Time passed so quickly, and reality was as confusing as a dream. I was soaring high, only to fall so hard.
"Where am I?"
I said as my eyes began to open.
Slowly, I moved my joints and stretched.
"Where am I?"
That was the only word that filled my mind at that moment; nothing else mattered.
Click.
The worn, weathered wooden door to the room suddenly opened, revealing an old, wrinkled face. The old woman gasped and rushed to hug me.
"Oh, my son, Pio, you're finally awake. We were all so worried about you and thought you'd never wake up again," the old woman said, crying as she hugged me.
"Pio, who is that?" I thought to myself, but before I could think any further, small faces suddenly appeared outside the door, looking surprised yet happy.
"Guys, look, big brother's awake! Big brother's awake!" said the little boy, and six other children gathered around me.
"Big brothers! We're glad you're awake! Don't worry grandma anymore!" said the girl who seemed to be the most active in asking questions. However, I, still confused, refused to respond and remained silent.
Seeing me frozen in a daze, the children watched me and then looked at each other. Then, grandma told them to go play, saying she wanted to give me time to process what I might have forgotten.
Grandma then went out after sending a girl to get me water and a bowl of porridge. I didn't want to eat at first, but my stomach was so hungry that I had to force myself to feed her with difficulty.
To be honest, the porridge wasn't very tasty and tasted bland when I tasted it. However, the hunger in my stomach was unbearable, so I finally swallowed it with great difficulty, even though my throat was incredibly sore. But in the end, I finished it all without leaving a trace.
That night, accompanied by the creaking sounds of the old wooden building, I spent my time lying on that ugly bed, my head constantly filled with questions.
My grandmother would sometimes check on me at night, probably just to make sure I was okay.
The next morning, I woke up after the morning sunlight filled the room where I lay. Hearing a multitude of sounds that disturbed my hearing, I slowly got up and tried to reach for the doorknob, trying to see what was happening outside.
Bang!
Unfortunately, my legs, completely powerless, made me fall to the floor. And because of that, people from outside came to see what was happening.
A girl, probably around 16, who had fed me yesterday, picked me up. With the help of a boy I'd also seen yesterday, she quickly carried me back to bed.
"Are you stupid? Why didn't you call me if you needed something?" The girl said with a seemingly fake anger, but after staring at me for a long time without me saying anything, her expression took on a worried and thoughtful expression.
"Pio, do you really not recognize us?!"
...
Five days passed after I woke up, and the questions in my head were somewhat answered. My grandmother told me everything, even though I still don't remember who I used to be.
My grandmother said my name was Pio, the name of an angel believed in by the Vars, found on the symbol of the pendant she found when she found me lying cold in front of the orphanage door.
It was true, I was a child abandoned and abandoned by my own parents. My heart was truly broken when I learned that fact.
Especially after I heard my grandmother tell me that I had been in a coma for almost a month, after being hit hard on the head with a wooden block by people at the market, after I was caught stealing from one of the vendors there.
But strangely, or miraculously, I survived.
...
"Hurry up and eat the soup before it gets cold," said Elio, the girl who fed and cared for me every day. My grandmother said we were the same age and were found in the same year, though in different months.
"Are you deaf? Hurry up and eat, I made it!" The girl said curtly, which irritated me a little, but since I was hungry, I ate it anyway.
"Why is your cooking always so bland?" I accidentally blurted out the words, which apparently offended Elio.
"Why haven't you changed since then!? Why do you have to make a big deal out of everything? I've gone to the trouble of making this for you, and instead of thanking you, you always complain!" Elio snapped.
I, feeling resentful of being yelled at, retorted.
"You can't even cook, and grandma's cooking is delicious!"
Our argument ended only after our commotion disturbed the people outside. Grandma came in to calm us both down. Elio simply left, slamming the door shut. Grandma calmed me down, still annoyed, and stroked my hair.
"Finish your soup. Elio made it with great effort. Don't be so picky about your food in these difficult years," Grandma said, and because she said it, I was forced to eat the awful soup.
...
A few days later, when I had recovered enough strength, I decided to take a shower. It turned out I hadn't cleaned myself in over a month, considering I'd been in a coma that long. I was shocked to learn that Elio had been wiping my body with a cloth while I was sweating.
Hearing that from my grandmother made me feel bad for her. I thought it was understandable she was so angry with me, since I felt quite annoying myself.
And I also realized after asking the children at the orphanage that it was really hard to find food right now. The kingdom we were sheltering was at war with the Vars kingdom, and the war had been going on for almost five years, making the economy very difficult.
But honestly, I felt really bad now, especially towards Elio, and I decided to apologize to him tomorrow.
...
After I finished cleaning myself, I dared to look in the mirror to see what I really looked like. But when I saw my reflection, I was so sad because I only saw bones sticking out. It was no wonder I'd been in a coma for almost a month and still survived.
But even so, my face wasn't that bad. If I were a little fatter, maybe Elio wouldn't yell at me anymore.
"Ah, maybe I should wear some nice clothes; at least they'll cover up those ugly bony protrusions," I thought. But to my surprise, I only had two sets of clothes: one I was washing and one I wanted to wear, but it was so sad that it was full of stitches.
"What kind of life is this?" I thought, grumbling.