2310 BCE

Hirom’s fingers were very sore and raw. They were sticky around the ends of the rag clenched in his hand. With all of his strength, he used his arms to wipe back and forth, trying to get the grime and build up off the smooth marble floor. The water in the bucket, which was at first clear, became cloudy.

This all came so very fast.

It had been a cool morning, with plenty of sunshine. One moment, he was up in the garden with Leonara, digging up potatoes and radishes. They had come in abundance due to the rain. The air was very fresh and sweet, and he smiled as he held up a lumpy one.

”Look!” he exclaimed, raising up his muddy left hand. The twisted roots dangled from below his wrist.

Leonara wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled. “That is a very big one.”

“Shall we have it for supper?”

Before she could respond, a shadow fell upon them. The next thing he knew, there was a big, burly man with an enormous beard that grabbed him by the left arm. The overseer named Bou. The one who had tied Enlil to the pole. His eyes were blacker than the night sky, and he towered over the both of them. Hirom squirmed, trying to yank free. He pounded with his tiny fists, but Bou laughed, revealing a gap between his two front teeth.

“What is the meaning of this?” Leonara demanded, dropping her basket down in the dirt. She reached for Hirom. “Let him go.”

Bou shoved her so hard she landed in the dirt with a grunt. Hirom’s screams filled the air, so he had to raise his voice to be heard. “The master has orders to bring the wrench to the villa. I take him now. You return to work.”

The woman’s eyes widened. “The villa?”

“You heard me,” the overseer snarled. “Now be off with you, lest I whip you raw.” He glared at the crying boy. “The master orders it.”

”But why would he—”

”Enough.”

”You cannot do this,” Leonara replied. “There must be a misunderstanding. Let me go with him. Take me with you—”

”I shall do nothing of the sort,” Bou thundered. “He stays up there, to tend to the mistress.”

Hirom tried to break the man’s grip on his wrist. He tried and tried to pry his fingers apart, but it was to no avail. It was after he had yelled Leonara’s name until his voice was raw that he saw her figure grow smaller and smaller on the field. Her hands and cheeks and face were smudged with dirt. She did not try to run after him, so he watched her figure blend in with the trees and bushes and leaves until she had become nothing but a speck.

Now he was in this courtyard.

Through his puffy eyes, he could make out the color of each elaborated tile. He could not remember the name of the strange woman who taken him out of Bou’s arms upon reaching the front door of the villa, gently holding him in her own until he ran out of tears. She offered him soft bread and told him to eat, but Hirom stared at it. She didn’t seem to know what to do next, so she led him out here and told him that she needed it cleaned.

The boy scrubbed each individual tile while on his knees. He could see his reflection in every one, and his shoulder burned, but he kept going faster. He wasn’t sure for how long he had been outside, but he heard the sounds of curtains rustling from the side door near the villa. The sound made him slightly jump, and he wiped his eyes as Telal’s shadow slowly came into view. He was grinning ear to ear. One of his front teeth were missing.

“Papa says you can stay,” he exclaimed.

Hirom straightened up. “Have you seen her?”

”Seen who?”

“Leonara. Is she coming up here?”

The other boy tugged at the sleeve on his tunic. “You don’t always have to be around her, you know. You talk too much about her.”

A deep pit settled in Hirom’s stomach. “But I want to make sure she is alright.”

“Papa says that you have to stay here,” Telal bluntly said. His smile faded. “You can’t be by the quarters anymore.” He kicked at a nearby pebble with his shoe. “That is where the disease is.”

”It is not,” Hirom said.

”It is so,” Telal fired back. “And you are not allowed to talk to me that way.”

For a moment, Hirom gazed at the horizon. “But I have to go back. I will see her, yes?”

”Stop talking about her.” Telal said between his teeth. “I forbid it. She didn’t want you.”

Immediately, Hirom turned and gazed at him. “That is not true.”

”Yes it is,” Telal snapped. He folded his arms. “Papa told me so. He never lies to me.” He glanced behind him. “Mother is taking a nap. She gets bad headaches. Let’s play a game.”

Hirom studied him. It was his silence that slightly unnerved the other boy—the way his dark eyes seemed to observe his very soul.

Telal carried a leather ball in both hands, although his face was downcast. After a few moments of silence between the two, he finally spoke, yet it was very, very quiet.

“Do you want to play with me?”

Hirom gave him a long look, before dunking the rag into the bucket and squeezing it out. Drops of water landed on the ground, creating a puddle beneath his bare feet. Something hot was building up inside of him. It was the same sensation that he had experienced when he had seen the soldier the night his village was burnt to the ground.

