Fio's Hidden Stories

Chapter 1: Warm Hands (No.01)

I met a monster in a strange place called The Cage.

The monster ate all my bad dreams so I stopped having them.

But when the monster kept eating my dreams, he turned into
a girl that looked just like me, and I became a monster.
I was so surprised, I didn't know what to do—so I ran away.

But secretly, I was happy to be a monster.

I wanted to forget about my dead dad. I wanted to forget
about my mom who abandoned me. I wanted to forget about
the other kids who bullied me. I wanted to forget everything.

I'm not human anymore. I'm a monster.

And I am going to forget everything.

Everything.

＊ ＊ ＊

It's snowing; soft, white, and beautiful.

The strange place is made of stone. Some parts are covered
in leaves, and some let the snow in. Like this one.

The snow crunches under my feet as I walk down a long
white path.

I don't know where to go.

I want to go home, but I didn't know where it is.

I guess I forgot where I'd come from.

I don't know anymore. I can't remember anything.

Eventually I stop thinking about it because it makes my
head hurt. I forget all that and begin to run. Snow sticks
to my cheeks—it's nice and cold, and helps to erase the
fuzzy feeling in my head.

After a while, I come to a stop and see a woman sitting by
a cold stone wall. I thought I was alone in this place,
so I'm happy to see someone else.

But she's shivering. Is she sick?

"Excuse me, ma'am," I ask. "Are you okay?"

She looks over at me and screams.

"MONSTER!"

She starts to shiver more after that, and I feel bad for her.
I want her to feel better. I start trying to spin and dance,
because that always makes me happy and I think it will make
her happy, too. But I can't dance very well in all the
slippery snow, and after a second I fall down on my bum—
which causes the lady to laugh.

"Are you feeling better, ma'am?"

She gives a little nod, and we start talking. She tells me
she found herself lost in this stone place, and wants to
go home so she can see her "family" and her "daughter."
Then she asks me how to get out of here. When I tell her
I don't know, her face gets all sad again.

"It's okay," I say. "We'll find a way home together."

I take her hand. My hands are super big, so I hold hers
gently, trying not to crush it. She looks up at me like
she's going to cry, then squeezes my hand tight.

"Your hands..." she says in a whisper. "They're so cold."

I realize then how cold my hands are, and remember how I was
trying to endure the cold. But I'm okay now, because the
nice lady's hands are so very warm.

Chapter 2: What Shines (No.02)

I'm a monster in a big building made of stone.

I want to go home, but I don't know where that is. I don't
even know where I came from. I don't remember anything.
So I walk and walk and walk all by myself until I meet a
nice lady. She says she also ended up in the stone building
and didn't know how. She says she had to find the way home
to her "family" and "daughter."

So I take her hand and start to walk with her.

We walk up a long spiral staircase and the snow just stops.
There are red leaves everywhere—it's like a red carpet just
for us! The lady smiles and says it's beautiful. Then we see
a flower sprouting in the leaves and she smiles more.

"What a strange place," the lady says. "That flower bloomed
out of nowhere. My daughter would be delighted to see it."

The nice lady tells me all about her daughter while we walk.
Her daughter likes flowers, and also loves the nice lady.
They're always together, and are each others' favorite
people in the whole world. They also fight sometimes,
but they always make up. They're a "family," so even if
something is painful, they overcome it together.

The lady seems happy to be talking about her daughter,
and that makes me happy. Then she asks if I have a family.

"I don't know," I say, tilting my head. And it's true—
I don't remember anything. But I knew it would be nice to
have a family and a daughter like the nice lady.

"Oh, that's right," says the lady. "You don't remember
anything. But I'm sure you have a family. All living things
have beautiful families around them."

I leap in the air and say "Yippee!" I still can't remember
anything, but I want to go home to my beautiful family.

