In a beautiful jungle, gigantic trees rise up to 8 meters tall, imposing and glorious.
In his former world, they weren't appreciated enough—this was a recurring thought for Otto, even though he had never actually seen one in that old world.
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⏤ "Sir, please, what you're doing isn't right! If your son can't even talk to his own parents, he'll go insane!"
In a sophisticated room where white was the dominant color, an elderly man spoke with concern, trying to remain composed. In front of him stood a man and a woman, their clothing matching, both displaying an expression of indifference toward the old man's worries.
⏤ "Shut up. Are you saying I don't know how to raise my own son?" the man whispered coldly as he stood up from his seat. "In this era, children are ruined by bad influences. What does it matter if he talks to no one?"
⏤ "I—I understand what you're saying, but this goes beyond that. If he spends another five years without human contact, he'll end up losing his mind…"
⏤ "Honey, I think this man might have a point," the woman said. Upon hearing this, the therapist showed a smile of relief. "And even better, I think I have the perfect idea to fix it."
Otto is a 10-year-old boy who hasn't spoken to another person since he turned 6, because his parents have restricted all communication.
Today is his eleventh birthday. Normally, it would be a day like any other—but this time, it's different. He received a letter from his father informing him of a big surprise. He had never received a birthday present before.
Excited, he carried a wooden chair over to the door, sat down, and decided to wait for the imminent surprise.
Without even knocking, the door suddenly flew open, and a small ochre-colored metal cage was thrown inside. Otto rushed over to inspect the mysterious package.
Inside was a beautiful green bird. It took Otto a moment to recognize what kind of bird it was.
⏤ "An Amazon parrot... how beautiful," he said. Despite seeming disappointed by his gift, Otto would never show it. Like any good child, he loved his parents and couldn't allow himself to be ungrateful.
⏤ "Parrot!... Amazonian!" a high-pitched voice turned Otto's fake excitement into something genuine.
His eyes opened wide, and without hesitation, he began trying to talk with his new friend.
His boring afternoons of study turned into fun conversations—simple, yet entertaining. It didn't take long for Otto to grow deeply fond of the bird, which he named Phoenix. He spoke to him about his greatest dreams and shared his sorrows.
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⏤ "W-what's going on?" Otto asked, surprised by his father's sudden visit.
⏤ "This morning, the maid found this in the garden," his father said, holding Phoenix in his hands. "It tried to escape… I'm disappointed you didn't take better care of it. You'll be punished for this," he added before walking out.
Otto quickly ran to Phoenix, made sure he wasn't hurt, and locked him back in the cage.
Later that night, during his study session, Otto noticed how Phoenix wouldn't stop looking through the window, longing for freedom.
Otto felt sorry for him—but more than that, what he felt was empathy. Keeping him captive would mean doing the same thing to him that his parents had done to him.
With that in mind, Otto made a decision: he opened the cage—the same one that kept his best and only friend by his side.
After that, Otto fell gravely ill. A mysterious, incurable, and fatal disease.