“You are supposed to answer me.” A dark red shade fell on Telal’s pale face. He hesitated for a moment, before taking another step forward. “You….you need to answer.”

As Hirom stood up, his throat burned. “No.”

“But…” Telal’s voice wavered. “But why?”

”I don’t want to. I want Leonara.”

Telal’s blue eyes narrowed, although he was attempting to hide the hurt behind them. “You do not tell me no. You never tell me no.”

”I am leaving,” Hirom said, throwing the rag on the floor. “I want to see Leonara now.”

”She is not here,” Telal whispered.

”I am going to find her.”

As Hirom to move past Telal, he was startled by a blow to the face. There was white in his vision, before Telal’s fist collided again with his cheek. Startled by his strength, Hirom attempted to keep himself upright. There was another kick to the ribs, followed by a smack across the chin. Red seeped out of Hirom’s mouth, dripping down his chin. As he doubled over in pain, Telal roughly pushed him back. The boy then proceeded to deliver another series of blows, right at his stomach.

Hirom staggered away for a moment, before delivering a punch directly to Telal’s jaw. The ball rolled out towards the fountain. After shoving each other, both children landed on the slippery floor, wrestling and kicking. Telal’s left sandal with went flying into the bushes as Hirom struck back to get him off of him. Blood was seeping past his nose. With his right foot, Telal kicked him in the stomach and sank his teeth in his arm. Hirom spat in his face. In retaliation, Telal scratched the top of his forehead, leaving behind a red streak.

The sound of shouting echoed in the courtyard, followed by two rough arms of a slave yanking Telal off Hirom, who was breathing heavily. His thin legs were still swinging in midair. The dark look in his blue eyes wavered, before he began to silently burst into tears. Hirom scrambled to his feet and took off running in the bushes, although he struggled to see out of his busted eye.

He did not get very far.

* * * * * * * *

The shed was a very dark place.

There was a thunderstorm that shook the world. Hirom could hear the corners of the earth tremble. His stomach growled—a result of two days of no food after work as punishment. He missed seeing the stars outside of Leonara’s window. His arms and legs were bruised on account of the beatings he received. He listened to the sound of the raindrops going faster and faster against the ground. Puddles formed outside on the dirt.

He wasn’t sure how he had gotten here. His swollen lip made it hard for him to swallow up what water leaked through the roof. Each morning the overseer let him out to work around the villa. He was only offered a piece of bread at noon. And each night, he was locked up again, laying on a small patch of grass and dirt in the corner. He tried to peek at the stars past the spaces of the wooden board.

Utua, Enlil, and his family were looking down at him. His baby sister as well. She was probably playing in star dust, laughing, and waving. And his father, standing tall, with his mother close by his side. Their memories helped him usually helped him sleep and forget for a moment.

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But this night, there was no stars. Only wind and rain and water and mud. It was cold.

Hirom shivered and wrapped his thin arms tighter around himself to keep warm. He longed for his wool blanket and the tiny bed that Leonara had made for him in her hovel. He missed her herbs and the soups she made for him.

The cut on his forehead was still healing. He wondered when Leonara would come for him, take him home. He just wanted to go home. It was incredibly dark, pitch dark, just like the ship that he was on. So far, he had been scrounging around for grass. A blade of grass. But so far, there had been no luck.

His stomach grumbled. What he would do for a roasted potato, freshly roasted in the coals. With the crispy skin peeling off—fresh and warm and hot. He could almost taste it.

Hirom must’ve dozed off, because he found himself startled awake with the sound of the door opening several hours later, followed a jingling of rusted metal keys. The scent of cold, damp evening air rushed in, followed by the sound of crickets. Impulsively, he scrambled backwards against the dirt, crouching behind the cobweb covered barrels in the corner of the shed. By now, he was used to the overseer’s rough hands yanking and shoving him out of the shed.

But the figure standing in the moonlight, to his horror, was Telal. His shadow spread out across the ground. With his left hand, Hirom picked up a rock and threw it. It narrowly missed him and ricocheted off the wooden wall.

Telal heavily set down a basket on the ground. He glanced at the rock, but did not pick it up. He was soaking wet from the rain, muddy and shivering. Water dripped from the ends of his tunic. He stepped timidly inside the shed, looking around in the dark space.

“I brought…I brought food.”

“Go away,” Hirom yelled, picking up another rock. His eyes were wet. “I don’t want it.”

“I…I am really sorry,” Telal weakly said.

“Leave.” The other child began to throw more stones, causing Telal raise his arms to shield himself from them. “You took Leonara away.”