Suddenly, pop! Another flower blooms from the red leaves.
But it isn't the only one! Pop, pop, pop! So many are
blooming. Each of the little blossoms gives off a shine.
I feel like I can make a huge light if I collect them all!

The lady gasps in delight and starts picking the flowers.
"I'm going to pick a bouquet for my daughter!" she says.

Pluck, pluck, pluck. She plucks so many that I feel bad
for the flowers. But the lady says flowers bloom so they can
be plucked, and that no matter how many we pick, they'll
never scream in pain. That makes sense, 'cause flowers are
always quiet and never talk or anything. So I pick lots with
the nice lady as we walk.

Finally, we come to a tall black statue. The lady says it
looks like a scarecrow, which I don't understand. But I
want to touch it, so I reach out. And then...

POP!

Me and the nice lady turn into dark mist and get sucked up
into the scarecrow!

Chapter 3: Cries of Flowers (No.03)

The big stone building is so very strange. Now inside,
I'm trying to help a lady find her way home so she can
see her "family" and her "daughter."

When the lady first started telling me about such things,
I felt my heart grow warmer. While I couldn't remember
anything about myself, I knew I also wanted a "family" and
a "daughter." But then we found what looked like a Dark
Scarecrow. Curious, I reached out to touch it, and we
ended up getting sucked inside!

Now me and the lady are in a small house—a place different
from the leaf-covered stone building we were in a moment ago.
It's a messy house; bricks are pulling out of walls, and the
fireplace is full of garbage. All the chairs and tables are
scattered across the floor, and the windows are broken.

Where are we? I wonder. But then the lady's eyes
go wide and she exclaims, "I'm home!"

This is the lady's house! Oh, I'm so glad she managed to
find it! But then I notice she's frowning, and a second
later she starts running this way and that.

"Where is she!? Where is she!?"

She repeats these words over and over like a spell as she
runs around the room. She yanks garbage from the fireplace,
and even turns over furniture that was already overturned.
Suddenly, she spins on a heel and runs into another room.
Though this is all very confusing, I decide to follow her.

The next room is just as messy as the first, and I find the
lady stretched out on the floor, running her hand back and
forth beneath a filthy bed. After a bit, I hear the sound
of something heavy being dragged, followed by a harsh cry.
A moment later, the lady pulls out a sobbing little girl
with a face covered in bruises!

"So it's not enough that Daddy does it?" snarls the woman.
"You're going to run from me too?" She then smacks the
girl's cheek with her hand, causing her to wail in pain.

"Stop it!" I cry. "You're hurting her!"

"Family is overcoming pain together," replies the woman.

...Family? Oh, I see. This must be the "daughter" she was
talking about. Still, if her child is so precious, why
would the lady hit her? Considering the girl's face is
covered in bruises, I don't want to think about how long
this has been going on.

"Help me!" screams the girl as she reaches for my hand.
"She's going to kill me!"

I have to do something. I have to. But when I look at
the girl, my head hurts and I can't move. I recognize the
look in her eyes: they are full of despair because no one
will bother to help her.

Wait.

That's right.

...I remember.

I was human before I became a monster—and I had despaired
just like the girl. My daddy died. My mommy left and never
came back. No one would help me. No one cared. I have no
home to return to anymore.

I break into fearsome sobs and begin to run. I have to.
Because if I don't, I feel like I'm going to lose my mind.

I leave the messy room and run outside. I run and I run and
I run—going for so long I don't even remember what happened.
When I finally come back to myself, I'm in the big stone
building. There are dead flowers all over the stone floor;
the same ones that were so happy and bright moments before.

The petals look like bones. Ash.

They look like they're crying.

But I can't hear the flowers crying.

No one can hear the flowers crying.

Chapter 4: Kindly Child (No.04)

I always wanted a home to go to, but never knew where to
find it. I'd forgotten so much. I'd forgotten everything.

But now? I remember.

I was human before I became a monster, and I no longer
have a home to go back to.

Daddy is dead.

