Orphan (Chapter-00)

Information about the characters: Arthur is a lovely boy who has short black hair, red eyes, and a thin body. His mother has yellow long hair, yellow eyes, and a slightly thick body. She is 35 years old.

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Arthur got up from his bed with excitement. Because today was his birthday. He looked at the mirror that was in the right corner of his room. He is going to be a five-year-old boy today. 

His mother knocked on his door two times.

''Honey? Did you wake up?'' she said. 

Arthur was already dressed in his most handsome clothes.

''Yes, Mom! I'm coming out now.'' he said and got out of the room.

''You look so handsome, Arthur! The black shirt and black jeans look so good on you!'' she said with a smile on her face.

Arthur was giggling and had a blush a little.

''You look beautiful in that blue dress, Mom.'' he said with a smile on his face. 

His mom held his hand brought him to the living room and showed him the cake that she made herself. 

''How is it?'' she said with curiousity. 

Arthur was amazed by the cake. He couldn't say anything for a few seconds. But then he spoke with a happy tone.

''It looks so good Mom! Can I eat that now?'' he said while trying his best to be patient. 

''Let's light the candles first. Then you can eat as much as you want.''

He sat down on a chair and waited for his mom to light the candles. He was so excited that he was shaking his legs. 

His mom lighted the candles and sat down next to him. 

''Happy birthday my love. You can blow the candles if you made a wish.''

Arthur looked at the candles and made a wish. A wish that he wanted it to be real. After two seconds he blew the candles and his mother applauded him. 

''Don't say your wish to anyone. Otherwise, it won't be real.'' his mother said with a smile on her face. 

That day was the happiest day of Arthur's life. He finally turned 5 years old he was excited because he'd go to school. But it wasn't like he imagined. 

He got bullied by his teachers and his ''friends''. His days in school turned into hell. A hell that he can't escape. 

Time has passed. Arthur was escaping from school some days and working at a cleaning company to earn some money. Because his mother got sick. They were really poor that sometimes he wouldn't eat and he gave his food to her mother.

Arthur's 17th birthday came. But it wasn't a happy birthday. His mother got sick very badly and they became so poor. But even after that, his mother made the same cake that he ate at the age of 5. 

Arthur came from his work with an exhausted face. He always tried to smile when he came home. And he did the same thing today. 

He put his ''school bag'' next to the couch and sat down next to his mother. 

''Mom... Why did you get up from your bed? You are not well.'' he said with an anxious face.

''I know how I am.'' she giggled. ''Don't treat me like a baby.'' she giggled once more. 

''I wasn't trying to treat you like a baby. I was-'' he was saying but his mother cut his word. 

''I know I know! I was just joking.'' she said. ''I made a cake for you my son. Today is your 17th birthday.'' she said with a smile on her face.

''Is it?'' he said with a shocked face. 

''Yeah! Now make a wish like you used to and blow the candles. Then you can eat as much as you want.'' She said. 

Arthur smiled and did as she said. 

''Don't tell anyone your wish. Otherwise, it won't become real.'' She giggled. 

''Yeah... Yes, mom. I won't.'' he said with a sad tone. 

''Arthur...'' she said and looked into her eyes.

''This is... Probably our last birthday together.'' She said while trying not to cry. She cuddled him so tightly and continued to talk.

''I know what you are doing.'' she said.

''Wh-what am I doing?'' he said with an anxious voice tone.

''You are escaping from school and working at a cleaning company. You can't hide anything from me.'' she said.

''M-mom...'' He couldn't say more and he chose to stay silent. 

''I know what you have been through. You are getting bullied at school and your work. And still, you are not saying anything because you don't wanna make me sad.'' she said and a tear fell from her eye. She continued to talk.

''I'm so lucky that I have a boy like you, Arthur. You are caring, polite, respectful, and lovely.'' she said while crying little by little.

Those words stabbed like a dagger to his heart. He started crying too and cuddled even more tightly to his mother. 

''I'm the one who is lucky to have a mother like you. I did nothing compared to you. I know how much you tried to do better for me every day and I'm grateful for that.'' now he is crying more. He continued to talk.

''I'm sorry Mom... I'm sorry that I can't do anything about you or myself.'' he said. 

She broke the cuddle and put his head on her lap. 

''I'll ask you a question, my Arthur.'' she caressed his head with love. ''Close your eyes.'' she said. ''First, you can be relaxed about this question. And don't worry about the 'right answer'. There is no right or wrong for this situation.'' she said and started to talk about her question.

'' Think yourself as a farmer, my son. You are old and exhausted but you keep doing your job at your farm even if you are starving. Maybe that hunger is for some food or some achievement. Anyway, like I said you are doing your job as a farmer but there are so many birds around your farm, birds that steal the seeds that you planted with the hope of something. What would you do in this situation? Would you try to fight back even if you are old and exhausted or would you continue to plant your seeds with the hope of something even if you know your seeds will get stolen definitely?'' she said and closed her eyes too.

