-Break-
Φ I run through the rooftops looking for Yamal. Smelling something familiar, I say, “I picked up his scent he should be over there!” Then with Snowboost, I move over towards that direction. If I can get Yamal to tell Ahmed he doesn’t want to die I am sure Ahmed will let him live.
Φ Guzzling the alcohol in my hand, I shout to the sky with a drunk slur, “MY darling Tarina it seems I will finally be able to see you again, I am sorry it took me so long to get to you, but I wasn’t able to build up the courage to do it myself, but my glorious king has decided to do it for me.”
Dancing on the roof, I say, “You got to hear this our little Raqiue is a super genius, she has only been going to school for a year and a half and already she is doing things other adults can’t even do. She could easily provide for herself even if I am not around, all she would need to do is go to the casino and walk home with a full bag. Apparently, she is also a social butterfly, the reason most people even know my name in this country is thanks to her, isn’t that great.”
As I dance, I trip and fall to the rooftop, and as I lay on it I stare up at the night sky. “Though Tarina I have done something you might not like. For the last year, I have spent time pushing the child away from me. No, that is a lie my wife, to be honest, I think I might hate her. She constantly looks at me with these eyes of trust and unending love even though I single-handedly have taken so much away from her, that look makes me hate myself more than ever, so I guessed I just pushed her away to protect myself.
But still thanks to that she learned how to cook for herself, brush her own teeth, do her own hair, handle her own laundry, and clean her own messes. She has many friends who will look after and care for her, she can even provide for herself with her big brain, and I am sure with that big brain she will get an amazing safe job, maybe in the king's palace.
You know I can see it now, a beautiful woman helping slaves from around the world. She doesn’t need a man who hates life to be at her side polluting her destiny, and after my stellar performance today I have assured all connections she has with me is destroyed completely.”
Drinking some more, I say, “I have nothing left to do in the land of the living, so I am going to go and become one with you yet again.”
Looking at the bottle in my hand, I say, “I should probably get rid of this if I am going to become one with you again.” Weakly I throw the bottle away.
Turning my head to the bottle, I say, “Maybe just one little sip.”
Getting up I sloppy walk over to the bottle and try to pick it up, but I keep failing as it rolls away with each of my failed attempts. Eventually, the bottle ends up at the edge of the roof, so I try to grab it, but I trip and fall and end up with a bit of my upper body hanging off the edge.
Pulling my body back, I stare off the edge of the building where I see my little Raqiue looking up at me. “BABA, I AM SORRY, BABA PLEASE FORGIVE ME.”
Even though I hear the words coming out of her mouth they don’t register in my brain, all I can think is how pretty she is, Raqiue really got the best of both words. To think I was blessed with such an amazing daughter.
Φ While jumping from rooftop to rooftop I see Yamal. But around his body, I see chains appear. “I got to hurry,” I say moving as fast as I can.
Φ Looking at my little princess I feel happiness fill my soul, wait didn’t I promise her I would take her to see the story tonight, looks like I won’t be able to do that, I should find some way to make it up to her. I probably shouldn’t say this but I just can't stop myself, “I love you, princess.”
Φ As I am about to reach Yamal, I see one of the spiked ends of the chain hit the back of his head, causing him to fall off the building. With haste, I catch his body and we land on the ground below.
When I recoil, I examine the back of his head to see his brain has been pierced, Yamal is dead.
I just sit there in shock, until I hear little footsteps from my right, then I hear, “BABA.”
Running over to us Raqiue grabs Yamal, and says, “Baba I love you too, I love you so much, let’s go home.”
Shaking Yamal, Raqiue says, “Baba let's go, it is already late, it isn’t good to be out for so long.” Blood from the back of Yamal's head starts to leak out all over my clothes and Raqiue's hands.
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Seeing her hands soaked red she screams, “BABA, PLEASE DON’T LEAVE.”
I freeze the hole in the back of Yamal’s head and say, “Raqiue, he is gone.”
“NO, HE ISN'T.”
“Raqiue, Yamal isn’t here anymore.”
“NO, NO, NO!!!” she screams, then soon after tears flow. “Mama said when Baba comes for us, he won’t ever leave us. Baba, can’t be gone he can’t.”
Seeing the child crying I am unable to think of anything to say so I freeze the fresh blood of my clothes and just give her a hug, as she cries.
-Break-
In mere minutes soldiers came to get Yamal’s body, but as they do Raqiue screams, “GO AWAY!” While covering herself over Yamal’s body.
“Raqiue, we need to take his body away and prepare for the funeral.”
