressed.
I felt tired and exhaled slightly dizzy, and I blinked twice before shaking my head. I looked at his face; it was worried again. "What?" I asked thoughtfully.
"You need to rest, but you're afraid Olivia will come back. Right?" His tone was now both friendly and sarcastic.
“Yeah." I tried to hide my fear by talking casually.
His expression was contemplative as he considered what I had said. As if my response had delighted him, he laughed and said, "I will not sleep until you wake up."
I nodded, unable to reply. I leaned dizzily toward the tree. I let my mind wander aimlessly for a moment, expecting sleep to take over.
"Kevin." Michael's voice terrified me.
"What's wrong?" I inquired, clearly terrified.
"I suppose Olivia is going somewhere else; go speak with her," he urged.
"Okay. Are you coming with me? I got up and questioned Mr. Michael about his decision.
"Yes, I'm coming, but don't turn your back," he said sharply as I opened my mouth to say something else. I dashed toward the wooden house. Olivia climbed over her horse, and I moved in front of it to stop her. She was stunned and jumped down.
"Are you...?" She couldn't make her voice louder.
"I am alive." I was immediately serious, and I didn't notice Michael in the situation; when I looked back, he wasn't with me. He is a coward. I would kill him if he wasn't Mercy's father. I blinked.
"What do you want?" She asked stubbornly, scowling at me.
"I want to talk to you." I responded lamely.
"Come with me." She spoke grudgingly.
She gave me a strange look and increased her pace. I followed her quietly, with many thoughts racing through my mind. When I entered her room, she turned to face me. My eyes searched for Mercy's serene expression, but she was not there. "What is your name?" She asked disgustingly.
"I am Kevin. I had graduated and was about to start working at my father's detective agency. I'm interested in the detective field." My father..."
"Stop it!" She shouted louder than a whisper. "I do not want your information. I am getting to the point: leave the forest and my daughter immediately." She threatened me.
"Why would I?" What is my mistake? I am in love with her, and she is, too." I explained.
"You don't know where you're taking her. I'm distraught over your love. Leave my daughter." She spoke with less threat.
"No, I cannot." I responded quickly.
"I'm warning you to leave right now." She shouted.
"No." I shook my head politely.
She grabbed a nearby piece of wood and dashed towards me, ready to attack. I stepped back to defend myself, but she continued to attack me. I grabbed the wood from her and pushed her down. I could understand her affection for her daughter, but she approached me again. At this point, someone opened the door, and I assumed that was Michael. I thought he'd come to defend me, but I was mistaken. Mercy came in. She was terrified of the rivalry between me and her mother. "Mercy, go." I shouted.
In the meantime, Olivia assaulted me. I fell beneath a table. Mercy dashed toward her mother, grabbing her hands. She tried her best to break up the fight. "Stop it, Mom!"
She begged. "I'll never go with him. Trust me. Let him go. Please, I beg you." She sobbed.
I could hear their conversation clearly, but my attention was drawn to a chain beneath the table. I was taken aback when I opened the locket on the chain. I noticed my parents' photo in the locket. I remembered everything. When I was five years old, my father gave me the chain, which I then gave to a cute baby. I grabbed the table and forced myself to stand. Mercy took my arms and helped me.
"You don't deserve to touch it." Aunt Olivia exclaimed when she noticed the chain in my hand. She eagerly accepted it from my hand.
"Kevin, please leave. Do not wait for me; I will not accompany you. My mother means everything to me." Mercy cried.
I took her hands and moved over to Aunt Olivia. Her eyes softened as she noticed the blood gushing from my forehead. "Aunt Olivia." I called out in a low, awestruck tone. She blinked.
"Don't you remember me?" I inquired curiously. "I am Kevin." I touched her hand and grabbed the chain. "I gave it to Mercy. I whispered.
"Are you William, Karen's son?" She responded, sounding more surprised than anything.
"Hmm." I nodded in pain on my forehead.
She hugged me cheerfully and cried softly. "I committed the sin of beating you. I am sorry, Kevin." She embraced.
"Do not let it bother you. "I am fine." I tried to console her.
She dragged a wooden bench, made me sit and aunt Olivia wiped my blood with a leaf.
"How is your family? Are they good? She interrogated without a trace.
"Everyone's fine." I smiled. "Okay, tell me one thing. Mercy explained that she has lived here since she was a child. Why did you hide yourselves?" I tried to speak more loudly, but it came out as a whisper. I had many questions and a lot of anger to express. "Why are you here?"
D. Aswini
