Chapter 10 – Mugon, the human

A healthy baby was born whimpering into a world of humans; even I would cry with such misfortune of being born with them. Mugon was the name her parents gave her.

Her family loved her very much: they were always making sure she was happy. Both of her parents had the same job far from home, and they left her at daycare. They didn't get along well with the rest of their family: they always argued, so they spent time together.

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At five years old, Mugon was inseparable from his mother; her father envied that she loved her more, but they were happy.

She was introverted, but she managed to make a good friend from her class who was also introverted.

They took her to school like any other day, and the weather got worse with a big rain. The wind was hitting the windows hard; for some it was welcoming or terrifying.

The classroom was comfortable thanks to a radiator; the children were more energetic in this weather and had fun playing around.

In the middle of class, all she thought about was going back to her parents and eating something hot; plus, she was skittish of lightning.

That same day, at the end of school, the children, along with their tutor, waited for their parents inside.

She was looking out the window; the rain didn't stop and they still hadn't come to pick it up. The children walked little by little until they were alone. Half an hour later, one of the teachers, worried, took his tutor away.

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At the same age, she was confused in front of a grave; She didn't understand the situation. Behind her was a middle-aged man who seemed to have a complicated character.

"When will dad and mom come back?"

"They're dead, they'll never do it again," he replied tactlessly.

"Why?"

"A drunk truck driver collided with them on a blind curve." He thought she was asking him about his death.

She moved to another school and city without being able to say goodbye to her friend.

The man was a relative of his mother with whom he always argued, he hated being given orders.

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At eight years old, she gained weight when she was aware of what had happened; she was in a hard and sad stage.

Speaking, a teacher distributed some sheets to each student:

"Write down your future plans, what do you want to be when you grow up? What is your dream? That will be today's exercise."

"I want to be an astronaut!" proclaimed one who got up from his chair.

"Well, sit down and write that on paper."

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Mugon was sitting near the window; some laughed at her nonsense. One of the students entered the classroom and, behind him, the teacher:

"The next one is Mugon." He took her to the office where they would talk privately. "So… do you want to be a singer? Do you have any special reason?" he asked, reading the folio.

"Eh… Yes… I get good grades in music…; everyone says they like my voice, and that I'm good at singing… I would like to compose them and make others happy with them…" she responded clumsily.

"I also heard it from the music teacher, he says that you have talent and that he would support you; the rest of us think the same, so don't give up. That would be all, being clear about your objective is good."

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When she was eleven years old, some children were talking badly about her, laughing behind her back, and another approached her.

"Why do the teachers treat her like a queen? She's just a little pig with good growls."

She was hiding in a corner listening, about to burst into tears.

"What makes you so funny? Do you like to make fun of other people?" criticized the boy who approached; he grabbed him by the collar of his shirt without thinking twice.

"What are you doing!? Let go! Who are you? Her boyfriend or something?" he mocked.

"You disgust me! Why don't you leave her alone!? Are you perfect!? You can't even respect others! Or are you envious of her!?"

"We were saying it as a joke… let it go."

He let go of him in annoyance, and when he turned around, the boy he grabbed elbowed him in the back, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Envious this one!"

"…It hurts… But…" When he got up, he pushed the person who hit him and punched him in the face, causing him to collide and collapse against the wall, causing a bruise. Someone like you… You think like kids, I hate you so much that I barely feel your touch, I'm sure it would hurt her more if she found out that you spoke badly behind her back! Think how she would feel, leave her alone! Put yourself in her place!

The other two grabbed him so he wouldn't continue hitting them.

Mugon was surprised by this quirky child who acted different from the rest.

"Hey! What are you doing!? You guys, to my office, right now!"

Those who mocked were frightened by the appearance of the director; on the other hand, the one who defended her seemed angry with the adult: he did not feel guilty.

Him surprised she, she didn't even know him and he defended her, she was happy to see someone like him.

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She became twelve years old; she being more mature and managing to lose weight.

His father was in the basement going crazy: throwing papers, tools and boxes; he was more stressed than usual.

She was afraid of him despite living with him, they did not share words and she had to fend for herself.

"I shit on god!! How dare you talk to me like that!!? I have no debts for pleasure!! Besides having to take care of a fucking little girl!! Not even if it was cheap!!"

She walked up behind him to calm him down:

"D-… Don't make so much noise…, the neighbors will be upset…"

The man turned and slapped her without hesitation, knocking her to the ground.

"Be quiet!! You have no right to order me around!!"

Mugon screamed in pain, causing a rash and blood to form on his cheek.

"I said shut up!!" He kicked her, making her scream. "Shut up already!! This is all your fucking fault!!"

She covered her mouth to prevent herself from screaming and from hitting her. She was beaten relentlessly, she couldn't stop screaming, she was in so much pain that she wet herself.

"Shut the hell up!!"

She was without strength; the man, consumed by her madness, grabbed her neck, suffocating her.

She clung to his arms to catch air, but the oxygen was not coming. At that moment, that boy remembered, she wanted to be like him and be able to defend himself, she wanted to see him again.

She tried to throw a kick at his crotch, missing and grazing his knee.

"After what I've done for you and you make it up to me like this!!? You will be a whore!!" He grabbed her tighter.

She didn't make a sound, she was going to die and his face turned a different color.

