Episode 3: Memory

Scene 1

The next morning, Lera woke the girls and asked them to come downstairs for breakfast. Everyone got ready and gathered at the table.

The whole family, along with the girls, was having breakfast when they suddenly heard the terrified voice of a woman outside.

“Bruno! My little child! Where are you, my son?”

Her voice was filled with panic. Her six-year-old son was missing. He had gone out riding his bicycle. The mother had been in the kitchen, and the father was asleep. Bruno was their only child.

The entire village gathered to help. People searched different areas, calling out the boy’s name. The girls also joined the search, hoping to find him.

Scene 2

Rose was searching as well. She climbed the nearby mountains to see if the boy had accidentally gone there. From the height, she could see far distances, but there was no sign of the child.

As she was coming back down, she noticed a bicycle lying outside the village. Her heart sank. She rushed toward it, but the boy was nowhere to be found.

Rose realized that the child might have gone even farther. She followed the path outside the village without noticing how far she had walked.

Soon, she reached another village. Outside the village, there was a beautiful garden and a bridge over a river flowing from her village. As Rose stepped onto the bridge, she heard a faint crying sound.

It was coming from beneath the bridge.

Rose looked down and saw a small boy hanging desperately, holding onto the bridge from below. He was about to fall into the river.

Without thinking, Rose rushed forward and pulled him up.

The boy was terrified, silently crying, shaking with fear. Rose gently comforted him and asked what had happened.

The boy replied, “I was riding my cycle and went outside the village because I was enjoying it. Then I saw a beautiful butterfly. I wanted to catch it. When I reached the bridge, my foot slipped. If you hadn’t saved me, I would have fallen. Thank you.”

Scene 3

Rose took the boy back to the village.

The moment his mother saw him, she ran forward and hugged him tightly, crying with relief. She told him how worried she had been.

Seeing the emotional reunion, everyone in the village also became emotional. People thanked Rose and praised her bravery. But Rose stood quietly, lost in her own thoughts.

Scene 4

Later, everyone returned to their homes. When Lera, the girls, and her parents reached home, Lera’s mother said,

“Oh, I need to wash the clothes.”

Lera replied, “I would help you, Mom, but I have to complete my project. I’m sorry.”

Her mother smiled. “It’s alright, my girl. I can do it myself.”

Rose stepped forward. “I would like to help you. Please don’t say no. I really want to help, and we also have our own clothes to wash.”

Lera’s mother hesitated, then nodded. “Alright, but please don’t get tired.”

Rose and Lera’s mother went to the washing area.

Scene 5

When Rose reached the washing area, she looked around and asked, “There’s no washing machine. How do you wash clothes?”

Lera’s mother smiled gently. “In villages, we wash clothes by hand.”

Rose looked surprised. “With my hands? Can I really do it?”

“Yes,” Lera’s mother replied. “You can try. If it’s too difficult, leave the clothes. I’ll do them.”

Rose answered firmly, “I can do this. Nothing is impossible.”

Lera’s mother nodded. “You’re right. Let’s start. Watch me carefully.”

She explained the steps:

Step 1: Check the label

Step 2: Prepare the water

Step 3: Add detergent

Step 4: Soak the clothes

Step 5: Agitate

Step 6: Rinse

Step 7: Gently squeeze

Step 8: Dry

As they washed, Lera’s mother noticed something strange. Rose was scrubbing the clothes harshly, as if releasing her anger onto them.

Rose’s Flashback:

The events from the morning replayed in Rose’s mind. Along with them appeared the image of a small crying girl. Which is Rose.

Lera’s mother gently touched Rose’s hand and asked her to stop.

Rose’s eyes were filled with tears and anger. Realizing all the clothes were already washed, she suddenly ran away.

Scene 6

A few minutes later, Lera’s mother went to the drawing room and saw all the girls sitting there except Rose. She told them what had happened during the laundry and asked if Rose had come to them.

“No, she didn’t,” they replied.

Everyone became worried. The girls rushed out to search for Rose.

Meanwhile, Rose was hiding behind the trees near the river.

Scene 7

Rose was lost in her childhood memories.

She came from a middle-class family. When she was six, her parents took her to an amusement park. She was excited, unaware that this day would change her life forever.

The park was crowded. Her father told her, “Go inside the park and wait near the entrance. I’ll park the car and come back.”

As they waited, Rose noticed a beautiful balloon floating in the air. She loved it. The balloon slowly moved inside the park.

Her father was crossing the road when a car came speeding toward him. He narrowly escaped, but another person was hit. The crowd rushed toward the accident.

Rose’s mother told her, “Stay here. Don’t move anywhere.”

But the noise and crowd frightened Rose. Then she saw the balloon again. Unable to resist, she followed it.

She walked until she reached the far end of the park. Realizing she was alone, she panicked and began searching for her parents.

Unable to find them, she sat on a bench and cried.

A woman noticed her and asked what was wrong. Little Rose told her everything. The woman tried to help her find her parents, but they couldn’t.

The park was closing.

The woman took Rose to her small house, but Rose missed her parents terribly. Eventually, the woman left her at an orphanage.

Rose cried endlessly, sitting near the door, hoping her parents would come. Days turned into years, but no one came.

After three years, Rose escaped. She didn’t know where to go or where her home was. She sat under a tree, frightened and alone, her heart breaking.

Then a man appeared. someone who comforted her and took her with him.

He was the leader of a group.

(End — To Be Continued)