Cap⁷ A destroyed childhood.

The sun rises on the horizon. Gregory awakens and enters the kitchen to have breakfast before heading off to school. This time, his grandmother has prepared the meal in advance. Glegory takes his plate and eats, but his countenance is more desolate than ever. While chewing, his grandmother observes him, sensing his distress, but decides not to inquire, fearing to worsen things.

After finishing his meal, Glegory heads to Beltran's room to check on him. Upon entering, he discovers that Beltran is not there. He searches the entire house, but there is no trace of him, so he decides to look outside. As he steps out, he spots Beltran returning with firewood to sell and supply the house. –"Beautiful day, isn't it, Glegory?"- says Beltran.

-"Yes, it's a good day. I thought you were injured. Why are you chopping firewood outside?"- Glegory asks.

Beltran smiles. -"Do you think I would be confined to bed by a simple injury? I am not that idle,"- Beltran retorts. -"However, if you fall ill again, you'll end up bedridden once more, so take care of yourself. I have to go to school. See you later,"- Glegory warns.

-"Alright, see you later. Glegory, be a good boy at school,"- says Beltran. Glegory bids farewell to his family and heads towards school. As he walks, he wonders, –"Is Jarcias okay? I'll pass by his house to check."- Determined, he heads to Jarcias' residence. Upon arrival, he notices that the house appears normal from the outside, constructed with wood like any other. However, there are no signs of life inside. He knocks on the door, but receives no response. -"I don't hear anything. Could it be that no one is here?"- Glegory murmurs.

Just as Glegory is about to leave Jarcias' house, he hears a crash as if something had fallen onto the wooden floor. Intrigued, he stops and feels an urgency to discover what has happened. He peeks through the window, but cannot discern anything in the dim light, so he decides to venture inside. He searches for an entrance and finds that a back window is slightly open. He approaches cautiously and opens it slowly. Once fully open, he swiftly and silently enters the house, ensuring he won't be discovered.

Once inside, he encounters a desolate scene. The house is in an advanced state of decay, with a floor of rotting wood and decomposing walls. It seems like no one has inhabited that place in a long time. -"Curious... Jarcias told me he lived here, but it appears that not even rats are around,"- Glegory reflects internally.

He explores every corner of the house in search of the source of the noise he heard, but finds nothing. Determined to leave, he makes his way to the window through which he entered. However, he trips on the floor, and upon looking down, he discovers access to the basement. His curiosity intensifies, and he decides to open the basement door. Upon doing so, a repugnant stench emerges from within, almost unbearable. Despite the odor, intrigue overtakes him, and he peeks inside to see what lies within. What he sees there freezes him: Jarcias' parents are inside, holding a knife in their hands as they mutilate a corpse on a blood-stained brown sheet-covered wooden table.

Glegory continues to observe and comes across something chilling. A human head rests on the floor, but there is more. The head belongs to Jarcias. Panic grips Glegory, who tries to quickly leave the house. However, as he attempts to close the basement door, a piece of wood breaks off, and the door slams shut violently. The parents become aware of someone's presence in the house, someone who has been spying on them. They quickly rush upstairs to investigate, and as they emerge, Glegory is already escaping through the window. Realizing his escape, he runs swiftly towards school, filled with fear. As he runs, he wonders, -"Why did the parents do that? And why Jarcias? I don't think they noticed my presence."-

With a terrified heart, Glegory arrives at school with no intention of engaging in conversation with anyone. Upon entering the premises, he is greeted by the same five boys who beat him up the day before. –"Where do you think you're going, you disgusting worm?"- one of them exclaims, but Glegory doesn't respond. -"Don't you hear when you're spoken to, you cursed pig?"- the same boy continues, but Glegory remains silent. One of them stands in front of Glegory and strikes him in the face. Glegory falls to the ground without defending himself or responding. The boys notice his passivity and start kicking and hitting him. Glegory simply endures, no longer wanting to do anything and accepting that violence as part of his sorrowful reality.

The boys see a teacher approaching and flee in fear, but the teacher doesn't go after them, instead heading elsewhere. Glegory gets up bruised but quickly recovers. However, he has lost all motivation. His face bears a neutral expression, devoid of smiles, tears, or anger. He proceeds to his first class of the day, takes his seat, and all the boys look at him with contempt and hatred. They throw papers at him and write –"die"– on his desk. During lunchtime, two boys wait for him and throw his food in the trash, hitting him before leaving. Upon leaving school, the same situation repeats itself. The five boys wait for him and beat him before walking away.

Glegory no longer feels anything. His childhood has been ruined for life. Upon arriving home, he follows the same ritual: he goes to his room. Then, his grandmother arrives and asks, –"How was school?"- Glegory responds with a simple –"fine."–

He changes his clothes and heads to that place in the middle of the forest where he finds some peace and can relax. It's a cozy spot with a small pond filled with colorful fish, surrounded by trees and animals. Glegory always finds solace in that place.

As night falls, Glegory returns home and quickly falls asleep. At dawn, he repeats the same routine: breakfast and heading to school. Upon arrival, the five boys wait for him at the entrance to beat him and mock him. Glegory simply endures the aggression and doesn't utter a word. He no longer feels anything. When he enters the classroom, they throw papers at him, mock him, and during lunch, they throw his food in the trash. At the end of the day, they beat him again. When he returns home, he follows his routine: he goes to that spot in the forest to relax. As night falls, he returns home and quickly falls asleep. This has become his daily life, his heart-wrenching reality.