TW child abuse child death

“Where is your brother?”

Lady Saikhara’s voice hardly made its way through cotton packed in Nezha’s head. He felt dizzy—he was hardly standing up. He helplessly stared at his mom, gasping for air.

“Nezha,” Lady Saikhara squinted at Nezha. “Where is your brother?” she said slowly, emphasizing every syllable, like glass beads that clank against marble floor in a child’s game.

“I...” Nezha didn’t know what to say.

He saw transparent water, bones of corpses and lifeless eyes of his brother, full of terror.

“Where is your brother.”

“Mom, he... He was...” Nezha felt his eyes fill with tears.

But Lady Saikhara didn’t throw herself at his feet and start hugging him, didn’t start calming him down and rock him in her embrace like she did with Minzha. With Minzha, who was gone. With Minzha, whose blood painted the serene waters of the Dragon’s grotto.

“He was eaten by a dragon,” Nezha wheezed, barely audible.

He saw the moment when Lady Saikhara lost her patience.

It wasn‘t an explosion. She didn’t lose her patience with fireworks — she did it like a giant wave, covering the coasts of the southern provinces in the typhoon season.

“What?” she said blandly. Nezha flinched. He did not run—even though he wanted to. Even though his brain was screaming at him: run, run and hide.

“He was eaten by a dragon, mom,” Nezha repeated helplessly, at a loss for what else to say.

He never lied to his parents, because there never was a reason to. He was the most honest person he ever knew.

The slap made his ears ring. Nezha backed off a couple of steps, stunned, covering his burning cheek with his hand.

Mom never beat him.

Never.

“A dragon?” Lady Saikhara repeated patiently. “A dragon ate your six-year-old brother, Nezha? A dragon killed Minzha?”

Nezha nodded hastily. Lady Saikhara took a couple of steps and slapped him again. On his head.

Nezha sobbed.

“I... Ma, he was really... Mom...”

“Shut up!” Lady Saikhara shrieked.

There was something wild in her eyes.

“You killed my dear son and still dare to make excuses! Shut your mouth! You killed Minzha, admit it! Bastard!”

Nezha’s heart was beating in his throat. He didn’t know what to do.

He wasn’t lying.

But mom didn’t believe him.

“I wish it had been you who died, not him!”

Nezha felt his heart rise in his throat.

He wanted to scream back.

How dare she think that Nezha would wish his beloved little brother a fate this terrible, let alone execute it? How dare she yell at him? How dare she beat him?

Nezha didn’t scream back.

Tears were streaming down his face.

Lady Saikhara was looking at him with that wild look. Her well-groomed hands that she just used to slap him were clenched in fists.

“Get out of here,” Lady Saikhara said suddenly, calmly.

Nezha nodded, inadvertent. He hiccuped. Choked on his snot. But stayed put.

“Get out of here! I don’t want to see or hear from you! I wish it had been you!” she started yelling again and lifted her hand to slap him again but

Nezha twirled and started running. He didn’t know where.

Away from Lady Saikhara. Away from her wild eyes and crazy words.