The Unforgiven Chain

The Little Sparkle

My world was spinning so fast that I lose my balance, long forgotten memories were coming back to me.

Seventeen years ago:

The sun was setting behind the mountain and by the river shore, a dirty little child was hiding between two big rocks. Her despair turned into endless tears that the calm waves washed together with the small drops of blood that stained her torn shirt. Her silent sobs muffled by her tinny hands.

“Are you OK Little One?” A dark figure emerged from the river. “May I come closer?” The creature asked unsure of what to do.

The petite girl didn’t look up, just keeping hugging her knees.

The river creature was confused. He was attracted by the smell of guilt. This small child's sense of guilt and regret was so strong, so sweet that it was making him tremble with hunger. But it couldn’t be. In his long existence he saw and done many things, his instincts screaming to him that someone else was to blame for the pain in this child's soul.

Acting purely on impulsiveness, he uses shadows to cloak his hideous appearance in darkness before taking slow steps closer to the peculiar human child.

“Can you tell me who made you cry” He tried to communicate again. She just shook her head negatively.”Do you want me to leave?”

“N-no.” her sniffing voice was probably the cutest thing he ever heard. “P-please stay”

“Very well. I’ll stay Little Sparkle.” he couldn’t resist. Her hair reminded him of a small wild fire. Hearing more sniffles from her, she finally lifted her head up. The creature could not believe it. The most beautiful eyes were now looking back at his red ones. He never saw eyes like hers, and it was unfortunate that they were so full of tears and pain.

“Why are you calling me Sparkle?” She doesn’t like nicknames. Especially the ones that mocked her hair.“My name is Camila.”

“You are too small to have such a powerful name, Camila” He coulnd’t contain a chuckle that would make even the bravest of Men shitty themselves, but the little redhead was standing her ground looking even angrier. When was the last time he had a true conversation? Only the gods knew.”Sparkle suits you better.”

“I am not small!” She pouted.

“Yes you are small…. But I bet you are going to grow up to be a strong woman some day.”

Her eyes saddened.

“Mommy says I’ll never be anything but a useless piece of garbage.”

If he had a heart, it would have broken into pieces.

“Your Mommy is wrong.” He growled with barely contained anger.She looked confused at him “I am older than anyone around here, and I can tell when an Adult is wrong.”

“You are lying!”she stumped her little foot on the water.

“I am not lying.” She was small but fierce. He liked that.

“You don’t sound older than my Ganny!”She challenged.

“But I am!”

“Show me!” Smugness flowed from her tiny pores.With crossed little arms she raised a brow.

“No! If I show you what I look like, you’ll be scared for the rest of your life.” The big shadow was relief that no one was here to witness him arguing with a small human child. Her inquisitive and innocent eyes would be the doom of the big bad demon, and he was grateful for it.

After a long stare battle Camila decided to let him win, this time.

“What's your name?” the child questioned after some minutes of consideration.

“I am the one they call Alas Karask. I am the river monster Little Sparkle.” he was trying his best to distract her from her pained reality but her questions were making it difficult to keep a light mode.

“Oh. Are you going to kill me?”

He was baffled. No child should talk about being killed like it’s not a big deal she didn’t even blinked.

“I am still thinking about it. Do you want to die?”

“No…” She whispered looking at her feet like they were the most interesting things in the world. “But Mommy would finally be happy if I was gone.” she never understood her Mother's behavior, but she knew in her little heart that she had done something very, very wrong.

“Never talk like that again.” Alas Karask didn’t even thought when he reached for her face, cleaning one of her many tears, taking care not to hurt her face with his sharps claws.” Never again.” He was boiling with anger. “ I will never hurt or scare you.You have my word.”

“O-okay.” she looked back at her own feet playing shyly with the water. “C-can we be friends?”

“ Do you want to be friends with me?” this girl was a brave one.” You are aware that I am a Monster, right?”

“ I don’t judge people by their looks” She offered.

“You need friends like you, human children.” He countered.

“They don’t like me. They call me Strange. A-and make fun of me.”she was happy to have someone to talk to ”They are always mean to me. A-and, you told you not hurt me… So…“

“Little Sparkle, I’ll will be your friend, if that is what you want...”he couldn’t stand those pleading puppy eyes.”But don’t tell anyone about me. You know, they would hunt me and try to hurt you in the way.”

“Pink Promise!” excitedly she extended her little hand, pink ready to close the deal.

“ Come on Shadow!”

“Shadow huh?”he was confused by the nickname but connected his own pink to hers.