On that summer day five years ago, the morning light shining through the window was unusually bright, waking up Gabriel earlier than usual. After tossing left and right and realizing he wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep, he got up with sleepy eyes and left the bed, wobbling his way to the toilet, then the kitchen.
He hadn’t eaten much yesterday, and his stomach was now growling, emitting sounds akin to snarls. Maybe that was the real reason he woke up; he just knew the sunlight wasn’t enough to wake him from his dreams. For as long as he could remember, getting out of bed had always been an ordeal, and it wasn’t a few sun rays that would solve this little problem of his.
‘I’m just gonna eat a little something and go back to sleep.’
With this in mind, he snuck into the kitchen, which was empty at this early hour. There was not even a staff member around, meaning that he could steal a few snacks without being caught. His mother didn’t like it when he ate between meals, but how could she scold him if she didn’t find out? Anyway, he had always been good at pretending he hadn’t done anything bad, having mastered the wide, innocent, and pure-looking eyes that made people’s hearts go soft. And it wasn’t like he was planning to loot the refrigerator, much less empty the pantry…. So, his little escape to the kitchen should go unnoticed. Right?
But his plan to snatch something inconspicuous quickly went down the drain once he smelled the good smell of a fresh-baked pie. His reason also bid him farewell.
As he tiptoed to the oven, Gabriel couldn’t help but salivate and gulp, his stomach growling a little louder with every step he took.
Though no one was currently present, there were signs that someone had been busying themselves in the kitchen just a moment ago. Gabriel had no idea who they were, but he had a hunch they baked the pie for his mother as it was her favorite dessert. It was also one of the rare desserts he had a soft spot for.
He stared at the pie for a long time before eventually succumbing to the temptation. He told himself that he would eat a slice, just one small, little slice. But as he ate, he realized he had underestimated his hunger and willpower and ultimately wolfed down more than half of the pie, leaving behind only a serving for his mother.
“…I’m so dead if she finds out,” Gabriel coughed after the deed, scratching his cheek in embarrassment.
It had been so long since the last time he had eaten apple pie that he hadn’t been able to stop himself, almost swallowing it whole. It tasted even sweeter than usual as if the cook had added an extra layer of sugar and cinnamon, though there was also a faint bitter aftertaste.
“Let’s just flee and pretend I know nothing. That should do the trick,” Gabriel nodded to himself, chasing away the guilt with a wave of his hand. What was done was done, and that was it.
Because he was usually as quiet as a mouse, or it would be more accurate to say that no one ever caught him doing bad things, he was pretty sure the staff and his mother wouldn’t suspect him. Instead, they would first think that a maid helped herself behind everyone’s back or something along these lines. Then, maybe afterward, they would turn their gazes toward him…. If that were to happen, he would just have to say that he had been sleeping at the time of the “crime”, which no one would doubt, and he should be free to go.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Before leaving the kitchen, Gabriel decided to at least clean up the mess he made while eating and hide the pie away. The kitchen staff could always bake another apple pie and give it to his mother in the late afternoon. As long as she ate some during the day, she should be satisfied.
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Soon enough, his body began to feel strange, his skin becoming overly warm as if it had been set ablaze. His head also felt heavy, too heavy for his neck to carry. Yet, he was still full of vigor, feeling like he could run a marathon or two despite the dizziness.
Massaging his temples, he glanced out the window and thought that going outside to breathe fresh air would help to alleviate the pain. So he did just that, veering left instead of going straight to his room. Besides, the garden was lovely in the early morning, with the dew still lingering on the flowers, sparkling like a thousand stars.
The garden was vast but well maintained. Amid the various flowers, pebbled paths wandered about through the white roses, leading to a pond overflowing with pinkish lotus. Colorful koi fishes lazily swam around in the clear water while some frogs stood on the lotus leaves, croaking their morning song.
Gabriel wanted to walk to the stone bench near the pond, thinking of lying on it and waiting for his nausea to recede. But somewhere along the way, everything around him became blurry, and he lost balance, falling head first onto the paved path.
His breathing became heavier the next instant, and his chest started to hurt, tightening as if it was clamped in a vice.
It was at that moment, when Gabriel began to panic, that he heard loud voices and shrill screams. His mother was quarreling with someone, something that often occurred lately. But right now, he did not think of this. All he wanted was to call for someone’s help.
Only…. His voice didn’t come out no matter how many times he opened his mouth to shout for help. It was stuck in his throat. He had lost the strength to even speak at some point, rendering him mute.
Refusing to give up, Gabriel painfully lifted his head to glance at the window where the voices originated, hoping he would be able to draw his mother’s attention. Maybe she would glance down and see him; maybe she would realize something was wrong with her boy.
