The angry grandson

Darkness descended, accompanying the moon in its procession, and the winds fled, knocking on doors and windows, seeking solace from humans. No one heard their supplications, and they continued to knock without despair, hoping for a human touch to save them.

My father and I sat by the fireplace as the winds roared outside. The wind's melody seemed melancholic on this night. In front of me, there was a mountain of books.

My father, desperate, tried earnestly to revive any branch of memories from the night we left the doctor. I didn't make the choice that night, and he didn't force me to anything. When we returned, he began to bring out the books and narrate their stories, telling me how enthusiastic I used to be when sharing about the characters and my visions of the worlds within those books. I didn't resent it; it would have been selfish if he knew that I felt happiness living memories that might have been mine one day. I didn't express my annoyance at his insistence and spent the entire night with him, listening without tiring of his tales. A few hours passed, and the moon's procession wanted to depart. Daylight complained about the darkness, insisting that its turn had come to watch over humans. My father stood up, having made his decision, and looked at me firmly as if he had rid himself of the sorrow he wore.

"Elias, I apologize for my selfishness and insistence on you remembering the lost memories. From now on, I won't force you into anything. Let's create new memories together."

I stood up, embraced him, feeling that he needed this hug. Then I replied calmly, "It's okay; I'm not bothered."

He, in turn, hugged me, tears flowing from his eyes. I didn't know the appropriate reaction, but with innocence, I wiped away his tears with my hands.

Then we released each other, and he gestured to my room. I went quietly, got under the covers on the bed, and pondered silently on everything he said.

At the age of eleven, Elias, a book lover, my personality hadn't changed much; only curiosity had faded, and memories had died, according to what he said. He didn't tell me how I lived my life during this time, but I'm not his biological son. He said he found me eating a raw fish by the river, not revealing more or less than that.

--

A week later, I had gathered some facts and acquired things to dislike. Sunlight was at the top of the list, followed by the buzzing of flies, surpassing its peers below, scaly insects, and sweat due to the heat, among many other things that contributed equally to the sense of hatred.

The daily routine involved rising at the cock's crow, cleaning the house, preparing firewood for the evening, and assisting my father in hunting. Sometimes I went to neighboring villages to fetch supplies after my father taught me a few times.

There was a fundamental aspect, which was bartering. I traded animal hides we skinned with firewood, primarily rice, and sometimes sold them for money. The storage under the house contained winter supplies, and I got used to wandering in the villages, especially the nearby village that had all kinds of spices we used in cooking. The villagers were kind to me, offering sweets every time, which pleased me immensely. That's why I loved wandering near that village.

There were a total of five villages surrounding the forest, and there was a village that was difficult to reach, usually requiring crossing the river with a thorny path. It was the only village selling metal pots and cooking utensils.

Moreover, it was a prosperous village in reality. Many tourists visited it due to the numerous festivals held on its grounds.

To ease remembering the villages, I gave each village a description. The nearby village was the Candy Village, the far village that was hard to reach was the Devil Village. I injured my foot once due to thorns, so I deducted some love points from that village. The village near the mountain was the Mountain Village, famous for its meat. Sometimes my father sent me to sell the meat we obtained in exchange for the meat we needed, like trading deer for sheep or sometimes for chicken. There was also the Rose Village, not very far but less touristy, visited only by human couples due to the beauty of the surrounding flowers. The last village was the Medicine Village, and all other villages visited it. It was known that it was the only village producing skilled doctors, and many neighboring countries, as heard from travelers, specifically came to this village due to the quality of medicine.

My father sent me today to the Devil Village, telling me to take it easy at the festival that would be held tonight. I didn't really hate his intention to lighten my load after all this work, but I hated crowds, and I had made it clear to him in advance. However, he insisted that I go, saying he would come in the evening as well.

After crossing the river, my clothes got wet. I was a bit angry, but I didn't stop walking. I passed through the trees; some branches were like pins in my side. Is this forest mocking me? I didn't like going to this village in any case; it was filled with pain just to get there.

After crossing the thorns and getting another injury to my foot in the same place, I reached the village. The village elder was passing through the village gate today and saw me, greeting me.

"Elias! Did you come today as well to get a past knife? Your father really doesn't know how to use tools seriously."

The old man grumbled a bit, then patted my head.

"Anyway, how are you? Although anger is already evident on your face, young troublemaker, did you injure your foot again?"

I didn't say anything, but he realized perfectly that I was angry and that I got hurt again. This old man had a good sense. "It's because of the Devil Village; you have to cut the path of curses to get to it," I said with resentment.

The old man messed with my hair.

"It's okay, young troublemaker. Haven't you gotten used to this situation? The youth of today complains a lot. In my days..."

Here, my brain stopped working, listening to his story that he repeats every time he sees me is torture. This deserves a complaint to the responsible brain authority. He never spares my brain cells.

After he finished talking about his youth, he looked at me with a skeptical look and sighed.

"You didn't enjoy anything I said, as usual, young troublemaker! In my days, the young ones were more disciplined. In any case, your father told me to take care of you today. Follow me."

He tapped my forehead with his finger and went on his cane. I followed him quietly inside the village. Every time we passed by one of the stalls, they greeted us.

The old man was like the village leader. I had also gained my own fame by always following him around. They called me the angry grandson because I always met them after being tormented on the way.

The old man took me to his house after exchanging greetings with many uncles in the village. I received a lot of treats and candies here as well. Maybe I should change the name to Candy Village 2, but when I remember the suffering I went through to get here, candy becomes a reasonable price to compensate for the hardship! But Devil Village will remain forever! It's a well-deserved name.

The old man lived alone with his wife, and I was their spoiled one despite having no close relation. I loved both of them and considered them my grandparents. Even my father received some scoldings from them from time to time. We were like a big family.

We entered the house, and the grandmother welcomed us. I ran towards her, glimpsed her imaginary closeness, and hugged her without paying much attention.

"Grandma, I'm here."

She patted my head and looked at the old man.

"I told you the boy loves me more than you."

He seemed annoyed, but the old man didn't remain silent. He looked at me and asked.

"You, boy! Who do you love more, me or grandma?"

Certainly, this wasn't the first time I faced such a situation. Although the first time I was extremely confused and couldn't answer, now I can easily answer!

"Grandma, what's for lunch today!"

They both laughed at my change of subject, and the old man sighed.

"You, young imp, I'm the one taking care of you always, not this grandma."

The grandma nodded as if she were dealing with a little child and said.

"I made some rice; I'll put a little for you."

After she stood up to serve me, there was a little girl with a curious face watching closely.

Our heads collided in shock, and I took a few steps back.

"Oh, old man, this cute girl didn't kidnap her!"

To be continued...