Cauchemar

“Mommy, where are we going?“, a little child asked his mother while tugging onto her hand, the woman not even bothering to look at the stumbling child in her grip as she dragged him through the dirty streets.

Hunger was forming both of their faces yet they didn’t stop near the wonderful smelling bakeries they crossed and the little child whined upon smelling the yummy scents coming out of the houses. “Mommy, I’m hungry”, he whined, only to receive a stern glare from his mother.

“Shut up and keep the pace”, she instead spat at her son before dragging him further through the small dirty streets of their poor village, passing the beggars without sparing them another glance.

Little Lyric Omorfiá was only six years old at the time so he didn’t understand the mean world around him, didn’t understand how people could watch others suffer while they filled their stomachs with warm food, he was just a boy after all.

“Mommy, why aren’t you saying where we are going? Is this a game?“, Lyric asked his mother again while she was walking faster, obviously irritated by all the questioning her son did. “Be quiet, Lyric”, she hissed and the boy pouted.

‘Mean’, he thought but was distracted by a large horse passing by, its rider sitting high in the saddle with lifted chin and sparing the curious boy not even a glance. “Woah”, Lyric gasped stunned while staring at the horse, how big and majestic it looked.

He was pulled away from the horse by his mother and they walked through an alley, Lyric quickly following his mother because she was tugging hard onto his hand. They walked through the dark alley, seeing scary men and Lyric shuffled closer to his mother yet the woman distanced herself again.

“What did I say about skin contact?“, she sternly asked her trembling son who just wanted a warm hug from his Mommy but she was acting so mean today, so unlike her usual energetic self.

“S-sorry Mommy”, the little child whimpered, bowing his head in shame because he didn’t want his Mommy to be upset with him, he was a good boy after all, the best! Not even whining that they had to leave home this early in the morning when even the sun has been still sleeping or when they were walking for hours already.

Yet Lyric has been so tired that he couldn’t remember from which direction they came, his mother leading him through different paths, streets and alleys, he didn’t know any of these or the people they passed. But the more they continued on walking, the more tidier and luxurious the streets looked.

Lyric once again was looking around in awe, mouth agape while his mother didn’t pay the surroundings any mind which Lyric found very confusing. This was so exciting and his Mommy didn’t look at all! So many people passed them, looking judgingly at them.

Lyric wondered why they looked so weirdly at them, they wore their best clothes after all! But all of their clothes looked so fancy and rich and Lyric bowed his head while looking down at his own small frock, knowing he was far from fancy looking as they were.

“I want you to stay completely quiet, do you understand me boy?“, the woman turned around to little Lyric who looked up to her, squinting his eyes from her tone because his Mommy was usually so soft spoken and loving. Lyric wondered if he has done anything to upset his mother.

“Do you understand?“, she now seethed at the scared boy who whimpered. “Mommy, this is scary, I wanna go home”, Lyric whimpered, tugging on his mother’s hand yet she didn’t budge. “Mommy!“, the little child yelped with tears brimming in his wide blue eyes.

“I am not your mother”, the woman suddenly growled out, her voice sounding weird to little Lyric who gasped when he saw an unfamiliar face. This woman was not his mother, this was a suddenly scary stranger holding his hand with the previous face of his Mommy!

“N-no! L-let me go, Mommy, Mommy!“, Lyric screeched and yelled out for his mother, causing people to stare at them while the woman, a shapeshifter, hissed before grabbing the wailing boy under his armpits and carrying him off.

“Shut up you little nuisance! You’ll cost a fortune and I need that money so shut your mouth!“, the woman hissed at the screaming and struggling boy in her arms while half carrying, half dragging him towards a massive mansion.

Once they were in front of it, they were led inside, the child’s helpless cries ignored by everyone around them, the woman even trying to shut him up with a slap. “N-no! I w-want my Mommy! Let me go!“, Lyric yelled in huge distress while fat tears rolled down his face.

“The mistress is waiting for you”, a weird looking man with just one eye said and Lyric screamed, crying for his mother while he was dragged inside this scary house. There were so many weird things, artifacts and scary creatures, so so many of them. Lyric saw a man with the behind of a horse, saw small green figures dancing through the air and it left him all shivering and crying.

They entered another room, his kidnapper forcing him along and Lyric cried and cried, wanting to go home to his Mommy, wondering if she missed him already and how that woman could take her form and steal him like this.

“Is that him?“, a new voice asked while Lyric was still wailing, brought forward and put to his own feet again but a rough hand on his arm held him in place. “Yes mistress, just like you ordered”, the woman next to him bowed her head and Lyric sniffed, glancing around to get a glimpse of the person who spoke.

He was met with the sight of a tall woman sitting in an armchair, she was young, yet Lyric didn’t know how old she was, her posture showing wealth and power, chin held up high and ebony hair tied behind her head into a bun.

“He’s younger than you told me he would be”, the woman said, standing up from her seat and walking towards them. Lyric helplessly tugged onto the grip but nothing helped, a whimper left his lips when the woman stood in front of him. She was towering over him, so tall and lean, it was scary.

“He’s six, Mistress, the mother didn’t notice how I stole him”, the other woman replied with still bowed head. This ‘mistress’ didn’t say anything while observing the crying boy in front of her. “Lyric Omorfiá“, she then said, her dark green eyes piercing right through his soul and Lyric whimpered.

“My name is Ramona Deboir but you will address me with Mistress or Miss Ramona. You will be marked as mine and you are not to disobey me”, the woman said with powerful voice, making Lyric try to back away. “N-no, want M-Mommy”, he whimpered.

Miss Ramona now allowed a smile to form on her face, an evil twist of her lips.

“Child, you just got sold to me, which means you belong to me now.”