He thought a little and gave his answer.

''I would... Change the place of my farm...'' Arthur said.

His mother was in shock for a second. It was an answer that even she didn't think.

''Good choice. Now replace the word of the farmer with 'you', replace the word of a farm with 'your life', replace the word of birds with 'the people that bully you', and replace the word of seeds with 'your hopes'. This question wasn't about a farmer. Having hope is good if you don't forget the real world. Reality may be a little harsh but there is always a choice.'' she said with a smile on her face. 

''But then... Wouldn't I become a coward that ran away?'' Arthur asked.

''I didn't say you will run away forever. It's not cowardness, it's knowing your limits. You won't give up my son, you'll just become better and become who you want to become.'' she said with a trusting voice. 

After that talk, they ate the cake and Arthur carried her mother to her bed. He put her to bed gently and cowered her with a blanket. The moment he was about to leave the room but then he heard his mother's voice.

''Sleep with me, Arthur. Like when you were 5.'' she said.

Arthur smiled and lay down next to her. His mother took him in her arms and buried his head in her chest. 

''I love you Mom.'' he said with a sleepy voice.

''I love you too.'' she said with a sleepy voice. 

And they started to fall asleep right away. They cuddled each other tightly. That sleep was the most comfortable sleep that Arthur ever had. 

After 10 hours of sleep, Arthur slowly opened his eyes to the sound of the birds and the light of the sun. He looked at the watch, it was 1 p.m. He caressed her mother's cheek a little with a smile on his face.

But then... The smile on his face was gone. Her mother's cheeks were cold, her face was colorless. 

''Mom?..'' he asked while his voice was shivering. 

There was no response. He asked again and again. He shaked her hard but there was no response again. Her eyes were closed and she wasn't breathing. Arthur called an ambulance while crying so hard. 

After 5 minutes the ambulance came and paramedics started to do some first-aid but there was no response again. 

A female paramedic turned her face towards him. That paramedic had a sad face. And the moment Arthur saw that paramedic's face, he understood what happened. 

''I'm sorry for your loss.'' the girl paramedic said. 

Arthur collapsed. He fell to his knees and he couldn't say anything. 

Paramedics took his mother to hospital to put her in a morgue. 

Arthur was on the ground, and couldn't look his mother's face. A paramedic helped him to come to the hospital with them.

While the ambulance was going to the hospital Arthur was sitting in it, thinking the question that his mother asked. 

The ambulance arrived at the hospital and paramedics brought his mother to the morgue. 

He was sitting on a chair that was in front of the morgue. That girl paramedic came next to him, extended him a bottle of water, and sat next to him.

''The hospital... Will help you with your mother's funeral.'' the female paramedic said.

Arthur started crying again after he heard that sentence. female paramedic couldn't say anything for a while.

''My name is Erica... I don't think you want to know my name right now...'' she said with a sad tone.

''Arthur...'' Arthur said while crying little by little. 

Erica got up from the chair slowly and put the bottle of water next to him. 

''I'm sorry again...'' Erica said and walked away. 

***

1 year had passed since Arthur's mother's funeral. He was writing a journal after the day of his mother's death. Today is his birthday and the last page of his journal notebook. He was writing on the notebook's last page.

''Mom... I guess I couldn't become the person I wanted to be. After your death... Everything became so meaningless. Sun isn't shining as it was, food isn't tasting as it was, people aren't looking at me as they were, things aren't going as they were... I feel like a cliff. Nothing but the sky is ahead of me but there are countless things behind me. Things that you and I experienced.'' he started crying and stopped writing for a while. He was at half of the page. After a minute, he continued.

''I'll tell you a secret Mom... On my 17th birthday, I wished all the bullying I was getting from work and school would stop... (he giggled a bit while having tears in his eyes) I can hear your voice saying 'Don't say your wish! Otherwise, it won't become real.'... I wish I had told, Mom. The bullying I was getting from school and work stopped after you passed away...'' his hand was trembling but he continued to write.

''If only I wished something different that day... If only I didn't act selfish that day... Maybe you would be next to me now. I don't know what to do, mom. I feel like I'm at the edge of giving up... Giving up on life... Today is my birthday so I will act selfish one last time. I don't know if there is something like an afterlife. But if it's real, I wish you can wait for me there.'' he wrote and put the last dot. 

He got up from his chair and left the house with his journal in his hand. It was 10 p.m. and he was walking to his mother's grave. There was a black shirt and black jeans on him.

After 30 minutes he arrived at his mother's grave and started digging up the grave with his hands. He dug up just enough space to bury his journal. He put the journal slowly and buried it. 

''I want to sleep with you one last time, Mother.'' he said and laid down next to his mother's grave and cuddled the soil that was on her. He felt the warmth of his mother's hug again and fell asleep. He heard a sound like a phone's notification sound but didn't care much and continued to sleep. 

In the morning his life will become completely different.