Oh, well. Sometimes we think nightmares come out of nowhere, but some can stem from a great fear of an object, perhaps loneliness, abandonment, or white vans... well, that last one is very specific.
But when a small child is told anything by their parents or relatives, chances are they'll believe it 100%, even if some things seem to make no sense at all, because a child's mind is pure and anyone can fool them. Or some dreams—mind you, dreams, not nightmares—which can contain fragments of memories you had forgotten years ago. Well, if you remember well what you dreamed...
IN THE STREET:
MOTHER: Angelo, are you okay? You aren't sick, are you?
ME: Nono, I'm sick.
MOTHER: Then why so quiet?
ME: What are you saying? I've always been like this!
MOTHER: Liar, you're never like this! ...No other kid bothered you, did they? (Angry voice)
ME: No, none.
MOTHER: If anyone does anything to you, remember I'm always here for you.
ME: Yeah, ma.
WE GO UP THE STAIRS:
MOTHER: Oh, I forgot my keys.
ME: Oh, no. Now how do we get up?
MOTHER: Your brother is inside.
(KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK)
LUKA: Who is it?
MOTHER: It's me, open up.
LUKA: What's the password?
MOTHER: Did you clean the table yet? No, if you didn't, wait until I get in there and you'll see.
(THEY OPEN THE DOOR)
LUKA: Yes, ma, everything is already clean.
MOTHER: Very well, take this, go buy yourself some Jell-O... Angelo, go with him, he might fall.
ME: Ma, he can go by himself.
MOTHER: He's 4 years old, he's still little, go quickly.
ME: Fine.
ME: Come fast.
LUKA: Yeah.
LUKA: Let's go to the candy stand.
(WE APPROACH THE CANDY SELLER'S STAND)
LUKA: Doña Lidia, can you give me some Jell-O?
DOÑA LIDIA: Yes, of course, here, 50 cents.
LUKA: Thanks.
DOÑA LIDIA: And are you going to take anything?
ME: Yeah, put that cereal on my tab, please.
DOÑA LIDIA: Yes, here, take it.
WE GO UP THE STAIRS:
ME: Lunch at last, I was already hungry.
DURING LUNCH:
MOTHER: Angelo, as you well know, we are a family of musicians: your dad plays the trumpet, I play the piano, your brother plays the violin, and your sister plays the saxophone. Only you and Luka don't play an instrument.
ME: Ah, yeah.
MOTHER: Pay attention to me... I'll keep it brief: from now on, your violin lessons will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
ME: Ah, why not? I don't want to have lessons.
MOTHER: Ángel, listen to me and take your feet off the table! I told you you're going to lessons and that's it... When you're done, wash your plate. (Serious voice)
ME: I don't want to.
MOTHER: Take your feet down right now.
ME: Yes!
MOTHER: One tries to be nice, but no, the boy refuses to listen... Oh, well, since when does a child order his parents around?
(I finish eating)
MOTHER: AND DON'T FORGET TO CLEAN YOUR ROOM!
ME: Yeah! (Scream)
MOTHER: Don't raise your voice at me, you'll see, come here.
ME: AHH! (I lock the door with the key)
I lock myself in my room.
ME: How much I hate her, I wish she would leave, she always forces me to do what she wants and she hits me. How I'd love to go far away and never come back. After leaving me in that place, she forces me to do this... (Crying)
MOTHER: Ángel, open the door for me... Ángel, open it, one, two, and...
ME: (I open it)
ME: Ma, don't hit me... Mommy, I do want to go to lessons, ma, I really do, and I'll clean my room right now, but please don't hit me.
MOTHER: This is so you stop being a spoiled brat and stop shouting at your parents.
(She grabs me and hits me with the belt)
Dad arrives.
(KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK)
MOTHER: I'm coming... Listen to me, woe betide you if he comes in and it's still messy.
ME: Yes, ma... (Tearful voice)
(THEY OPEN THE DOOR)
FATHER: Finally.
MOTHER: I'll serve you in a minute.
He sits down.
FATHER: Oh, why is the baby crying?
MOTHER: I don't know what to do anymore, he's a brat, he raises his voice at me and doesn't want to go to violin lessons.
FATHER: But if he doesn't want to, we can put him in something else.
MOTHER: No, he has to be like his brother and play alongside him.
FATHER: All right then, but don't hit him all the time, poor creature, you've already hit him 5 times since yesterday according to his siblings, and 1 already this week. Leave him alone, you're just making him hate you more.
MOTHER: It seems like he doesn't understand anything when I punish him, and you aren't capable of punishing our children.
FATHER: Why do they listen to me the first time? Or else, I'd beat them too.
(I have to say it: when I was little I was a spoiled brat, but not that much. Since my mother was raised the old-fashioned way, where yelling at your parents could cost you beatings and even draw blood, she tried to apply that method with us. With me it was mild because I'm the third, but with my two older siblings it was the worst, especially with the eldest. The first child is like an experiment, with the second there's more experience, and with the third it's much better. Let's go back).
ME: Uh, uh... (Sitting in a corner)
Tan, tan, tan... I hear his footsteps.
ME: She's not going to hit me, it hurts, I don't want any more.
(SHE OPENS THE DOOR)
I close my eyes.
FATHER: Son...
ME: Daddy, you're back!
FATHER: Yes, I just came back from Lima, I'll be with you guys this month.
