Lok woke up, curled up in his mother's lap.
She smiled softly, whispering, "Loky, wake up, baby."
He looked up into his mother's gentle eyes, feeling a rare, quiet peace wash over him as she fed the birds nearby in the garden.
"Loky….do you know why do we feed birds? Why we help them?
He looked at her silently, wondering.
"It's because it makes God happy… He'll love us for it!"
She paused, then muttered, "I don't give a fu—" before sighing softly.
"I do it for God, not for these damn weak creatures."
"Do we need God to love us, Mom?" he asked.
Her eyes widened. She stared straight into him, and he felt as if she were looking through him—watching his soul.
"God is all we need," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
"God is all we need," he repeated after her.
She smiled and wrapped her arms around him, ignoring the birds.
"That's my baby. Now let's get back home—we don't want to piss Daddy off, right?"
He nodded, holding her hand as they walked back home.
Lok walked beside his mother toward the house.
She pushed the door open—barely a crack—
—and a fist slammed into her face.
The blow was so sudden, so loud, her body hit the ground before I even understood what happened.
"You cheated on me, huh?"
Dad's voice came out like something inhuman.
"You filthy bitch."
He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her inside the house.
I froze on the doorstep.
My legs wouldn't move.
My hands started shaking, quietly, uncontrollably.
I didn't make a sound.
I didn't breathe.
I just watched.