Zoi

Main Part

  'Mario! Mario!' she called out his name, but no reply came. She had made him something special today—duck hearts with sweet potatoes. Waking up early to prepare his meal, she was excited to see his reaction. After all, it was his birthday. She remembered finding him next to the garbage can, weak and feeble. Now, six years later, the runt of the litter had grown into a stocky, muscular cat. She placed his plate in his usual spot and went back inside.

  Most of her day was spent in the kitchen, sitting and staring at the oven as whatever she was cooking slowly baked. She used to love cooking, but after the accident, it became just something she knew how to do. With nothing else to occupy her time, she simply kept at it. She didn't keep any electronic devices in her house. Her only link to the outside world was through the news or listening in on her neighbors. One day, Zoi was sitting in her living room, looking at a picture of her daughter—her beautiful face—when she suddenly noticed an irritating murmur, like a fly buzzing around her. The sound bothered her, so she decided to figure out where it was coming from. Following the noise, she approached the living room wall. As she got closer, she could make out voices—people arguing about something. Pressing her ear against the wall, she heard the entire argument clearly. Her neighbors were a young couple. The husband was often away at work for long hours, while the wife, who returned home earlier, suspected him of infidelity. Their arguments usually centered around her suspicions. From that day on, Zoi often found herself drawn to the wall to listen in. This became her own form of entertainment.

  Another way she often spent her days was by shouting at the neighborhood kids. Around early afternoon, the streets near her house would fill with the sounds of children laughing and yelling as they ran around or raced each other. It didn't help that the playground was right next to her home. For the next few hours, she would be surrounded by the noise of their fun, a painful reminder of what she had lost. One day, as she sat there scowling, she stormed out onto her terrace and began yelling at them, accusing them of trespassing and threatening to call the police. At first, the kids were scared, fearing she might actually follow through on her threats. But soon enough, they realized she was all bark and no bite. They started to tease her in small ways at first, but over time, things began to escalate.

  Zoi already detested the children, but when they started messing with her, her hatred grew even stronger. She had had enough. Storming out, she yelled at a group of kids sitting on the swings. They weren't older than twelve, so she figured she could easily handle them. Earlier, they had ridden past her terrace on their bikes, calling her a 'witch' and a 'hag,' among other unfavourable adjectives. Now, they were sitting on the swings, talking about their latest video game achievements. To them, it was just another fun afternoon. They were already planning their evening of playing hide and seek in the dark with the girls from the other block, as they often did, completely ignoring the fact that Zoi, the angry old lady, was swiftly approaching them.

'You filthy, naughty kids! Why did you call me that? Do your mothers know you speak like that? What would they think if they heard you utter those words?' Zoi said angrily.

The group giggled and turned toward their leader, Zacharia, a lanky kid with short, dark hair, to speak for them.

'Look, lady... everyone in the neighborhood knows how you lost your mind a couple of years ago. Now you walk around talking to cats and then hide in your house all day. My mom told me that,' Zacharia said, looking proud of himself.

Zoi didn't handle that well. Her hands started trembling, and before her mind could catch up, she had taken off her sandal and thrown it at Zacharia, hitting him square in the face. 'Leave now!' she yelled. 'Leave, or I'm calling the police and getting your parents.'

Zacharia's face turned red, and a single tear began to roll down his cheek, soon followed by more. 'You'll regret this!' he screamed as he ran toward their bikes, with his friends close behind.