Accidents Made Right 2: Kakorrhaphiophobia

Bonus Chapter 1: Life Is Meaningless Without Purpose

1235 AD, just outside London

Once I finished burying my previous wife Eveline, I dropped to my knees and cried out in grief. I wanted so badly to kill those who killed her... but I couldn't. By then, I'd already down that path so many times, and each time the grief just got worse.

I wanted to bury her with her family... but just like usual, when society found out the truth about me, they shut me out. She was the only one to stay by my side... but that cost her the privilege to be buried with anybody else she loved.

As my stream of tears fell to the ground, I choked "I can't keep doing this. I keep on trying to fall in love... have children... do something worthwhile... but every time I've tried to have a child..."

I couldn't finish that sentence.

Eventually, I heard a little girl say behind me "Are thou alright, sir?"

I sniffled, considering whether I should wipe my tears and pretend to be strong... but I couldn't even stand.

I heard a small crunching of leaves for a few seconds, so I turned around and saw beautiful, innocent little girl. She had bright green eyes, flowing light blond hair, and was wearing a silvery skirt with small red jewels lining the skirt's sides.

I looked away from the girl again, hoping she would just go about her business and forget about me, like everybody else.

Instead, I was shocked when she hugged me from behind, saying "Don't thy worry. I losteth somebody not long ago too."

...

"Ye should go. Thee place is dangerous."

The child squeezed a little harder, then said "Thou shalt protect me."

My heart skipped a beat. No child that knew my true nature was this trusting of me. Sure, she seemed to be just barely older than a toddler, but still.

"Ye don't understand. I'm thee danger."

"Thy art better than thee ones in thee city."

"Where art thyn parents, little one?"

The child released her gentle hug, and once I turned to her she said "They abandoned thee."

Hesitantly, I turned back to the grave and said "Thy shalt get used to it... I did."

I put my right hand on the grave and closed my eyes, noticing the kid hadn't gotten up and left yet.

...

"Who was she... was she thyn loved one?"

I released my hand from the grave, and with a sigh, I said "It doeseth not matter anymore... thou should go."

After a moment, I felt the child gently tap my shoulder, so I looked back at her and saw she had picked a red rose flower from the ground and was offering me it.

I took a long time looking at it, and at the young woman's gentle, kind expression. She had to be tricking me, right? Luring me into a false sense of security so she could ambush me with an angry mob.

In order to get rid of her, I rudely grabbed the rose out of her hand and crushed it, then turned back to the gravestone. I expected it to make her run away in tears... but she stayed.

"Yeah, I don't liketh flowers very much either," she joked.

"Why? Why doth thou continue to bothereth me? Thy should've heard thee stories. I'm a monster..."

"Did thou hurteth people on purpose," the child asked curiously.

...

"Not until thee hurteth me first."

"Then thy art not a monster. Thy art just afraid... like thee."

I looked at her again, knowing why she said she was afraid too. We were both shut out by society, for what we were. She was an orphan... a peasant in the eyes of the rich... and I was something they couldn't understand. A being from another place. A singularity.

The young girl embraced me in another gentle hug, so this time I returned it. I thought that... maybe... this could be my first chance at raising a child. Sure, it wasn't my own biological child like I had hoped... but we never get exactly what we expected... do we?

"What is thy name," I asked.

"Catherine," the girl replied. "What is thou's?"

I started thinking of a new name, since I would most definitely have to change my name to protect Catherine.

"Matthew."