Bad Luck

I wandered along the road home, taking one step at a time. My whole body was soaking wet, and the weather today was quite chilly. "Achoo!" – I sneezed loudly. Guess I've caught a cold. But it didn't matter. After all, I got to meet and talk to the goddess Mai today. Thinking about how this relationship might grow into something long-lasting, and eventually, the two of us becoming a couple... hehe!

Walking further, I finally reached home. My house was locked, with a padlock on the door. I reached back to search for my backpack, then repeated the motion: searched for my backpack… searched for my backpack… where's my backpack? I froze as the truth hit me—I had lost my backpack!

"Oh no! What do I do now? What should I do?" – I screamed internally. Inside the backpack were the house keys, my books, and even my money. I collapsed onto the concrete ground, powerless, and shouted:

"YOU IDIOT! YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT!"

Wait a minute, I remembered we had a back door. Could it be that Mom forgot to lock it? A glimmer of hope sparked in me, and I ran to check the back of the house. But disappointment came crashing down—the back door was locked too.

At this point, my body was covered in mud and emitting a stench no different from a sewer. The smell was so bad that even I didn't want to meet anyone. My stomach started growling loudly, protesting from hunger. Since morning, I hadn't eaten anything because I was too busy avoiding a surprise test at school.

I sat down on a big rock in front of the house, using it as a makeshift chair. Sitting there in silence, I waited for Mom to come home. But the longer I waited, the more helpless I felt. Shiny tears rolled down my cheeks. I cried—cried for my own stupidity, cried because nothing had gone right today.

Suddenly, the sky opened up, and rain started pouring down. The cold drops fell, blending with my tears. I hurried to the house's porch, seeking shelter under the tin roof to avoid getting even wetter. The sound of raindrops tapping on the roof only deepened my sadness. "Mom, please come home soon!" – I whispered hopelessly.

From afar, the sound of a motorbike approached. My heart leapt, and my eyes lit up in anticipation. The motorbike drew closer and closer, but then… it just drove past my house. It wasn't Mom.

I slumped back onto the concrete ground, dazedly watching it disappear. Another vehicle's noise arose, this time a car. I sat up straight, pouring all my hope into that car, but… it too sped past.

I held my head in despair. The image of my backpack flashed in my mind again. Where was it? I remembered having it when I left school. When I gave Mai a ride, it was still on my back. While avoiding Mr. Eight, it was there. When I fell... That's it! That's when it happened!

Gritting my teeth, I cursed myself. The backpack must have gotten caught on a tree or fallen somewhere during my panic.

The rain began to subside. A light shone from afar, accompanied by the familiar sound of a motorbike. I lifted my head to look. Mom was back!

She got off the bike, her eyes filled with confusion as she looked me up and down:

"You have the key, don't you? Why didn't you go inside?"

I was speechless, frozen in place, unable to say a word.

Mom's eyes scanned me from head to toe. Her eyebrows furrowed as she spoke, annoyed:

"Why are your white clothes so dirty? Where's your backpack? Where are the keys?"

I averted my eyes, unable to meet her gaze.

Her voice rose, angry:

"Hey, are you mute or something? Why aren't you answering me?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. Oh no, what do I do now?