But in the end, all Gabriel’s efforts were vain. His mother never noticed him, and all he ended up seeing were white hands getting closer to his mother’s frail shoulders. He could not warn her, and she was pushed from behind the next instant, falling from the third floor.
His mother let out a blood-curdling scream, but it was already too late. Enclosing the garden was an iron fence with sharp arrows, and she fell on it with a loud thud. The arrows pierced through her body, leaving gaping holes in her torso. Blood gushed out, and the white rose turned deep red.
Gabriel’s world shattered. Still, he despairingly tried to crawl to his mother, who was gasping for air. But blood kept flooding her throat and lungs, making it impossible to breathe. She was drowning.
Deep down, he knew he wouldn’t make it. So. Gabriel stretched his trembling hand toward his mother despite the distance that still separated them. Finally, he managed to utter a few broken syllables.
“M-mom.”
The words barely had the time to leave his mouth before his hand dropped to the ground, and everything blackened, turning pitch-black.
.
.
When Gabriel came to his senses, he was lying in a hospital bed, alone. The room was empty, not even decorated with flowers.
Soon after, a nurse entered his room, and the first thing he did was ask where his mother was. The uncomfortable smile she gave him was enough of an answer.
His mother hadn’t made it.
Later, Gabriel discovered that he survived only because the gardener had found him, having arrived ahead of schedule. The man didn’t idle and called the ambulance over right away, but his mother’s body had already started to grow cold and stiff.
The gardener brought the paramedics to him without delay, and Gabriel was admitted to the hospital just in time. A few more dozen minutes, and it wasn’t sure he would have survived.
He survived because he decided to go to the garden instead of returning to his bedroom. Who knows if someone would have discovered him in time had he gone back to sleep. Of course, Gabriel wanted to thank the gardener after leaving the hospital. However, he learned that the man had resigned, and no one knew where he went afterward.
The people around the house said that the gardener was in shock after discovering the collapsed young master and the lady’s corpse, and he needed time to recover. They said he couldn’t step inside the garden anymore, the horrible memories sending him in a panic every time he tried. It also meant he couldn’t do his job, and they needed to hire someone new.
After growing up, Gabriel wondered if that was the truth. Whether or not the gardener left of his own volition was a mystery.
The house staff spouted more lies than truths in this story, discrediting everything he said to the police officers, starting with his mother’s scream. No one heard anything, and according to them, the morning had been calm and peaceful. So, maybe the boy imagined it? It wouldn’t be surprising considering how muddle-headed he was at the time.
Another maid also stated that his mother was the one who had baked the pie. The lady had told her that she felt like cooking something her son loved today. However, the boy ate it ahead of time while the lady left for the washroom. When she came back and realized what had happened, she told the maid to get rid of what was left of the pie. Though she found the order to be a little odd, the maid did as told.
When many people’s lies were similar but not too much, they often became what the others perceived as the truth.
The only one whose testimony differed significantly from the other staff members was the gardener, but he had arrived later than everyone and thus hadn’t been there at the time of the events.
And Gabriel’s mother did have a reputation as a mental case, being overly possessive of her husband and son. There was a rumor circulating among the people who knew the couple; it was commonly known that she had lost a few screws over the years because of her husband’s lack of affection. Her husband put work before her, which didn’t settle well with that obsessive-compulsive woman.
Though his mother indeed tended to be strict and overprotective, Gabriel never once thought she was crazy. But what were a kid’s words worth? He didn’t know better, and even if he was thirteen years old at the time, it was still too young in the adults’ eyes. He couldn’t possibly see the truth, much less comprehend it, unlike them.
There was one thing they all seemed to have forgotten, though; he wouldn’t stay a child forever. Now, Gabriel was an adult, and he wasn’t planning to lay low. He would not accept everything with a nod as he did as a boy.
No, not anymore. Not in this timeline.
________________________
Chapter revised on 2022-06-05
Edited by Clozed! ♥
Aaaah Gabrieeeeellllll 😢😢😢
What kind of monster dared to do that to a lil kid 🥺 show yourself I swear I won’t kill you 🥺🥺
I’ve got the feeling you’re crossing your fingers behind your back while swearing you won’t kill them. I wonder why….
Thank you for reading! ♥
What crossing fingers are you talking about… it’s a superb knife i’m hiding okay?!
Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
Thanks for reading! ♥
ugghhhhh those people! I hope Gabriel can unravel the mystery and get a whole swathe of people convicted >:(
That would be great!!!!! I have still no idea if he’ll be able to do that though! X’D
Thank you for reading! ♥
Poor Gabriel QAQ
Thanks for the chapter <3
It’s good to have all the details now, so we know what he knows. Also, if he has a half brother his age, then his mother wasn’t crazy, she was right. Her husband was absolutely cheating and her son definitely wasn’t safe.