C11 Why Different? Part 2

Clara wanted to wash and treat the wound, but...

She was stunned when Cliff grabbed her hand. Those blood-red irises leered sinisterly at Clara. Cliff stuck out his tongue and licked the blood that kept gushing from the wound on Clara's hand. Of course, Clara was shocked to see him. Not only shocked, Clara even began to fear for her son. She pulled her hand out of Cliff's grasp and pushed him with all her might until Cliff fell to the ground.

"Forgive me. I'm not..."

"Stop lying to me, Mom. I know you're lying to me. From your reaction, I can tell you never eat the same food I do, right? The food you eat must be the same as those kids," Cliff said, cutting Clara off. Now Clara knew the cause of Cliff's strange behavior. The children always played near the hut, and although she had told them not to play there, the children ignored her words.

Clara walked over to her son and helped him to his feet. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push you before. Does anything hurt? Tell me where it hurts?"

"Why am I different, Mom? I want to eat the same food as you and the other kids. Why am I always different than other people?" Cliff's eyes were already glassy. If he blinked, the tears would flow unstoppably. Again, Clara's heart pounded with pain as she witnessed her son's suffering. But she didn't want to cry in front of her son. She had to be a strong mother figure.

"Do you want to eat like them?"

Cliff just nodded without saying anything. Clara rubbed the top of her son's head and tried to smile as sincerely as possible, even though she wanted to shed tears.

"Okay, just wait a moment. Mom will bring the food here."

Cliff's sad face immediately turned into a happy smile. He wiped away his tears and nodded vigorously. Seeing him surely made the sadness that Clara was trying so hard to hold back melt away somewhere. Clara left the hut. She wanted to bring Cliff the food that humans usually ate. She just hoped that Cliff would be able to eat it. Wouldn't it be great if Cliff could eat human food and not have to drink animal blood? Then Cliff could live like an average human.

About 20 minutes later, Clara came in with a tray of food. She placed the tray before Cliff, who smiled broadly at the sight.

"So this is Mom's food?" Cliff asked enthusiastically, to which Clara nodded just as enthusiastically.

"Can I eat it?"

Clara smiled at her son's innocent face, not realizing that her son had grown up. His body has grown taller, his mind more mature, though his demeanor still shows the innocence of a 10-year-old boy. What makes Clara proud, however, is her son's appearance, which is becoming more and more charming as he grows older. His face showed more and more good looks she had never seen before. Even Maxy, the man she once loved and considered the most handsome man she had ever seen, could not compete with her son's good looks. Clara could guess that when her son became a teenager, many girls would be really into him and fight over him. She secretly smiled at the thought of her son's future.

"Mom, why are you smiling to yourself? Can I eat this food?"

Clara was startled out of her reverie. "Of course, dear. Eat as much as you want."

With sparkling eyes, Cliff took one of the dishes. More specifically, he took a piece of bread. He devoured the bread without hesitation, but before he could chew and swallow it, he felt nauseous. He spit out the bread he had just bitten into.

"I don't like this food. I'll try something else," he said while Clara looked sadly at her poor son.

But no matter how many times Cliff tried, the same thing happened. He couldn't eat any of the food his mother brought him. Let alone eat it. Just smelling it made his stomach turn and make him sick.

"Come on, don't force yourself to eat it," Clara ordered, feeling that she couldn't bear to see her son's actions any longer as he tried to eat the food, even though his face looked very miserable.

"Why am I different, Mom?"

The tears flowed again. Clara could no longer contain her sadness as she watched the unfortunate fate of her favorite son. She hugged her son tightly and couldn't hold back the tears.

"You're no different, darling. You're just like us," she said, sobbing. But her words did not affect Cliff. Cliff still knew that he was different.

They hugged for a long time until the hug broke after Cliff let go first.

"I'm fine, Mom. I'm fine," he said, showing his grin.

"It's okay, dear. I'll keep you company here. Tell me all about your troubles," Clara said as she gently stroked her son's handsome face with her right hand.

"Really, Mom, I'm fine. I'm tired. I want to rest."

Cliff moved away from his mother. He lay down on the small bed that only he could occupy. There were only two small beds in the cabin. One was occupied by Cliff and the other, of course, by his mother. Cliff covered his body with a blanket, leaving only his head exposed.

"Go to sleep, sweetheart. I'm going to Grandma's house to see how she's doing. Then I'll bring you some new books so you won't be bored."

Cliff just nodded. He closed his eyes to fool his mother into thinking he would sleep. Unbeknownst to his mother, he opened both eyes when he heard the sound of the door closing.

Cliff woke up and moved closer to the window. He was eager to leave the room and join the children still playing from his cottage. The curtains that had always covered the window were removed for the first time. He disobeyed his mother's orders never to open the curtains. His heart was upset, so he decided to go against his mother's orders. As soon as the curtain was opened, the room that had always been dimly lit became brightly lit. He blinked his eyes to adjust his vision. He was not used to such a bright atmosphere.

For the second time, he disobeyed his mother's orders. He opened the window, even though his mother continuously reminded him not to try to open it.

"ARGH!!!" he screamed as the heat and pain hit the skin of his hand. The sunlight streaming through the window had burned his skin. Cliff stepped away from the sun. The burns on his hands hurt. The pain and heat were unlike anything Cliff had ever felt before. After experiencing all these events, he realized something else.

"I am indeed different. Who and what am I?" he murmured as he huddled in the corner of the room out of the sunlight.