Mommy abandoned me so she could be with a strange man.

I'm alone. In despair. I'm in so much pain. My chest hurts.
I don't know what to do. I yell, but nothing happens.

I need help. I need to find someone who will help me, so
I run through the giant stone building looking for someone.
I run and run until my legs ache and my lungs burn. I feel
like I'm going to cry, but my monster body has no eyes,
so I can't.

I climb to a higher spot and look at the sky. Sand floats
on the wind, turning it a sickly yellow color.

And then...

"Is that...?"

I hear a voice from below. I look down and see a white,
floaty creature, as well as a girl dressed in black. Both of
them are looking up at me. The girl has beautiful eyes—like
a flower. She looks so very kind; I wish I could talk to her.

I'm sad.

I'm lonely.

I'm hurt.

Save me.

There are so many things I want to say to her, but I can't
say anything because my head is pounding. And the longer I
look at her, the more I feel like I'm going to remember
something else.

No. I don't want to remember anything else. I'm afraid
of finding despair again, like the moment I remembered about
Mommy and Daddy.

The girl doesn't say anything as she approaches. My head
hurts more. More. More. I feel like I'm going insane.

Don't come any closer!

"――――――――!"

Before I know what's happening, I fly at the girl, planning
to attack. But just as my hand is about to connect with her
head, our eyes meet.

I can't hurt her.

When that thought comes to me, I freeze. The girl opens
her mouth, but no voice comes out. Maybe she can't speak?

And yet, I feel like I hear warm words from her.

Why is that? I don't know. But as I think about it, my head
starts to hurt again. I can't stand it anymore, so I run away
from the girl. I climb the stone wall, aiming for a high place.
The sand on the wind scrapes against my monster skin.

I feel so lonely. So isolated. I want to see her again—
to see her kind eyes. And yet, looking at her makes me feel
like I'm going to remember something, and that scares me.
So instead, I turn to the sandy yellow sky and scream.

I have nowhere to go, but I still want to find a home.

And the kindness I feel from the girl⁠ is exactly the kind
of home I want to return to.

Chapter 5: Angelic Sacrifice (No.05)

Mama: If I were to describe
her in a word, it would be...
angelic! Yes, that's it.

Carrier: Seems you ain't been
acquainted with her more
devilish side yet.

Mama: Society can be so cruel.
How could they possibly
sacrifice a blameless child?

Carrier: Same cruel society
is always sacrificing my poor
salary too...

Mama: Still, I believe her
fate changed when she met
the monster.

Carrier: My fate changed when
I met my wife—in many
meanings of the word! Heyo!

Mama: Goodness, but you are
an irritating creature.

Carrier: Ow! Hey! don't pinch
me like THAAAT! OWWW!

Mama: The girl never lost her
kindness, even in the face of
needless malice. But though
that kindness was not enough
to bring her salvation, it
saved him, and he brought
salvation to her heart. In this
feedback loop of benevolence,
she became herself anew.

Carrier: GYAAAAAAH! HRAAAAAGH!
...HAH!

Mama: Oh my. You managed
to escape my grasp.

Carrier: Gimme a goddamn break
already, lady!

Mama: Language! That poor girl
would be sad to hear such
things from you, Carrier.
After all, she adores you.

Chapter 6: REPORT CARD (No.06)

1. GRADES
Composition: A
Grammar: A
Mathematics: A
History: A
Geography: A
Science: A
Art: C
Music: A
Physical Education: A
Ethics: A
Labor: A
Nature Appreciation: A

2. ATTENDANCE
Days Present: 80
Absences: 0
Late Arrivals: 0
Times Left Early: 0

3. TEACHER COMMENTS
Your daughter's grades and attitude are excellent.
She is considered an exemplary student among the staff,
and interacts with genuine care for all of her classmates.
Her daughter's stellar personality is a testament to
her wonderful home environment and the love you show her.