“GO, AWAY, GO AWAY, GO AWAY!!!”
“Please Raqiue hand it over.”
“NO! None of you helped Baba at all you just left him alone all this time, and now you want to take him from me, LEAVE HIM ALONE!!”
“Raqiue he was given a warning by our king, yet he still choose to hurt you, he choose to leave you Raqiue, he didn’t care about leaving you in such a state so don’t waste time over someone who didn’t care for you.”
“NO, BABA LOVED ME.”
“We all know how he treated you; he ignored you every day leaving you to basically fend for yourself, and when he had any free time he would just drink and gamble. If this was any other country his habits would have ended, you up on the street.”
Weakly she says, “Baba loves me.”
“Sorry, but not one of us can believe that for a moment with his selfish behaviour, if it was up to us we would have punished him a long time ago, but in the end, our gracious king decided to save Yamal’s soul before he assigned himself to hell. The afterlife is supposed to be wonderful, and I am sure if Yamal is as good as you say he will enjoy his time there.”
With more tears following from her eyes, I say, “Raqiue for now you should let them take the body, if they don’t preserve it Yamal will rot, and I know you don’t want that to happen.”
She nods her head yes to the soldiers and then in front of us they take away the body. Before they leave one of them says, “Raqiue our king has graciously invited you to stay with him in the castle for the night if you are lonely. You can bring any friends you want along.”
Clutching my shirt with what I believe is a tiny anger, she says, “I want to go home.”
“I don’t think you should be home alone tonight.”
“Don’t worry, I will keep her safe.”
“Ok then, be safe Raqiue.”
In silence I walk her towards her house as she cries in my arms, holding her body like this I realize something that has escaped me before now, that Raqiue really is just a small child.
Entering her house, I bring her upstairs to her room then I freeze all the bloodstains off her leaving only flakes of ice behind.
“I don’t want to sleep here.”
“Then where do you want to go?”
With her finger, she points to a much bigger room which must be Yamal’s, so I say, “Ok.”
Walking inside I lay Raqiue on her father's bed, then I say, “Do you need anything?”
“Could you just stay here?”
I nod my head yes as I make a small stool out of ice.
As time passes Raqiue says, “Baba followed me to school.”
“What?”
“He would always follow me on my way to school trying to be stealthy, though I would always notice. And when I reached my class, he would start at me through the window from the top of a building. Eventually, people started to notice and would talk to me about it, so because of that I made friends.”
Laughing a bit, I say, “That's pretty goofy, if he was like that, I would think he would have more friends.”
“Baba is very handsome, so many women would always approach him, and when they did, he would just spit on their clothes and say; I’m married. It made people not like him, but I always thought he was cool for that.
Even though Baba was mean to me, when he got drunk he would start crying and hug me, and then he would repeatedly say; you’re cute, you’re adorable.”
“Really!?”
“Yeah, and the next morning he would always go back to acting distant to me, it always made me laugh a bit and it gave me happiness knowing that no matter how he acted Baba loved me.
Even when I got sick, and my mind was fading Baba would sit beside me with a worried look praying exuberantly with tears in his eyes.”
“That’s a rather big word.”
“Baba got invigorated when I use big words, even though he still looked angry or said mean things, he always got more energetic after I say them. I love Baba, and I know Baba loves me, so why did Baba have to die?”
In her eyes tears start to form as she says, “I don’t think Baba was bad at all, he was just sad. But whenever I did good work at school or took care of myself, he got a little happier, so I thought if I became a strong adult he would become permanently happy. If I grew up faster, could I have saved Baba, is it my fault he is dead?”
“Not at all Raqiue.”
“Then whose fault is it, because it has to be someone’s. Mama always told me how Baba was smiling, so someone had to take that away from him. I tried so hard to restore it to him but I just didn’t have enough time.”
“It was impossible to do such a thing by yourself.”
Infuriated Raqiue screams, “THEN WHY DIDN’T ANYONE HELP ME, aren’t adults supposed to be smart why would they leave my Baba in such a state? Why would they judge him when they never did anything to help him? If something bad happens to me they help me, but why not my dad? He was a much greater human than me, so please tell me why Baba is dead?”
As she cries, I just hold her close, and after some time passes she eventually calms down and goes to sleep.
Name: Yamal Grandslam
Age: 40
Birthday: 15th of Taurus
Hair: White
Eyes: Brown
Height: 181 cm
Description: A man from an insignificant village that dreamed of becoming an adventurer. He has an endless passion for his dream, which often clashed with many other parts of his life. The only thing that could rival that passion was his love for his wife and daughter.