FATHER: Don't cry, your mother is on her period, it's better not to bother her when she's like that, she feels bad because she's in pain.
ME: If that's so, why does she hit me for everything?
FATHER: Since she's in pain, everything irritates her.
ME: That's not fair, she hits me for everything and I didn't do anything. My siblings blame me for the bad things they do, how I hate them!
FATHER: Understand, you have to be obedient. If you're obedient, everyone will love you.
ME: Really?
FATHER: Yes... And about your siblings, if you're obedient your mom won't think you were the one who made the mess, besides the fact that today your mom came home angry anyway.
ME: Dad, and when did you come?
FATHER: I arrived last night, but very late at night, you were already asleep... Go play with your toys and tidy your room, I'll talk to your mom so she won't hit you anymore.
ME: Thanks, daddy.
A while later...
FATHER: You have to stop hitting the boy, he already has bruises on his back.
MOTHER: Ah, yes, I'll stop hitting him for today, but if he raises his voice at me again, I'll hit him one more time.
NEXT DAY:
FATHER: Son, wake up, come on, let's go to your school, I'll take you today.
ME: Yes, daddy.
After a long while we arrived at school. When we got there, I said goodbye to my dad and went to my desk. At that moment a little girl walked up to me.
GIRL: Hello, what's your name, crybaby?
ME: That's not my name.
GIRL: Then why does everyone call you that?
ME: They just want to tease me, and are you coming over to laugh?
GIRL: No, they laugh at me too, they call me "big nose." Do you think my nose is like that?
ME: The truth is I don't think that, maybe they said it to laugh at you and fit in with the rest, but I think your nose is pretty.
GIRL: Thanks. And what's your name?
ME: My name is Angelo, if you like call me Angel. And what's your name?
GIRL: My name is Sayuri.
ME: Oh, what a pretty name.
SAYURI: Is that what you think?
ME: Yes, it's very pretty, friend.
SAYURI: Ángel is pretty too.
ME: Oh, thanks.
SAYURI: Can I sit next to you?
ME: Yes, of course.
SAYURI: I'm going to bring my things over.
BOY: Oh, wow, is she your friend?
ME: Yes.
BOY: Let's be friends. (He presses up against me and makes me uncomfortable)
ME: Please, move away.
BOY: Are you giving me orders? (He punches me in the stomach)
ME: Ouch! What's wrong with you?
BOY: Don't you dare talk back to me, dummy! Do you think you're so great just because you have her?
Sayuri ran over.
SAYURI: Ángel, are you okay?
ME: Yes, even though my stomach hurts. What's wrong with that guy? He came looking for a fight.
SAYURI: Yeah, he's the son of my mom's friend and he always wants to get close to me, but I stay away, maybe that's why he hit you.
(She was right, later on he would be the one to bully me).
Days, weeks, and recesses passed. But once Sayuri got sick and missed two weeks.
ME (THINKING): Ah, how boring it is when she's not here. I forgot to ask her age, will she ever come back? I don't know anything about her, or Dina either, I haven't seen her until now.
BOY: Hello, is this seat free?
ME: Yes, I think so. Sayuri hasn't come for days.
BOY: What happened to her? Why isn't she coming?
ME: I don't know, but without her everything is boring.
BOY: Hey, would you like to be my friend? No one comes near me and they call me "crybaby." The first day I came I stayed in a corner until the teacher called me over.
ME: Oh, the teacher called me too, I was in the other corner.
BOY: Oh, wow. And what's your name?
ME: Angelo, and you?
BOY: Dairon.
DAIRON: Oh, let's play this, Tic-Tac-Toe.
ME: Yeah, alright, let's play.
After this, days passed, Dina came back, and Dairon had to step away, but we kept talking although less, since Dina and Sayuri took up all my attention and I almost never spoke to him in their presence. Once I introduced him to them, and a very ugly thing happened.
TEACHER: Very well, kids, next week there's a Christmas party, come at 9:00 AM.
ME: Oh, a party.
DAIRON: Yeah, it's going to be fun, wait for me a moment.
DAIRON: Miss, can I...?
PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE: Miss Cristina, your presence is needed!
TEACHER: Close the door, nobody goes out.
DAIRON: Oh, no.
ME: What happened? Are you okay?
DAIRON: Help, Ángel, it's coming out...
ME: What do you mean? ...Ah, ah, ah.
DAIRON: What do I do?
ME: Calm down.
DAIRON: Ah, I can't hold it.
ME: Stand like this, you control it better.
ME: Let's open the door.
ME: It's stuck tight.
ME: Dina, Sayuri, and Dairon, push with me.
ALL 4: Ahhh, ahhh, almost there, ahhh!
(Uaua, uaua)
ME: It smells bad, Dairon, don't open...
ME: Blech, blech! (Vomiting)
DINA: What is that smell? H-ach-ch...!
SAYURI: Ugh! I want to throw up, gross, someone pooped their pants.
THE CLASSROOM: Eww, gross, yuck, someone pooped their pants!
DAIRON: Ángel, help...
ME: Ugh, uh, uh, stay away please!
DAIRON: Don't be like that.
ME: Since I opened the door, go to the bathroom and clean yourself up!
DAIRON: Angelo, help me, I don't know how to clean myself.
ME: No, it's fine, I'll call a teacher.
DAIRON: Yeah...
After that Dairon missed a week, the classroom smelled for days, and his chair was removed from the room. That day Dairon had explosive diarrhea and everything was left in a mess.