“No,” Telal began. “I did not.”

“Yes you would. You are a liar.”

Telal flinched. “No,” he whispered.

”You are a liar, liar, liar!”

”No!”

Hirom was gasping, tears streaming down his cheeks. He dropped the rocks he had collected in a pile and curled up in a ball, hugging his bruised knees to his chest.

”I’m…I’m not a liar,” Telal shakily said. He sat down, flinching as a bolt of lightning broke through the sky. “I don’t like lying.”

Both boys listened to the rain for a moment

“I did not mean to hit you,” Telal continued, finally breaking the silence. He looked down at the dirt for a moment. “I’m really sorry. Will you still be my friend?”

“No,” Hirom snapped. He shook his head. “I don’t want to be friends with you anymore. Leonara is my friend. Not you.”

Water filled Telal’s eyes. “But I am sorry.”

”You’ll hit me. Like the overseers.” Hirom’s face darkened. “Like the master.”

”No…I won’t! I promise I won’t.” Telal stammered. “It was wrong. Mama told me it was wrong. But I won’t do it again.”

Hirom stood up and brushed the dirt off his knees. As he ran outside in the fog, he could hear Telal shout after him, begging him to come back, but he kept going, tripping over the mud and slippery moss. His voice became quieter, until it was at last silent.

* * * * * * * *

Leonara wearily straightened her back as she trudged back to her empty hovel. Although her body ached tremendously, the past couple of days had been nothing but a blur. She couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep. She’d only been living off the water in the well. Four attempts to sneak out in the middle of the day to the villa had led to additional beatings.

Instead of sleeping at night, she’d draw out a small map on her table of the plantation—contemplating all possible routes to sneak into the villa and grab Hirom. Her headaches worsened over time, and she struggled to think about what he was doing at the moment. He was known to get sick easily. Who would hold him when he had nightmares. She would never forget the look of horror upon his face—what if he thought she had intentionally abandoned her?

Using a small knife, she carved out a generous chunk of bread of the table and tried to take a few bites. Her stomach hurled, but she forced herself to swallow it down.

Do not worry child, she thought. I will come.

Leonara stooped by the small fireplace and began to stir the weak vegetable soup in the rusted metal pot hanging above the flames. She had no appetite, but forced herself to eat. The other slaves in the fields had often commented that she looked like a skeleton. It didn’t help that food had lost its appeal. As she poured the steaming liquid into a cup and slumped down upon her stool, she tried not to gaze at Hirom’s bed. She had just taken a few sips when she caught a glimpse of a dark shadow at her window. Slightly tilting her head to the side, she raised an eyebrow as she approached her window and peered out. The sun was just beginning to set, but there was a good enough of light left—resting in the trees above. A twig suddenly snapped.

“Hello?” she asked, rubbing her eyes. It seems like her eyesight grew worse each day. “Hirom, is that you?” Her heart skipped a beat. Maybe she was hallucinating, after all.

Silence.

Frowning, Leonara hesitated, before lifting up the latch and opening the door. A warm wind seeped inside her hovel, blowing out all the candles in the tiny room. Long trails of smoke curl and rose in the air, with only the faint crackling sound the flames of her humble fire. She suddenly coughed, using the edge of her long skirts to wipe her mouth. A red streak.

“Hirom?” she called again.

Something suddenly grabbed her left hand. She had not heard him step over the threshold. After looking down with great surprise, before crouching on her knees. She couldn’t quite see well in the dark, but could make out his shape in front of her. Her eyes suddenly grew wet. “Hirom?” She glanced outside to see if anyone had followed him, but sure enough, he was alone. Had he left without permission? It didn’t matter now—she could sort that out in the morning.

All that mattered was that he was here.

The boy remained still, before slowly reaching out for her with his arms. As Leonara scooped him into a tight embrace, she sighed with great relief. “The gods have finally answered my prayers. I shall never let them take you away again, yes?” She then placed both hands on his shoulders. “Are you hurt? Did the master send you back down here?”

There was a sniffing sound as he nodded his head.

”Are you sure?”

Another nod.

Leonara quickly kissed his forehead. The ends of her hair glowed orange from the light in the fireplace. “You are safe. Come. Let me get you something to eat.” She felt a reassuring squeeze on her palm as she pulled out a bowl and filled it up to the brim with soup. “I want you to finish it all, yes? And tomorrow, I shall speak to the master myself. I will not allow anyone to take you from me again.”