He threw her to the ground brutally, caught his breath and calmed down; but, on the other hand, she did not move any muscle.

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She was resting in the hospital on a stretcher, with a cast around her neck along with some bandages around her body and a tube that fed her.

"She woke up a few hours ago, she's still in a deplorable state," the doctor explained to a man outside the room.

"Could I talk to her alone?"

"Yes, but don't touch her or bother her."

The man who entered was his adoptive father:

"I know I have no right to be here, but please forgive me… Don't tell them what happened…" he whispered and looked nervously at the door. "I told them I found you in front of the house. I found a new job, so when you get out, I'll treat you to whatever you want, okay?"

She was sitting on the stretcher without moving and without responding.

"I'm going to work, I'm sorry for not being there longer… And don't say anything" with that said, he left.

She burst into tears in shock. No matter how much she sobbed, she only heard splashes.

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A few hours later, a couple of police officers showed up.

"You were lucky they found you." He took out a small notebook and listed: "8 broken ribs, obstruction in the vocal cords and dislocated neck." He put it away and clenched his fists in frustration. "But here for a few months you can continue with your life… Who is to blame? Can you write on this paper every detail of what you remember?"

What would he have done? Would I tell them the truth? She asked herself with him always in mind.

With effort, she picked up the pen that was handed to him and testified.

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After four years, she turned sixteen.

She was walking alone to school; she was in her last year of high school. It was snowing and the surroundings were covered in snow; there was no one because of the cold and she was still far away.

A scar on his neck revealed the consequences. Although she told the truth, she did not know what happened to his adoptive father.

Two adult men approaching her approached and grabbed his wrist.

"Hello, beautiful, do you want to have fun with us? We invite you to a few drinks and then we can have a good time in another warmer place."

"What's happening? Can't you talk?" The other asked, mocking and laughing as if they knew about his condition.

In vain, she tried to disengage himself by moving his hand from side to side. The man was dragging her, she had no way to ask for help.

Not far away a flash was heard:

"Can you explain to me what you are doing to my girlfriend? Do you know that she is a minor?"

It was a young man who came from the same direction. One clicked his tongue; that bothered the boy:

"If I showed it to a judge, I wonder what would happen to you," he threatened. "But if you let go and walk away, maybe the photo will disappear."

The man pushed her towards the boy and they left; he grabbed her so she wouldn't stumble.

She blushed nervously and skillfully fixed her bangs.

"Are you ok? Sorry for lying. Thank goodness I was also late."

He was her classmate, and the one who defended her in the past.

Mugon shook her head and hands as if she didn't care.

"I'll show it to the teachers so they don't continue bothering you. By the way, I wanted to give you something."

I had no idea what he was talking about; He took out a black neck warmer with orange touches and gave it to her.

"I heard it would be your birthday, you can use it now so you don't freeze. It wasn't very expensive… but it's better than nothing," she said with a bitter smile.

Mugon, on the contrary, was very happy; she liked the neck warmer as much as the boy.

"Without a doubt I like it better when you're happy, never give up or get discouraged, okay? Although I am aware that it is easier said than done," he transmitted with a forced laugh. He knew what she suffered from her, so he tried to cheer her up and gently stroked her head.

Suddenly, he pulled her by the arm, throwing her to the ground behind him. When she turned to look at him, another man was right next to him. She pulled away from the boy, and he shed blood, but he was still standing.

"Why have you protected her!!? She deserves to die, because of her I am living hell!! All!!"

The boy pulled a knife near his heart as if it were nothing, worsening the bleeding.

"Do you want to see hell!?" He intimidated with a scream, pointing the knife at him.

It was as if his hatred of those people gave him the strength to threaten him, his will was enormous.

The man, scared, ran away; he stood near her until he disappeared, then he passed out from her.

Mugon was motionless, he was the man I least wanted to see.

I couldn't ask for help or communicate with anyone, I didn't know what to do. If she called an ambulance with the boy's phone, they would think it was a prank call, there was no one there and she couldn't shout for help.

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The boy woke up due to the drops of water running down his face; he was resting on Mugon's lap who couldn't stop shaking.

He was breathing hard because of the wound, he tried to read the situation and put his right hand on his cheek:

"It's not your fault." He gained strength by covering the wound with his other hand. Despite her situation, he didn't want to see her depressed: "Don't cry…, this was one… of my dreams…" He smiled and coughed up blood. "Please smile."

She nodded his head and, crying, put on a broken smile.

He was happy, he didn't regret anything; weakly, he touched his lips searching for the trace:

"Don't… change… d…"

The hand that was on her cheek fell, and she couldn't hold back the smile.

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She lived four more years trying to live without becoming depressed, she was currently twenty.

She felt guilty that the boy died for her: it was her sin; therefore, she studied medicine.

In her view, those around her ended in disgrace.

As long as she lived, she never met anyone like him.

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I opened my eyes tiredly, someone's tears were falling on my face. An unbearable pain vibrated in my head.

"Koly!"

I mistook her for Mugon, but she was Nugu; I was lying on his lap and couldn't speak.

Although it was not in good condition, on the chandelier on the ceiling I saw a crow.

Mugon, who was above me, also woke up; she cried and hugged me tightly.

The headache increased, causing me to lose consciousness.