Price of a Change

—Next News: There have been many kidnapping cases reported in the Tokyo prefecture. Citizens are requested to be cautious of their surroundings and report any unusual activity occurring around them.—

"I would have filed it, but these people don't take domestic abuse seriously, right Mom?!" I look at the resting figure of my Mom, sitting adjacent to me while eating some wafers.

"So, I am abusing you now, huh? Anyway, where did you get this flavor from? I asked for a different one." She is still looking at the television just like me, with no emotional reaction on her face, waiting for a response.

"No, you are abusing your authority as a Mom. They stopped selling the old one, so I got this as an exchange. It's not that bad, is it?" I said while looking at the female reporter on the news channel. She's a real hottie if you are wondering. Perfect size and shape with a pair of glasses, a cherry on the top, truly a feast to the eyes.

"It's so-so, although the old one was better. So where's the change?!" Without looking at me, she once again demands a response from me which I am currently hesitating to hand out.

Trying out my luck, I try to perplex her with words. Let's see if it works.

"What change? I don't have any right now. I spent it all on these wafers that you are eating. They are special editions after all." I am still looking at the television, trying to act as naturally as possible. I direct my eyeballs in the right direction to see her reaction, of course without getting caught.

"How much did I give you?"

"One thousand yen, tax included."

"It's hundred yen per packet, so a total of two hundred yen. Where's the rest of the change?!"

Her voice is still normal and she is still calm, looking at the television. You know the meaning of this infamous phenomenon, right? Well, I don't know so I am going to continue.

"Oh, they increased the price of the wafers from seventy-five to hundred! I will talk to them about it, the next time I visit the store. Thanks for the reminder, Mom."

"Give me the rest of the eight-hundred yen." As expected, she's as calm as ever.

"Oh, right," while looking at the television, I delve into my left pocket and haul the coins from my pants and hand them over to her.

"Ah, I forgot to get that one thing from the shopkeeper," I slowly slide down from the couch with the hope of leaving unnoticed. "I will be back in a moment," With a seemingly successful escape from the couch, I turn my body a little aggressive and push myself against the floor to get to the corridor, trying to resemble a supernatural speed stance.

I leave my body as a thrown catapult and start to run with an astounding speed…or maybe it was just a delusion.

With a speed surpassing mine, Mom is standing in front of me, blocking my only way out from here. I quickly stop myself by putting my hands against the floor and create some friction.

With a dark shadow rallying around her eyes, she's looking at me, holding the plastic caps that I gave her just a minute ago.

"You…" After losing her calmness, the real nature of the monster starts to show up. "Cheeky brat, you spent it all, didn't you?!" She shouts at me and reaches out to the me who is lying on the ground, with a not-so helping hand obviously. Let's be real. I am damned.

"I-I haven't, I swear," I start to speak in my defense, "A little girl had tossed her coin inside the tunnel, and-" and I am interrupted once again.

"Who gave you the right to spend them on charity?! I had planned on collecting all the stamps today." She shouts at me with all her vigor. I can feel her frustration somehow, over a mere change though.

"Didn't you say it's nice to help people in need?! Also what stamps are you talking about?" I push my hands against the tiles and stand up while moving myself away from her reach, I may as well call it a zombie dance.

"Huh? I never taught you anything like that!" Well, she is quite against it, you know, the charity thing is not her cup of tea. "Unless you got something of a parallel value, don't blame my guidance, it's really divine for you to judge." And she goes praising herself and her mild mental violence, which you all define as the enlightenment of discipline, crap for me.

"Yes, I got some of that divine blessing that you had packed into your domestic vio- I mean guidance. And it's more effective since I got it directly from God, you know." The best way to tackle an argument with your elders is to be a little sarcastic. Of course, most of the time, it's better to zip up that hole of yours and listen to the lecture but remember this one thing. Never bow down when you are in a pinch and cannot get out of the predicament because the head's gonna fly off whether you bow down or not, so fight till your last breath, just like me.

"We were finally going to get the trip to Bermuda Triangle, after such a long struggle of collecting all these packs for one year. You messed it all up." She is looking at me with outlandish anger, for a mere wafer this time. I wonder if my value is nothing more than this.

"Nah, no chance. Why would they send you on a trip for buying a cheap wafer? It's a marketing strategy no matter how you see it. In the first place, why would you even want to go to that place?!" I disregarded and trashed her reasoning entirely, which was radically the truth.

She looks downwards and stiff-necked her left elbow parallel to the sky with the arm horizontal to the elbow. With an ironclad position, she tightens herself and I can feel it. The power, the urge, the passion hidden behind that posture. Just kidding, it's more like she is finally realizing her self-deception.