As she is student of particular quality,
we strongly recommend
she pursue higher-level education.
We believe she will prove a valuable asset for
society in the future.

Chapter 7: A Gift from Mommy and Daddy (No.07)

One cold and snowy morning,
I looked out the window and
watched as my daughter had a
snowball fight with some of
the neighborhood kids. They
were all bigger than her—and
probably four or five years
older—but she kept making
snowballs and throwing them as
best as she could. That's when
I realized she was the only
one without gloves, and that
her poor hands were bright red.
Yet she still wore a beaming,
innocent smile on her face,
which made my heart hurt.

"Fio's so cheerful, even on a
frigid day like this."

My husband, having just woke,
came over to stand beside me,
watching our daughter amidst
the large crowd of children.
Once he left for work,
I looked for one of my old
sweaters. He'd given it to me
years ago and I'd always taken
good care of it, so I figured it
would still be in decent shape.
After pulling it out of the
closet, I unraveled it and
began to knit a pair of gloves
from the yarn, figuring the
soft hues would look better on
her than me, anyway. But when
my husband came home that
night, we looked at each
other and burst out laughing,
because he'd gone to town and
used what little money we had
to buy her a pair of mittens.

That night, I watched as our
little girl, worn out from
playing all day, snored softly
in her sleep. May these
blissful days continue into
eternity, I prayed as I
gently placed a small blanket
over her.

Chapter 8: Regarding the New Caste System (No.08)

Next spring, a new social class will be established below
the Noble and Commoner classes.

These individuals will be called "Goat People," and will
be required to pay exorbitant taxes on the bulk of their
income. Additionally, they will not be allowed to assume
any position of public service, and are expected to be
stripped of the ability to vote. In essence, these Goat
People will not only lose not only their economic freedoms,
but their basic human rights.

The council's jurists claim that introducing a lower caste
is expected to stabilize the government, but I say this
with everything in my heart: There can be no future for
such an inhumane system.

Today, the assembly hall was filled with those who oppose
the new system yet again. It doesn't matter if we end up
Goat People ourselves; no citizen rejoices in finding
fortune by means of grinding the less fortunate beneath
their bootheel. Even if the council steamrolls public
opposition and puts this outrageous class system in place,
we will never yield. All of us—Nobility, Commoners,
and Goats—must join hands and help one another.

Chapter 9: What the Monster Saw (No.09)

Seeking freedom from their lowly status, a group of Goat
People gathered before the council building last night.
Guards were dispatched to control the situation, but a
riot broke out regardless.

Though the Goat People involved in the incident were purged,
residents continue to voice their unease. They are not
afraid of the powerless Goat People, but rather a horrible
"monster" that multiple eyewitnesses reported seeing at the
scene of the purge.

"It was that girl," one witness said as she trembled.
"The one they found dead in the ruins a few days ago.
She summoned that horrible thing. It was like something
straight out of a fairy tale..."

Separate rumors claim the Goat People were driven to riot
by their despair over the girl's death, which likely led
the eyewitness to make this connection. That said, the
council is currently looking into the "monster," and are
calling for all citizens to remain calm in the meantime.
They have also promised to take this incident seriously,
and tighten the noose even further around the necks of
all Goat People.

Chapter 10: Tales of the Goat People (No.10)

Some hundred years ago, there was a girl who was detested
for being a Goat Person, and she lost her life at a young
age.

She had been trapped in a long cycle of reincarnation—such
is the story of us Goat People. She died, was reborn, lived,
died again, and was then reborn once more. Across the eras,
she changed form and lost her memories, but she was always
born with the same spirit.

It is said that even when she found a dreadful end as a Goat
Person, she retained her kindness the entire time. And that
most certainly is because her heart recalls the kindness of
what was called the Monster.

No matter how many times she is reborn, the Monster always
rescues her. The warm memories she holds of it slumber
eternally within her heart. And that is why, no matter where
or when she is born, she can press on, forever holding onto
her kindness.

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