I really love Mama.
This time, she was more tired than usual.
I knew I had to save her…
Mama was starting to change. The berry ghost was taking over her! She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her head tilted, her hair wet from her tears, and her eyes... they were huge, like angry purple balloons that had been blown up too much.
I quietly approached her, my hands behind my back, and said bravely:
"Don't worry, I will feed him."
She didn't answer. She just muttered something I couldn't understand, then buried her face between her legs.
That's when I understood…
The berry ghost was starving. If I didn't feed him, he would eat Mama completely.
Let me explain: when the berry ghost enters Mama's body, she becomes very tired, and part of her body or head swells and puffs up.
The berry ghost isn't evil — he's just hungry. His favorite food is berries, but he can't gather them himself. So, he usually lives inside Mama so he can eat.
I took my wooden sword and put on my red bath towel cape — the one Mama said was special for guests... but it's okay, tonight I'm the guest. I want to reach the moon. I'm not afraid of the berry ghost!
I stepped out silently. I had to be careful not to wake the sleeping creatures in the house, like the chair that groans if you touch it, or the bathroom door that screams every time it's opened, or even Papa's shadow on the wall that appears when the light gets strong.
I reached the garden door. It was locked as usual, but I knew the secret: press three times, then pull, then turn the handle right… then left… then kick the door hard (but not too loud so Mama can rest).
I stepped outside, and the air was cold.
I don't really remember the name, but it was a winter month, and the sky was dotted with stars that looked like grated cheese. The garden... it was a forest.
A big, scary forest.
The grass hadn't been cut in a long time, taller than me by far. Mama says the grass needs a special mower, and Papa says he's busy.
No one cuts it.
So it turned into a forest.
The forest was eerie…
The trees were bare, without leaves. All the leaves were on the ground. Oops! It's actually autumn, not winter — sorry, I sometimes forget.
The grass moved without wind, and I felt many eyes watching me from inside. I had to be careful because sometimes some dangerous creatures appear.
Stray cats.
But it's okay…
I am the Moon Cheese Knight. I'm not scared.
At the right corner, there was a big cave. Adults call it the "trash bucket," but it's not that…
It's the mouth of the big beast, the trash dragon.
Yes, I was scared, but I bravely approached and entered.
All this for Mama.
The smell was worse than when Mama cooks during her sad times, and I almost suffocated…
But no turning back. The berries are inside; there must be berries hidden in the shadows, waiting for a knight to save them.
I searched inside the giant mouth. I found something red!
...But it was an old empty box. Okay, no worries, just a trick from the beast.
I left the cave and returned to the forest.
In the middle of the forest, I found a treasure beside the red berry tree that had one branch with green leaves.
There were three real berries! Red, shiny, and one had a small bite mark…
I looked at them for a long time and whispered:
"Maybe this is my sister... she's the one who bit it." I guessed this when I saw some butterflies flying around. My sister disappeared a year ago. She was a baby sitting in her crib. While we played, she felt jealous, jumped up, and wanted to join.
Neither Mama nor Papa noticed her while I watched. She tried to swim on the floor. The scene was cute. When my parents noticed her, they stopped playing. Papa pushed Mama and quickly took my sister in the car.
What I know is that he came back without her, and I heard Mama say all this was his fault. But I didn't know who she was talking about or what the problem was. When I asked about my sister, she was silent for a while, then said she turned into a butterfly and flies happily away from the devil.
I quickly turned my face away. I shouldn't cry now. I'm not sad for my sister. I love my sister very much. I'm just sad because I miss her.
But the knight does not cry.
The knight saves.
I put the berries carefully in my pocket and ran back.
The ground was slippery, and bloodsucking mosquitoes attacked me from every side. The grass tried to catch me.
But I returned.
I jumped over the kitchen tiles. That's enemy territory; I must not touch it with my heel, only with the tips of my toes.
I sneaked into Mama's room.
She was sleeping… or maybe... maybe the berry ghost ate her completely?
I stood there, my heart beating like a war drum. I approached her and placed the berries beside her head.
Then I sat in my favorite corner by the window.
I looked at the moon…
Does it see me tonight?
Does it know I did something heroic?
Does it know I saved Mama… or at least tried?
I raised my eyes to it and whispered:
"I am the Moon Cheese Knight… I will see you soon."
And I noticed the moon smiling, so I smiled back.