I wait silently in the kitchen, hidden in the silence. It�s 3:45 a.m.�she�ll be home soon.
I�m shaking in excitement. I can�t wait for her to step inside, drunk as usual. She�ll be too dizzy to notice me creeping behind her. Perhaps she�ll feel my breath on her neck, but when she turns around, I�ll be gone, back to the shadows from which I came. Perhaps she�ll hear my gentle footsteps, and turn her head this way and that, expecting something to jump out at her in an instant. But I�ll be protected by the darkness, my mother, and fear, my father. She will never catch sight of my face.
I can�t wait! Oh, this is fun. So much fun...
Headlights shine through the window, and I hear the sound of a motorcycle engine coming from outside. She�s here at last.
I curl up into a ball, absolutely still. I have to be invisible; otherwise, my plans will be ruined.
The door opens. The smell of alcohol and cigarette smoke penetrates the air. I nearly cough... thank goodness I manage to hold it back. As I thought, she is utterly drunk, tripping over her feet occasionally. She slurs what I believe to be curses, but the words are far too muffled to understand. I want to laugh at her�the poor scumbag.
After a while of stumbling through the kitchen in an intoxicated dance, she manages to keep her balance long enough to walk into the living room. Just as I planned, I trail her flawlessly. She doesn�t even sense my presence�this is easier than I thought. It�s almost like playing hide-and-seek with a cow.
She collapses into her armchair, a stream of saliva rolling down her chin. Drunk, stupid, pathetic, dirty... I suddenly remember the reasons why I hate her. I�m twitching with anticipation; I want to kill her now. I want to hear her scream now. Yet, I have to wait. Wait for the last embers in the fireplace to burn out, leaving us in hellish blackness. I have to be patient.
The room dims further with every passing minute. Eventually, I can�t see a thing, and I realize the time has come for the good part.
I slip out of my hiding place like a nocturnal predator. I allow myself to snigger a bit. She�s all mine now. And soon she�ll belong to no one at all. Very soon... I can taste it.
�Wha?� She�s heard me. I don�t mind, though; this�ll make things more fun. �Who�who�s there?�
I cackle louder still. �Hello, Mother,� I hiss. �You�re back awfully late.�
�A�A�Aru?� she stammers. �Go back to bed right now... You�re up past your bedtime.�
�I guess that makes two of us,� I reply, growing quite impressed with myself.
�I mean it, Aru�� I growl in frustration. I think she�s sober now. ��you�d better get upstairs this minute. Or you�ll find yourself in some big trouble tomorrow.�
To hell with it. Sober or not, the girl�s about as smart as a goldfish. I�m going to dismember her, no matter what empty threats she throws at me. I�m not scared of her.
�Did you hear me, Aru? Get upstairs!�
I�m done playing with her. I�m ready to begin. �I have no intention to obey any of your orders. You aren�t really my mother, and you don�t act like a mother, either. You leave your family alone for hours and don�t come back until daybreak. Meanwhile, we worry about you at home, wondering when we�ll see you again.� I pause, keeping my tears inside me. �You�re a cheating, filthy monster placed on earth to torment its inhabitants. You don�t deserve life... Luckily, I�m here to rid the world of you.�
I can hear her quick breaths heaving in and out. She�s terrified. I can tell.
�A�A...� she whimpers.
�Run, Mother,� I say through a wide smirk. �Run away. I�m coming to get you.�
She takes my advice and runs with all of her might. I count to ten, just so I can give her a head start, and then start the hunt. I don�t waste my energy with running. I haven�t any need to catch up. Before long, she�ll lose all of her energy anyway, and search for a hiding place instead of trying to outrun me. So I sniff the air, and follow the scent of cigarettes. Stronger and stronger the odor grows until it�s practically unbearable. I�m getting closer.
�Where are you, Mother?� I call, toying with her even more. I�m having such a good time. �There�s no use in hiding. I can almost taste your blood on my tongue.� I lick my lips. �Where are you?�
Again, I hear heavy breathing. She�s right under my nose, but I can never hope to capture her when I can�t see a thing. I�m forced to rely on my other senses instead, using only my sense of smell and hearing to guide me. These senses are telling me she�s right near me... somewhere.
�Where are you?� I repeat. �There�s no use in hiding. You�re prolonging your downfall. The longer you stay where you are, the more painful I�ll make your death.� Hoping to force her into making some sort of noise, I continue on. �I�ll peel your skin, break off every finger one after another, and remove each eye... I�ll take you apart piece by piece, inch by inch, until you�re nothing.�
Sure enough, she gives herself away with a faint yelp. I turn to her, and sneer.
�Found you.�
She tries to get up and dash away at the last minute, but she�s already sealed her fate. I pin her to the ground, laughing triumphantly.
�Hello again,� I say. �Wasn�t that fun?�
She�s crying, babbling prayers of all kinds. I almost feel sorry for her.
�Aru, please don�t! Don�t hurt me!�
I stroke her hair gently and wipe her tears away. �No need to fret. It won�t hurt at all.�
I place my hand on her chest, still soothing her. I press down softly at first.
�Goodbye, Mother,� I whisper.
And it�s all over.