The Unwanted Son

My belly was swollen for a full twelve months. The villagers all said this was bad luck and urged me to visit the temple to pray early. I heard nothing; my heart was filled entirely with hope for the child. At last, on a night torn by thunder and rain, I gave all I had—nearly half my life—to bring a boy into this world. Weak and lying in bed, I tried to glimpse my child's face, but my mother-in-law's sharp curses pierced the silence. "You jinx! What you've given birth to isn't a child at all—it's clearly a devil child!" I was stunned, unable to respond, when my father-in-law added, "Look at the weather when the child was born—storms and thunder—there's no good omen in that!" I struggled to defend myself, but my husband, Victor, frowned silently, standing aside with eyes full of disdain. I held my child tightly, my heart aching with both hurt and anger. This is my child, the one I risked my life for—how could he be called a Devil Child? But what happened next left me shaken and confused. The first time he cried, the light bulb in the house suddenly burst, shards scattering across the floor. My mother-in-law screamed in terror, pointing at my child and shouting, "See! I told you he's a devil child! Every time he cries, something bad happens!" I held my child tightly, afraid to let him cry again. But he was still so young—there was no way he could stop crying and fussing all the time. Before long, the child grew hungry again and began crying. This time, a pot in the kitchen suddenly fell to the floor, shattering into pieces. Father-in-law stomped his foot in anger: "Life has become unbearable! If we keep this devil child, our family is bound to be destroyed sooner or later!" I gazed at the child in my arms, wailing for food, feeling as if my heart was being sliced by a blade. He was so young, understood nothing at all—how could he have become the family's harbinger of misfortune? Eventually, the child began to smile occasionally. I thought the child's smile was a sign of hope, but I never imagined that even worse misfortune was yet to come. The child smiled for the first time, and suddenly several chickens in the yard died. Mother-in-law sat crying loudly in the yard, "My chickens! This devil child's smile kills things. Our family is doomed!" I couldn't hold back any longer. Holding my child, I started arguing with my mother-in-law, "Mom! The child is still young, these things are just coincidences! You can't say that about him!" "Coincidence? One time is coincidence, but two or three times—is that still coincidence?" Mother-in-law glared at me, her eyes full of hatred. "I think you're just blinded by this devil child!" Victor finally spoke. He looked at me and said, "Lorelei, how about... we send the child away?" I couldn't believe my ears. I looked up at Victor and said, "What did you say? This is your child! How can you say that?" "But he's just a harbinger of misfortune!" Victor's voice rose a few tones. "Look at our family lately—either a light bulb bursts or a pot breaks, the chicken died too. At this rate, who knows what worse might happen!" "I won't send him away!" I hugged the child even tighter. "He is my life. No one will take him from me!" "You are simply unreasonable!" Father-in-law fumed, blowing on his beard and glaring. "This family isn't yours alone. We can't let the whole family suffer because of you!" "Either send the child away, or you leave with him!" Mother-in-law said viciously. I looked at the familiar yet strange faces of my family and felt a chilling emptiness in my heart. To them, there was only disaster and trouble—they couldn't see how utterly innocent this child was. Biting my lip, I said each word with fierce resolve: "I'm not leaving, and neither is the child. If anyone dares to harm him, I'll fight them to the death!" That night, I held my child in my arms and stayed in the room all night. The child slept soundly, his little face flushed and so adorable. I gently stroked his cheek and silently vowed in my heart that no matter what hardships we faced, I would protect him and never let him suffer even the slightest harm. The rain outside kept falling, as if mourning for this child born to endure suffering. I knew the days ahead would be far from easy. My family would surely keep pressuring me to give the child away. But I am already prepared; no matter what tactics they use, I will never compromise. Because I am a mother, protecting my child is a responsibility I cannot abandon.