19/02/2025
Tears of a Forgotten Son
Landry was only eight years old when his world turned dark. His mother, a kind and gentle woman, had left their home after years of enduring the cruel words of her husband, unable to take the pain any longer. She had wanted to take Landry with her, but his father refused.
"He's my son," his father had said coldly. "He stays here."
So, Landry stayed. Alone.
At first, he thought things might be okay. He tried to be strong, believing his father still loved him. But then Stephanie, his stepmother, came into their lives. From the moment she stepped into their home, everything changed.
Stephanie hated Landry. For reasons he couldn't understand, she despised the sight of him. She would send him on endless errands, make him do all the house chores, and leave him with nothing but scraps to eat. She made sure he wore tattered clothes while her own children dressed in the finest garments.
Landry's father, once a strong man, became weak under Stephanie’s control. It was as if he was no longer himself. Whenever Landry tried to complain, his father’s eyes would glaze over, and he would mutter, "Listen to your mother, Landry." But she wasn't his mother. His mother had left, heartbroken and powerless.
Stephanie would slap him for the smallest mistakes. She would lock him outside on cold nights. When she was particularly angry, she would refuse him food for days.
"You're nothing," she would sneer. "No one loves you, not even your own mother. If she did, she wouldn't have left you here."
Landry's heart ached. He missed his mother terribly, but he had no way of reaching her. He didn’t know if she even thought about him anymore.
One evening, after a long day of being beaten and insulted, Landry sat outside, staring at the stars. His stomach rumbled from hunger, and his body ached from the bruises Stephanie had given him. Silent tears ran down his cheeks as he whispered to the night,
"Mama... why did you leave me?"
But the stars gave no answer.
One day, Landry fell seriously ill. He was weak, coughing uncontrollably, but Stephanie didn't care. She still made him sweep the compound, still refused to give him food. His frail body could no longer take it.
That night, as the rain poured, Landry lay on the cold floor of the backroom where Stephanie had forced him to sleep. His body shivered, his breath shallow. He closed his eyes, his thoughts drifting to his mother, her warm hands, her gentle smile.
"Mama... I'm coming to you."
By morning, Landry was gone.
When news of his death reached the village, his mother wailed in anguish. She ran to the city, hoping it was all a mistake, but when she saw her son's lifeless body, she collapsed in sorrow.
Landry's father, as if waking from a deep slumber, realized what had happened. The spell over him broke, and guilt consumed him. He fell to his knees, crying out his son's name, but it was too late.
Stephanie, seeing the horror she had caused, tried to defend herself, but the damage was done. People cursed her, calling her a wicked woman.
But none of it mattered. Because Landry, the little boy who only wanted to be loved, was gone.
And in the end, the only thing left of him was the echo of his silent cries.
Dortael Story..............
