Five years ago…
Koran, a boy with blond hair and honey-colored eyes, was playing outside on the beach with his only friend, Timo. The sound of their laughter was even louder than the sound of the waves.
"Hahaha, you will never defeat my castle!" Timo said, laughing with a fake, evil laugh.
Its walls were uneven, but they were solid enough to look like a real fort. On top of it were short towers decorated with shiny shells he had collected from the sand, and around it was a narrow trench filled with seawater that had crept in with the waves. The castle wasn't grand, but in its simplicity, it held a sincere, childish beauty.
"You call this a castle? Check this out," Koran said, pointing to his castle like a magician showing his trick.
His castle was built from layers of wet sand. Its base was wide and steady on the ground, and from it rose thin towers carved by small fingers that left fine lines like engravings. Small openings shaped like windows were carefully made, and a short wall surrounded it like a frame protecting it, while its entrance was decorated with a simple, gently carved arch.
Timo opened his mouth wide as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"How in the world does this castle look better than the one in our kingdom!"
"That's easy. You just have to be me," Koran replied proudly.
While they were playing and having fun, a group of boys from their class passed by them. They were talking among themselves until the short boy with brown hair spoke.
"Look, it's Koran the crazy one, playing in the sand again."
His tall friend with black hair replied,
"Don't say that. I heard his father left his mother."
The tall boy didn't even have time to finish his laugh before a handful of sand hit him in the face. The boy couldn't see and started screaming. Then Koran rushed over and pushed him.
The boy fell to the ground, and Koran started hitting him repeatedly until the short boy and their third friend pulled Koran away and held him back.
"You damn kid... I'll kill you!" the tall boy said, tears filling his eyes.
Before the three boys could all attack at once, a voice came from behind.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" It was Diva, coming towards them.
The boys ran away quickly while Koran kept throwing sea coral he found at them until he lost sight of them.
Diva came quickly and grabbed Koran's arms while checking him over.
"Are you okay, my little one?"
Koran answered in a serious voice.
"I'm not little. I could have handled all of them by myself."
"I know that, that's why I enrolled you in a self-defense learning center since you were small. But why did you attack those kids?" Diva spoke in a gentle voice.
"They were saying bad things about you," Koran answered while wiping the sand from his hands.
"Sweetheart... They are just kids. You don't have to fight everyone who says something about me."
Koran looked at his mother and moved her hands away from him.
"No matter what you say, I won't let anyone insult your honor. And more importantly... I will always protect you."
Diva stopped for a moment, then took Koran's hands.
"Thank you."
Present Day...
Koran is sitting on the floor, trying to stop the blood flowing from his mother's wound. His hands are covered in blood, his face is sweaty, and tears are streaming from his eyes.
"Sweetheart... listen to me..." Diva spoke in a broken, muffled voice.
"No, Mom, please don't talk," Koran cried out, his voice suddenly cracking.
His body shook as he tried to stop the wound with his trembling hands, but the blood kept pouring mercilessly between his fingers. His tears fell on his face nonstop, mixing with his sweat, while his hoarse voice repeated with desperate weakness:
"Don't leave me...Please... I need you... I need you, Mom..."
"Please go... don't stay here," Diva's voice came again, but this time weaker.
"I won't leave you, Mom! I promised you... I promised you I would always protect you," Koran shouted again, as if refusing to believe what was in front of him.
His mother replied in a weak voice,
"You did,my little one... Don't worry... I will always be with you... like Timo..."
Koran's voice dropped to a desperate sound as his breathing grew louder. He laid his head on his mother's head while they both cried.
"Mom... I don't want to be alone again. It's a miserable, cruel world without you. I won't be able to bear it if you're not with me."
Diva's tears increased after these words until they overflowed like a river, and she answered in a voice as weak as a whisper:
"You are not alone... No one is meant to be alone... You will find people who understand you... and accept you... Life can be hard... and it has certainly hurt you more than others... but it won't be like this forever... You will be happy... and you will get the life you deserve."
Diva closed her eyes and let her cold body lie down, then she said one sentence, as if breathing her last breath:
"Be happy... I love you, my son."
Koran let go of the wound and held her hand, crying heavily.
"I love you too, Mom. I love you more than this world. I have always loved you, even if I didn't show it often."
He put his head on the ground, crying, unsure if his mother could hear him or if she was gone, but he was talking to himself at that moment.
"I love you, Mom."
Koran lifted his head to take one last look at his mother and found that she was smiling, even though she was no longer breathing. It was as if she had heard everything Koran said.
Koran got up and went to his mother's room to get her favorite blanket. He looked like a zombie, completely empty. Then he returned to his mother and covered her with the blanket.
Koran looked at his mother's face for a few moments, as if saying goodbye to her features for the last time, then kissed her and covered her face. Koran stayed sitting there for a few moments without doing or saying anything, then he sobbed and walked out the door.
Despite all the hardship Koran had faced in his life, he had never felt what he felt today. For the first time in his life, Koran felt sad, desperate, helpless. But more importantly, this was the first time he truly felt alone.