A MACHINE FOR PIGS :the dark inside

Mandus' face became tense, and he looked at the picture on the desk

It was a picture of Mandus holding the shoulder of a young woman with short brown hair and she was smiling happily as she leaned towards Mandus slightly.. They were standing in front of one of the Egyptian pyramids.

"Tabitha..." Mandus grabbed the photo

Oswald looked at the miserable condition of Mandus and sighed, "I know, it's an unending pain, I remember when my wife died... It was the hardest moment of my life, My kids were the only thing keeping me going until now..." Oswald paused for a moment as he took sips his tea and catches his breath. "Even after fifteen years have passed, I haven't forgotten her. I still visit her grave every Saturday before I go to church… Haha , I sit in front of her grave and tell her what happened during the week…"

Oswald looked at Mandus sympathetically. "Nobody noticed, but I did. You changed after Tabitha died due to complications from childbirth , You hate your children because they killed the most important person to you.... I worked in the field of law for sixty years and I saw different kinds of people. So I know that darkness is hidden within you, even you can't realize what's hiding inside you, so I'm begging you not to hurt those poor children… Kah… kah"

Oswald began to cough violently. Mandus got up and gave him a glass of water

Oswald drank the water and took a deep breath while resting his back on the chair, his voice becoming hoarse. "They had a difficult childhood. They lived without their mother. Their father is busy at work. I was visiting your house to entertain these little angels. They don't deserve what happens to them..."

"Thank you...." Mandus sat down in the chair next to Oswald

Oswald smiled warmly as he looked at Mandus and tried to change the subject. "I heard you took some money from the bank. Do you have a plan in your head?...."

Mandus hesitated for a moment, but finally replied, "I plan to go to the american continent…."

"Oh, are you thinking of investing in the United States? I think it's a great idea, the United States is one of the best countries now and everyone is thinking of immigrating to the country of freedom..." Oswald smiled.

"I'm not going to the United States.....I'm going to Mexico..."

Oswald's eyes widened, "wh... what? But why Mexico, there are so many better options..."

"There is something important I want to do there…"

Oswald became worried. "Mandus, I don't think it's safe for you to travel now. Europe is very unstable and we're just steps away from war. You'd better stay in London...."

"You don't understand, this is not a tourist trip, I'm going there to find out something that will solve all my problems, all I need is to get that thing....."

"I wanted to advise you to spend some time with your children, but now you want to travel to that far country…" Oswald frowned.

"I will take them with me..."

"What? , you must be joking, those places are full of epidemics and may contain gangs, how do you want to take children to that place…"

"I....". Mandus tried to defend himself

But one of the servants entered the room and seemed to be in a hurry, "Sir, Young Master Freud has been injured..."

"What..."

"What..."

Mandus and Oswald shouted at the same time

Mandus rushed out looking angry

"Mandus, wait..." Oswald followed anxiously

When the two arrived, there was a group of servants surrounding a little boy who was sitting on the ground holding his ankle, and there was a little girl crying near him.

"What happened..." Mandus asked, trying to hold back his anger

The servants fell silent, and no one dared to speak

This silence made Mandus even more angry. "Someone tell me what happened here, right now..." Mandus shouted

One of the servants spoke. "Freud and Fran were playing with the pigs on the farm, and he opened the door by mistake, and when the pigs started destroying the garden, Freud tried to stop the pigs, but he ended up hurting his ankle..."

Mandus looked at Freud angrily, "Is what the servant said true?"

Freud kept his head down and did not dare to look into his father's eyes

Fran was crying so hard while one of the maids was trying to calm her down

Mandus' face became distorted, "Shut up..."

Fran was silent when she heard her father's screams and looked at him in horror

Seeing that Mandus was so angry, Freud and the servants shuddered

"Mandus...". Oswald grabbed Mandus' hand and whispered softly, "You're scaring them. You should calm down..."

Mandus took a deep breath and lowered his head for a few seconds, until he became calm, looking at the servants. "Let one of you go call the doctor to treat Freud, and take Fran to her room so that she can calm down..."

The servants bowed and took Fran and Freud to their rooms

Mandus remained standing in his place, absent-minded

Oswald continued to watch him anxiously, while trying to find suitable words to calm the situation down. He knew that Mandus felt guilty for yelling at his children and frightening them with his actions.

After a minute of standing still, Mandus turned to Oswald, "I'm going over there..."

"Mandus... huh, it seems I can't get you to give up on this idea..." Oswald sighed in resignation.

"This is my last chance to save my family, I can't hesitate now, it's not an option, it's a duty I have to do, as a father and as a husband..."

"And where will you get enough money for this trip? I heard that you spent a fortune on buying a set of historical records that contain incomprehensible symbols…."

"I will withdraw money from my bank account…."

"Aren't you supposed to keep this money for emergencies? If you spend it on a trip, you'll go bankrupt..." Oswald became even more worried.

"No other choice..." Mandus looked out the window with a determined look on his face