The man was taking a brief rest when he spotted two children and a hunchback girl leaving the village. He didn't give it much thought, as it wasn't the first time the outcast had been used for any dirty work, and certainly not the last. But when the children returned without the hunchback at sundown, he questioned them. The loss of working hands was not something that should be taken lightly in the borderlands, especially after they had moved to the south-west less than a year ago.

The boy was stubborn and arrogant, hiding behind his father's position as the head of the village, but the girl was more compliant. After hearing their story, the man decided to wait until morning. The hunchback might return on her own if she survives, and if not, there's no need to retrieve her body...

"Hurry up, you useless thing!" The boy was holding a whip that adults used to encourage stubborn horses. Bug didn’t know how he got his hands on this thing, but she knew all too well how it could be used. So, she followed the bullies obediently. No one in the village paid any attention to her being taken away. It was no use calling for help that would never come.

"You should be grateful! You've got a much more interesting task than watching over pigs and chickens. Rasha has found this place, and you will check it out for us."

The boy lashed at the bushes with his whip on their way. The sound of leather striking the air made Bug tense, bringing unwanted memories. Sometimes, her clumsiness causes her to break or spill things. Every time this happens, the punishment doesn't keep waiting.

She could argue with the boy's ideas about her work. Ehsan was so certain that caring for animals was a lowly job, yet animals were much easier to deal with than humans. Clearing pig pens from manure was far better than being dragged to the forest by a teenager and his girlfriend with a whip in his hands. Whatever these children found, nothing good could come out of it for her. But talking back would make things worse, so Bug kept those thoughts to herself. Hiding behind loose brown hair she only looked at the ground. Eye contact with emotional bullies could provoke them.

The trail they were following had become barely visible among the bushes and tall grass. The girl looked around and pointed to the side of the path.

"There, we need to climb up a bit."

"What are you waiting for?" the boy whipped the ground, and Bug started climbing up the hill.

She was already tired, now she was puffing. Pulling a heavy cart was one thing, but she hated climbing. Her body reminded her of its disability, and more than anything, she was afraid of falling. Falling always made everyone around laugh. Someone would certainly kick her claiming that it will help her stand up. Worse than this was only a humiliation to be put on all fours and be mocked and called an animal or a bug.

Fortunately, she didn’t fall this time. They reached a pair of young rocky trees and Rasha sat down on the grass. She moved her hands around until she found a rope. Without a word, the girl handed the rope to Bug. The end of the rope was still hidden in the grass, so she figured out what she had to do and pulled the rope. A layer of soil rose up, revealing a crevice in front of them.

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It wasn't too deep, and the bottom was visible even in the darkness. There were old leaves and a few rocks, but nothing that caught one's eye. Hoping that her work was done here, Bug let go of the rope. Unfortunately, the boy ordered:

"Go down and check out what's there!"

Reluctantly, Bug tied the end of the rope around the tree and took the other end. Climbing down was a difficult task, left alone, but she couldn't help but fear that these children might leave her forever. Hopefully, the adults will not allow them to and will come looking for her if anything happens...

The rope suddenly went wild, moving from side to side, and Bug fell down onto a stony ground. The boy's laughter echoed off the crevice's walls. Luckily, the height was not that high. Apart from a light fear and a few bruises she was fine. Bug sat up on the ground and looked around. Dry leaves and birds' feathers covered the floor of the crevice. A few rocks were piled in the corner. There were no signs of human activity - no pieces of cloth, no glass, or scraps of metal. There was no reason to get her down.

Bug sighed and stood up. Children would not be satisfied with anything, so at least she had to check the rocks. She moved a few aside and paused. Underneath ordinary stones there was a strange one. It looked like a large, polished egg, with no sharp edges. Bug carefully picked it up. The egg was lighter than she expected, and although it looked like stone, it felt warm and silkier than fabric. This discrepancy between perception and appearance confused her even more.

The children also saw her finding. The boy commanded right away:

"Hey, you dumbhead, get this thing up!"

"Wait," the girl stopped him. "We don't know what it is, maybe it's dangerous."

Her words reached the boy. He nodded and shouted again.

"Open it there. Now!"

The fought of breaking something so beautiful and unique saddened Bug. What if it was a home of some creature? And even if not, it looked like a piece of art. Much more elegant and stunning than anything she has seen before. But defying an order even from a boy much younger than her was dangerous. She gently pressed fingers on the egg's shell, hoping she won't do too much damage.

And again, the egg didn't behave the way it was expected. The shell didn't crack, but instead, Bug's fingers ripped the silky surface. She didn't have time to wonder what had happened - the crevice had become pitch dark. Sudden darkness was like a flashlight.

Sudden darkness was like a flash of light. In an instant it was gone. Bug was lying on the ground motionless. The boy shouted at her, but the hunchback remained silent.

The children looked at each other.

"Is she dead?" asked Eshan.

"Maybe she is."

"Cool!" the boy laughed excitedly. "Let's get the body! We can do anything we want with it, right?"

The girl clicked her tongue. "Are you as stupid as that hunchback? Whatever killed it is still there! Do you want to be next?"

The boy's face turned pale. He tried to object, but his voice stuttered.

"Let's go back for now. We can think and check on her later."