Twelve years had passed since I came into this world, and most of what I had experienced had gradually faded with time. Yet some things would stay in my memory forever, no matter how deep the tunnel of time grew. Those things were real, and they made every day of my life painful. That was why I always longed for a new school, new friends, a new life, silently praying: Maybe tomorrow will be better...
My family was not a harmonious one. I had grown up with my grandparents, so I felt a closeness to them that no one else could replace. One day, the conflicts in our family finally erupted, and Mom took me away from home in a fit of anger. Sitting on the bed in our new home, staring at the unfamiliar skylight, I missed my free, carefree life in the mountains so much. Were Grandpa and Grandma still healthy? Were they happy without me beside them? Did they miss me as much as I missed them? I was like a little bird trapped in a cage, robbed of its freedom yet still longing to soar through the blue sky. At that moment, I felt some resentment toward Mom and wanted to ask her why she had broken the wings that let me fly. For that very reason, my relationship with her gradually grew distant, and I let myself sink into my painful inner world.
Until one day, word came that Grandpa had fallen ill...
Grandpa loved drinking more than anything, and he was no longer as strong as he once had been. Yet while Grandma was out, he secretly drank a large jug of liquor, then fell that afternoon when he went up the mountain to lead the cow home. Mom rushed me to the hospital