"You mean to say that I spent all my savings on it for nothing. It didn't even taste that good." Wait, wasn't that your favorite?! No, this shouldn't be my point of optimism. The danger of all things is her thrill to go on an adventure just like a fantasy movie. She is quite a movie maniac, by the way. The television's on most of the time with her sitting on the couch or on the tiles, sticking her eyes to the climax scenes like gum.

"We can't do anything about it now, right? So just forget it and indulge yourself in that newly released web series by XXX on Trashflix." I need to suggest her something different or else she will sulk all day like a kid. Well, she never acts her age, so it wouldn't be that bad, still…

Her eyes turn into sparkling stars as she says, "Oh, that one. It's not new but it's the third season of the main series. They changed the platform from Bakazon to Trashflix but no worries, I have all the possible subscriptions for all of these OTTs."

See, this is what I was talking about. I think I should go outside now because there's still something I need to take care of. I look at my Mom who's suddenly busy on her phone, trying to find the app, and pass by her without any problem. Before getting out of the living room, I check my pocket for something and…

It's missing. It's fucking missing.

"Arata, what's this?" I turn back slowly just to look at the dreadful future that I was desperately trying to change. "This thing fell from your pocket, I think. What is it?" She picks the cubical pocket-sized box in her hand to look at the contents.

To whom should I pray for my well-being now?!

"Millennial-sized baseball bat?" She looks surprised, looks like I am in the safe zone or not, "Turn your…Alto into a…Limousine!!" I am gone, what should I order for my funeral, wait she's still continuing, "with one pill…" As I remember, including taxes, I can get a bronze plated coffin customized…ah, they even have that dance thing free with it. Yes, maybe, I can go with it.

"Per d-"

"You are still going to continue reading ?!" I interrupt her from speaking anymore because…because it's straight-up embarrassing. I mean, is it not, you tell me.

She blushes a little but it's a common occurrence after apprehending something like that. Whoa, it looks like I am mistaken. She stands up once again and looks at me with a deadly stare, almost butchering my left-out conscience with a hydraulic press of guilt. So much for a fake charity.

"So, what's that little girl and charity thing that you were talking about?! Hmm?!" Her voice stiffens and I can feel it. Maybe you don't but place yourself in my stead and then think about it.

"This-" Once again, my dear Mom is interrupted but it's not me, fortunately. It's the news that suddenly piques her interest and she looks at the television. Don't expect a different reaction from me because it's something serious, legitimately serious.

—We have got some new reports regarding the kidnapping cases. The kidnapped males have been found buried, roughly in the near graveyard. And yes, all of them are dead. So next news,…— The female reporter touches the receptor attached to her right ear and listens to the new details being provided to her.

—We have a new update on the kidnapping cases. Apparently, the people who were enticed and then thrown away in the graveyard have an unusual similarity. They all had their— She blushes a little bit and then continues, —their testicles carved out of their body along with their dipstick. All the citizens, especially men, are requested to be cautious and keep themselves and their Rogers safe.—

What the hell is wrong with this woman?! And what the hell is wrong with people these days?! I mean they had to pick out this topic at this particular moment as if prepared especially for me to watch.

One thing's beneficial for me here though. Mom's busy looking at the news and it's my golden chance to get out of this predicament. I am currently at the end of the living room being around a five-meter distance from mom. I turn back and start walking out of the room.

Successful.

I walk towards the entry door of my house and pick up the casual shoes lying on the floor. They are quite old but I don't mind wearing them since they are still as comfortable as ever. If you ever need one just contact me. I have my own sources in Assidas to get you some discount on the wears.

I knee down on the floor and put on the shoes. After done with it, I twist the knob of the door as silently as possible but…it was impossible. A high-pitched large screech builds up as I open the door, apparently, everything's defective in this house except me.

"Arata!!!" A loud voice, coming from the living room, frazzles my eardrums, fleeting through my brain like an arrow.

And with it, my mom enters the scene with her head downwards and creepy breathing. She looks at me and…I finally witness the true nature of this monster, imposing as my hag. I quickly exit the house and for the last time look at her, I shouldn't have. She runs towards me like a hungry ogre but I close the door on her face due to trepidation and fear.

Damn, she wouldn't have killed me, right? I turn myself away from the door and move to exit the door.

As I put my first leg forward, I hear a bleak sound of something. Since I cannot figure out the difference, I put my next leg forward. This time, I see a medium-sized truck coming towards me and it's too close. I look at the truck, with no specific reaction on my face, it looks at me, and then…

!!BAM!!