Tonight Moonlight

Episode 3

My only mother had died when I was eight. I was a child and it was very difficult to understand the cause of my death. Even my brother just kept silent to see the funeral procession.

My mother died fifteen years ago when I was eight, and my sister was ten. The mother's death caused by a senseless thing made my father eager to explore what really happened.

That morning, I remember my mother leaving for the chemistry lab where she worked with our personal driver. I took my mother to the parking lot of the laboratory before I went homeschooling. Mom said she'd be home earlier than usual because she had so little work today.

When it was late in the evening, my mother still didn't call our driver, didn't even call home. I cried and begged the family driver to take me to pick up my mother, but she refused and waited until she called. But my mom still didn't call at all until my dad got home from work.

Seeing me crying and begging, my father finally invited me to pick up my mother to a laboratory 7km away from our house. When the car I was carrying got to the last turn, someone stopped our car and forbade us to go to the lab. But the man was a drunk man, so dad kept going.

When I got to the front of the lab, my father came down and held my hand walking with him. The lab is huge, but I know exactly where my mom works every day without asking the lobby.

“Oh Sir, what's the matter that brought you here?” A person in a white suit greeted Father who was walking down that long hallway.

“My daughter misses her mother. Is my wife still inside?”

“Oh, sweet girl.” The man pinched my cheek.

“I think your wife is still in there, but wouldn't it be better to leave this cute girl here?” The man looked back at me with his strange, disturbing gaze.

“Thank you, my daughter better come inside. She who very much wants to meet her mother.” My father took me and walked back.

The father who carried me, made me look behind my father. And I saw the man still sitting there smiling and looking at me with a look I didn't like. The man still didn't move until me and Dad reached the end of the hallway which was probably 50m away.

When Dad stopped in front of a glass-walled, sheltered room, he hugged me tightly. He won't let me see what he sees. Even to the sound of a gun coming from my father's hand, I still can't see what really happened.

I cried because my father kept forcing me to cover my eyes. Until my dad finally took me out of the lab and I still don't understand what's going on. I was so tired from crying that I fell asleep in the car. And I don't know how that night ended.

In the morning, I realized that our house was becoming very crowded, grandparents were in this house. And finally I was made to cry again knowing that my mother had died. My only mother has died. At that time, neither me nor my sister were allowed to see my mother one last time.

It made me cry hysterically. One of the doctors said that this death was not due to chemical substances, and not murder by humans. The doctor told my father shortly after my mother's coffin was taken to her last rash.

I overheard him, making me write that sentence in my textbook so I don't forget. And at that time I thought that I would understand that sentence when I was an adult and became smarter.

The day after my mother's meal, I kept crying. This cry was not like the previous one. I cannot control this crying. Even when my body was tired and my brain was thinking of stopping this cry, but I still couldn't stop crying. Only on the second day after the funeral did I stop crying when my grandmother took me out of the house and the moonlight that night hit my body.

Starting from there, I got used to basking in the moonlight at least five times a week. The moonlight was like harboring a magical power that brought me to the corner of tranquility of heart. And every year, there will be a time when I will sit on the sand of the beach and be hit by the moonlight. It's always like that.

“I'll take a man to the front of mom's grave and let him say happy words.” Every month, and every year that I live, I hear that voice in my dreams. And that sound feels like my own voice. Weird right?

After homeschooling since childhood, at the age of 14 I begged my father to enroll me in public school because I was bored at home all the time. When I was in public school for only one year, many of them were away from me after knowing who my father was. Not infrequently they call me “Child traitor of land”.

When I was seventeen, my sister would go to university and become a student. When my father found out that my brother chose law school, he did not accept it and there were cons in this house. Unwilling to get involved, I ran to my mother's grave and told her about it in tears. I thought I was the only one no one knew.

I seem to underestimate myself too much. Someone out there is after my life. I almost got killed by a black tuxedo in front of my own mother's meal. And just before that guy killed me, Ali saved my life. His men came and caught the culprit who was going to kill me, and brought him to my father.

“Other times don't go alone. You are important people just like your father and mother.” Said Ali at the time.

To me, the nickname important person has another meaning, namely the target of murder. But Ali always said that we are important people who need special protection.

“How old are you now?”

“I'm seventeen years old. What's up?”

“Do you not want to learn martial arts? As an important person, it is not uncommon for you to face situations like this. Imagine if one day I don't follow you anymore.”

“I want to, but will dad allow me?”

“It looks like your father will allow you. And, this..” Ali showed an object on top of his open palm.

“Why did you show it to me?” I was wondering at that time.

“I want you to have this. But before that, follow the exercise with Eclipse after school, so you know how to use it correctly.” Ali kept the gun back.

“You're right to teach me to shoot too?” Ask enthusiastically.

“Iya. But this particular one, please keep it a secret from your father. Maybe your father doesn't want his daughter to hold a gun, but for your safety, I think you need this one day.” Evidently.

“Alright, I will join the training with your troops.”

“Please promise you'll keep it and keep it a secret until anytime after you get it from me.”

“I promise!”

At that time, Ali handed the perpetrator of the premeditated murder to father for interrogation. But unfortunately, he did not even want to confess when asked who ruled him. He also ultimately chose to shoot himself in the head rather than say who was behind all this.

“Your suffering is not enough to end just because you saw me dead with blood splattered on the floor of your warehouse.”

Dorr!