"Hi-yaaa!" The shrill, childlike scream jolted Melina, who was lost in her thoughts as she gazed at Aron, whose slender body now rested placidly on the lower bunk of the cell. When the girl snapped her head around, the portal in the wall closed, leaving only a childlike figure inside, seeming to linger in touching the ground with his feet. His clothes, too large for his size, gave an illusion of lightness, making the boy seem to defy gravity.

"Thumb..." Melina said with an evident sense of relief. Before she could reprimand the boy, he was already leaning over Aron's head.

"What happened? Aron! Big brother!" inquired Thumb, with an innocent tone and exaggerated movements. Despite the cartoonish behavior of the strange child, Melina knew his concern was genuine, even if his appearance was untimely.

"He's just... resting. He had a hectic day," Melina tried to comfort the boy.

"Uhmmmmm... And Melina is taking advantage of my brother's tiredness to get up close and personal with her looove!" Thumb said in a sing-song and mocking tone, elongating the words and finally forming a heart with his hands, dramatically changing his mood. "Thank goodness I arrived before Melina took advantage of his body," the boy continued his performance, this time looking at the girl with reproachful eyes. Seeing Melina's cheeks blush, the child burst into a long and innocent laughter, hopping around the cell.

While the young woman was indeed embarrassed, she was relieved to see Aron resting, and even the sudden appearance of Thumb was somewhat comforting. The boy had a strange ability to calm the atmosphere and relax tensions, perhaps due to his young age or exaggerated attitudes that normally resulted in somewhat hilarious situations, momentarily transforming the dark and hopeless air of the prison into something reminiscent of life in freedom. For Melina, both Aron and Thumb, and somehow the old man Li Wei, were her saviors and she would be eternally grateful to them, even if she had never expressed it to them.

"Hiyaaa!" the boy shouted again as he threw punches into the air. His prominent freckles stood out in the lantern light in the hallway, barely reaching the cell, and his already coppery hair took on a fiery tone. "My mission is recruitment! Mr. Li Wei summons the members of the prison for tomorrow night! We will welcome the new recruit!" he said this time assuming a rigid stance and adopting a martial character. "We won't tolerate delays, recruit Melina! Not even from you or your boyfriend!" he concluded, mockingly bringing his hand to his mouth and letting out a giggle. "I'm heading to the new recruit's cell now! Commander Thumb's Super Qi portal!" he finished before opening a small "magical" hole into the adjoining cell.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Shorty. I've told you not to enter my cell at this hour without warning!" exclaimed Lucía, annoyed, in a whisper that was actually a shout, making a motion to get up and throw something at Thumb from her bed.

"Knock Knoooock!" Thumb responded, bringing his open hand to the side of his lips, simulating amplifying the sound with some imaginary object.

"What...? What?" murmured Wanqian, half asleep.

"New recruit!" exclaimed Thumb happily, with half of his body in the cell. Wanqian rubbed his eyes, wishing for a clear view of his interlocutor in the dim light.

"What do you want?" asked Melina sharply.

"Tomorrow. At the usual time," the boy replied.

"Usual time?" Wanqian asked, sitting up in his bed. Lucía hesitated. But she decided to speak.

"Alright. Alright, shorty," the girl said, trying to cut off the conversation.

"Excellent! Greetings, new recruit!" the little boy replied as he prepared to move his entire body into the cell.

"Hi... Greetings," Wanqian tried to respond with an insecure voice.

"Out!" Lucía interrupted them.

Silence reigned for a few seconds, Thumb withdrew with a mischievous smile on his mouth. Wanqian leaned against the wall.

"That's Thumb. No one has any idea what his real name is, he probably never had one. He's been experimented on his whole life," Lucía began to relate. "He shares a cell with the old Li Wei."

"But... he went through the wall! Why hasn't he escaped?"

"I've told you before, kid. As ridiculous as it may seem, no one seems to have any intention of escaping. Although, in that boy's case... Who knows? Where would he go? He has no name, no identity. All he knows is the prison for infants, and now this. Mentally he seems to be five years old, and the idolatry he professes to Aron..." Lucía continued with her story, but Wanqian sank into a deep sleep, with only one question in his head, "Where would he go?".