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A dry, harsh wind blew through the windows, filling every room it passed through with stifling heat. Blazing sunlight streamed from the front door onto the foot of a chair, where a little girl gazed intently at the glittering dust particles in the air.
This was her first time visiting her grandparents' house outside of holidays, outside of the usual crowds of unfamiliar relatives and the endless questions she couldn't answer. There were no long, incomprehensible ceremonies or the pervasive smell of incense smoke and ashes.
Summer brought a somewhat gloomy and languid atmosphere, for there was no one else there besides her grandparents, both over 80 years old, and their caregiver.
Dew beads of sweat dotted her forehead as she sprawled on the cool wooden chair. She had watched two cartoons and read one book all morning, yet the person she was waiting for hadn't arrived.
"Mommy, will you watch a movie with me?" The little girl tiptoed out from behind the busy back of the middle-aged woman. In front of her was a pile of silver medicine blister packs, each with a white label. The woman was writing out the daily prescriptions and dividing them into small envelopes for the elderly couple.
"Mom's busy, you play by yourself," the woman said in a flat tone, waving her hand without turning around.
The little girl was silent for a moment, then mumbled and left. Before entering the kitchen, she passed the elderly couple, who were slowly walking with their backs bent. She paused for a moment, hesitantly looked up and whispered, "Hello, Grandma and Grandpa..." then quickly slipped into the kitchen.
This was the first time she had been alone with the couple; previously, whenever they met, they were surrounded by many distant relatives, siblings, and grandchildren, so she didn't even remember their faces clearly. It would probably take some time before she got to know them.
Taking a container of yogurt from the refrigerator, the little girl ate it spoonful by spoonful as she returned to where she had been lounging all morning. In the living room, the elderly couple were murmuring while watching TV, and the woman was busy shopping for groceries. She looked around, then curled up again on the large, stiff wooden chair, continuing to read the comic books she had brought with her.
"If only it could be this peaceful..." She occasionally glanced at the elderly couple through the back of her book, until she was startled by a loud voice from outside the door.
"Hello, grandparents! Oh, my cousin is here too?" In the bright sunlight, a tall figure, so large that it seemed like he could reach the ceiling with just a reach of his hand, loomed forward.
The little girl recoiled slightly, afraid of giants like those in her stories coming to attack her. The little girl couldn't remember who this tall man was, only that she felt she had seen his face before during holidays. But the enigmatic smile and the intense gaze fixed on her were things she had never seen before.
The elderly couple were chatting with the strange cousin, but the little girl still felt a shiver down her spine.
She frowned slightly, shook her head, took a few deep breaths, and whispered, "Hello, sir..."
"Why so soft, little one? Speak louder and more clearly, like me!" Saying this, the man put his arm around her waist, lifted her high, and placed her on his lap, continuing to laugh and talk with the elderly couple.
After being lifted, the little girl took a deep breath and sat still on the man's lap, trembling. No one had ever carried her like this before; she was both scared and excited, so much so that she couldn't speak or hear the sounds around her.
As her senses gradually returned, that chilling sensation returned. For some reason, she hated the way the man's hand held her waist tightly, and the way he kept shaking his leg between hers. She wriggled, trying to jump down, but the hand on her waist tightened. She winced, looking up at the elderly couple opposite, but they were still happily chatting with this strange cousin, oblivious to her.
With no other choice, she stammered, "I... I need to pee... please let me down!"
Taking advantage of a slight loosening of his grip, she jumped to the ground and ran quickly into the house, escaping the adults' laughter and comments.
She locked the bathroom door, anxiously looking around. She didn't know what this feeling was; it seemed even colder than being hit or scolded. The man's gaze was more chilling than the look her parents gave her when she misbehaved.
She leaned against the door, straining her ears, waiting for her mother's voice to emerge from the noisy chatter in the living room. If her mother were here, everything would surely be alright... She silently closed her eyes, praying for her mother to come home sooner.
The distant murmuring faded and then stopped completely, as if someone had left. Her heart quickened slightly; she listened intently, then cautiously peeked through the door. She took a deep breath and exhaled, smiling inwardly because the source of her discomfort had disappeared.
"--Mhmm?"
Suddenly, a large hand reached out, wrapping around the little girl's waist and pulling her into his embrace, while another hand covered her mouth and nose before she could even scream. A muffled, indistinguishable sound of heavy breathing filled the air. She thrashed her arms and legs wildly, hitting and pushing away the iron clamps wrapped around her. She had read articles about criminals kidnapping children and stories of children being abducted by monsters in fairy tales. She didn't want to be separated from her parents, didn't want to be hurt, didn't want to be taken away like this.
But instead of dragging her away, his hand at her waist moved down between her legs. She opened her eyes wide, trying to look up at the man holding her. Her eyes narrowed when she saw the face of her cousin from earlier.
While she was stunned, her cousin's hand slipped under her light blue shorts, caressing the area where she usually urinated.
---? What is this? What is this person doing? What is this? Is this the "pervert" from those old newspaper articles? So uncomfortable, so uncomfortable, so uncomfortable. Why?
Why is he targeting me? Why is there a pervert here? Why is this disgusting person allowed to exist? Why, why, why?
Holding her breath for a split second, her eyes darted wildly in shock. She shook her head violently, using her small hands to scratch at the large hand that was invading her.
So embarrassing! If Mom and the whole family saw me like this, they would think I was filthy...?
Her throat tightened, while she still struggled to break free. She elbowed him in the stomach, punched him wherever she could, and kicked and thrashed her legs to create distance.
Nevertheless, the man calmly used his finger to gently caress the girl's private parts a few times, until he heard a voice from outside the gate, at which point he loosened his grip and let the girl run away in panic.
---
The woman leisurely entered the kitchen, warmly greeting the young man who stood smiling to himself. Behind her, the little girl's head was bowed, her small hands clinging tightly to her mother's dress, still trembling slightly.
Feeling the gaze fixed upon her, she slowly glanced up, then immediately recoiled.
That smile was disgusting, disgusting, disgusting. Why did he dare to smile like that after doing such a vile thing to someone else? Why? Why couldn't she resist?
The little girl clenched her cold hands, swallowed hard, and ignored her pounding heart as she once more glared at the tall young man. If the little girl didn't want to be away from her mother at all, and if she always went with other adults, then surely he wouldn't be able to touch her again, right?