Chapter 1: A Dark Night
There was once a girl named Rina, a young and vibrant soul living within the warmth of a happy family. She was wise, intelligent, and remarkably observant. Rina had a close friend named Leva; the two were inseparable, their bond built on deep loyalty and shared joy. Rina would go to any lengths to ensure Leva's happiness.
Leva was a good girl, much like Rina, but their lives were worlds apart in one aspect: while Rina came from a stable home, Leva lived in a large family plagued by constant conflict. The misery at home weighed heavily on Leva's heart, eventually leading her into a deep state of mental distress.
For a long time, Rina lost touch with her friend. The illness had transformed Leva from a cheerful girl into someone cold and distant. Her family, instead of supporting her, looked upon her with disdain because of her condition. One night, after overhearing their cruel remarks, Leva silently walked out of the house.
She vanished for three years—disappearing from her family, her friends, and even Rina. Living in isolation, Leva's pure heart slowly hardened into one filled with bitterness and resentment. Meanwhile, Rina never stopped thinking about her. She constantly wondered why Leva had fled and where she could be. "She was my only true friend," Rina would often whisper to herself. "The only one I truly trusted."
One fateful, dark night, Leva collapsed in the street, losing consciousness. Coincidentally, Rina was out for a walk that same night, her mind heavy with thoughts of her missing friend. She came across a figure slumped on the ground and, recognizing the face instantly, rushed her to the hospital. Leva remained unconscious for ten days.
When she finally woke up, Leva didn't recognize Rina at first. As she slowly recovered, Rina recounted their past, trying to bridge the gap of the missing years. Eventually, Leva remembered everything. Rina assumed she had found her old friend again, unaware that the girl standing before her was no longer the same. Leva had learned to hide her true, hardened self behind a mask.
Time passed, and they became closer than sisters—or so Rina thought. In reality, Leva stayed by her side through deception. When Leva met Rina's mother, she charmed her completely. The mother, unaware of the malice brewing in Leva's heart, felt deep pity for the girl when she learned she was effectively orphaned. She took Leva in, treating her with even more affection than her own daughter.
Rina, being kind-hearted, felt no jealousy; she genuinely loved Leva as a sister. But Leva harbored a growing hatred for Rina. She envied the happiness Rina had always known. Driven by malice, Leva began to weave a web of lies. She told Rina's mother that it was Rina who had caused her original family troubles, claiming Rina was ungrateful, a liar, and a manipulator.
The manipulation worked. Rina's mother, blinded by Leva's deceit, turned on her own daughter. She struck Rina and looked at her with pure disappointment. Rina wept, pleading with her mother to see the truth, but her efforts were in vain. For a year, her mother remained cold and resentful, pouring all her love and trust into Leva instead.
Broken and misunderstood, Rina fell into a deep depression. Yet, she remained resilient. One freezing winter night, standing alone in the cold, she questioned everything. "Why did Leva do this? What did I ever do to her?" She cried until she fell asleep.
The next morning, Rina found a stray kitten on the brink of death. Caring for the helpless animal gave her a new purpose, helping her forget her own sorrow. The kitten became her everything, filling the void left by her family and friend. But then, the kitten fell gravely ill. Despite Rina's desperate attempts to save it, visiting every vet she could find, the kitten's condition worsened.
The pain of the dying animal brought all of Rina's past trauma flooding back. "Why is life like this? Why does it only give me grief?" When the kitten finally died, Rina was shattered.
One night, determined to find a moment of peace, Rina went for a walk to clear her head. Her mind was filled with memories of her lost pet. As she stepped into the street, she was struck by a car and killed instantly.
The driver of that car? It was Rina's own mother. She had been driving in a state of extreme distress, overwhelmed by her own grief and confusion, when she lost control of the vehicle. Heartbroken and searching for her daughter to make amends, she received a call from an unknown number. The voice on the other end delivered the news: "Your daughter has passed away in a hit-and-run."
It was then she realized the horrific truth—she had killed her own daughter on 11/11. The weight of the guilt and the loss of her child eventually drove her to madness.
The Lesson:
This story serves as a stark reminder of the dangers of hasty judgments and misplaced trust. In this world, we must be incredibly vigilant about who we hold dear and who we let into our lives. Acting out of anger and making rapid decisions can lead to irreversible tragedy. Trust is a powerful thing, but it can also be the most dangerous.
Written by: Dlin