Hirom remained curled up in her arms, leaning the side of his head against her chest. The heat of the flames were comforting. Leonara softly hummed to herself, setting down the bowl. After taking a few sips herself, she placed it in his lap. The boy simply stared at it.

“You are not hungry, my child?”

He shook his head, holding onto her tighter. His fingernails dug into her flesh, making Leonara wince. She just couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t talking. Perhaps he was exhausted. That was to be expected, although she’d never known to him to be so quiet. It usually took ages to put him to bed.

“No? You would like to sit here with me?”

Another nod.

”Alright,” Leonara softly said, rocking him back and forth. He snuggled up tightly against her. “Alright.” She cleared her throat. “I have missed you terribly. Tomorrow, I will show you how to weave a basket. You have been asking for a while. We shall catch up on everything we have missed. And we can go stargazing this week. How does that sound?”

He was slowly dozing off.

After humming a few lullabies, she noticed that the sky grew darker outside. It was getting late, so she decided that she better lay him down on his straw mattress—a space that had remained empty for far too long.

An ember broke off from the fireplace. She noticed a leaf stuck in Hirom’s hair and pulled it out, noticing how light it appeared. Her chest suddenly tightened as the yellowish hue from the gentle flames reflected on Telal’s peaceful face; his eyes half open.

With a scream, Leonara leaped back from the stool. The bowl of soup landed on the floor with a loud crash. The young boy fell to the floor as Leonara pressed herself against the table, trying to steady herself. As he slowly got to his feet, having been jolted awake, his blue eyes were filled with despair.

“What are you doing here?” Leonara managed to ask, despite her throat closing up. She glanced at the doorway. Her mouth went dry. “Why have you come here? How dare you do such a thing. How dare you disobey your father. Go to the villa.” She pointed to the door. “Return home.”

Telal remained still. Behind him, the orange light glowed at the ends of his pale hair. He bit his lower lip, but kept his gaze on her.

“Did you not hear me?” Leonara repeated. “Where is Hirom?” Her voice rose. “What have you done to my son?” The words flew out of her mouth. “What is it have you done to him? Answer me. Where is he?”

My son.

A strange expression fell upon the boy’s face. Chills ran down Leonara’s spine. The room seemed to grow hotter and hotter. Almost on fire. Her arms crawled at the thought of holding such a despicable child. The flames almost seem as if they wanted to connect to him. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her hands were tingling. His large blue eyes glowed in the dim light—an other worldly presence. They looked bigger than ever, threatening to drown her. Too big and round.

She really wanted to get away from them.

“I like your house,” he faintly whispered.

“Telal,” she tried again. “Return home. You are forbidden from coming here. And you know you are. You do not belong in this place.”

He did not answer.

”Get out,” she yelled, finally losing patience. “Go on. And do not come back. If I see you out here again, I will let the mistress know. You stay in the courtyard, villa, and wherever your father permits it. But not here. Do you understand?”

Telal studied her, clenching his fists.

”Get out, I say.”

The boy did not reply.

”Then you leave me no choice. I shall alert the overseer.”

Leonara abruptly reached for her cloak, planning to step outside. She couldn’t stay here for one more moment. Her mind was spinning. The idea of Hirom being halfway submerged in the river made her violently ill. Perhaps she should check there first. Then the villa. If not, the rice and corn fields.

With one swift motion, the child grabbed the knife next to the bread on the table, crumbs landing on the swept floor. His tiny fingers locked around the handle, skillfully poising it in the air. Before Leonara could react, he suddenly plunged the blade deep into her stomach, before twisting it sideways.

Blood splattered against the wall.

With a muffled shriek, Leonara slumped to the ground, gritting her teeth as she doubled over. The room became blurry as she clutched her left side, watching the worn fabric of her dress slowly become red. It seeped through her curled fingers.

Telal took a few steps back for a moment, breathing heavily. Almost, like he was slowly coming out of a deep trance, he began to shiver, watching the blood slowly pool and expand out on the ground. It stained his tunic and his sandals. He was suffocating. Adrenaline coursed through his veins. He stared at the handle submerged in Leonara’s flesh, the panic finally settling in on him. His small palms shook violently, and, after watching her seize up with pain, turned and ran as fast as he could, leaving his bloody fingerprints on the surface of the wall.

Leonara slowly pulled herself up on the ground, trying to slow down her breathing. Crawling weakly on her hands and knees, she managed to drag herself out into the cold night air, attempting to apply pressure to her wound. The road was empty, and it was a full moon.

A trail of blood followed behind her.

As the world around her gradually became black, she collapsed in the bushes just a few short feet away from her neighbor’s hovel.