The Girl Named Martha

ONE SHOT

"Is there anyone here? I'm lost."

There was a man lost in the forest, and he suddenly wandered to a cave where a girl lives. "Please answer me. I'm lost" The man repeated his statement while slowly and carefully walking into the cave.

Martha heard the voice and hid herself behind the bookshelves, covering her hair with a blanket. The voice drew closer and closer until she saw a shadow of a man. Her heart began to beat faster as she grew scared and nervous, thinking that there is a man who wanted to kill her. "Please help me," the man said. Now, she can see a tall young man holding a cane who's shouting for help. Martha wondered why he was holding a cane instead of a sword or any sharp object that might cause her injury.

"Please, I'm begging! Is there anyone here?" For the fifth time, the man shouted for help.

"Why are you here?" Martha asked him.

"Oh, thank goodness! I'm lost. Can you please help me?"

She giggled because the man answered with his back towards her. Usually, humans talked face to face and eye to eye with each other. "Why are you laughing?" He asked.

"You are talking to the air, s-silly. "

"Sorry, I'm blind." She stopped herself from laughing and felt terrible for it.

They talked and asked each other several questions until Martha lost interest in the blind man, Jaco. He was from Mozarella, where Martha, herself, through his father's order, was forbidden to go there.

Martha refused. He felt hopeless and thought that he might never be able to go back to his home again. However, he thought that he should not be entirely sad because he had a companion.

"Where am I, then?"

"In s-stone cave."

He freaked out when Martha said the cave's name. "This place is not safe for you or for me. We should leave while Medusa is not yet home!" The blind man stood up and held her arms, dragging her to leave the cave. "Let's go while she is not around. Stand up, Martha."

"Medus-sa?"

He looked at Martha even though he could not see her. "You don't know her?" he asked. She answered with silence. "In Mozarella, the villagers always talked about this cave, saying that there is a woman who lives here. Many hunters would stay here at night so they can hunt birds and wild animals in the morning, but the hunters never returned back to their homes. Someone witnessed a woman with snakes all over her head, pushing one of the wanted hunter's stone inside of this cave. That is why they call it stone cave. And also, there is a rumor that Medusa went to that village to buy raw meat but the cloth covering her hair fell off. Everyone had seen it and had their bodies quickly turned into stone. She ran to the forest, to this very cave. No one ever wanted to travel to the forest because it was forbidden. One time, Medusa went back to that village to turn people into stone."

Martha was shocked because she was the girl that Jaco and the villagers were talking about. She felt sorrow, and, at the same time, anger. They didn't know what kind of situation Martha had to go through every time the snakes in her head would talk to her; the loneliness she felt while growing up alone in that empty cave. No one ever had the courage to talk to her because she knows that if they see the snakes on her head, they would freak out and turn into stone. It continuously happened every day when she wakes up, people stereotyping, judging, and discriminating which caused her to be in danger, emotionally.

After all the things she had experienced, she decided to live in the darkness where she was helpless, where people were nowhere to be found, and where life had no sense. In addition, she went back to the village to say sorry for the trouble she had caused, but the villagers attacked her. They threw sharp objects at her even before she could explain. She thought that people only understood what they could see, and never tried to understand what others might see.

She sniffed and cried while thinking of other negatives thoughts. Jaco heard her and felt something. That's why he asked if she was okay but Martha answered in a lively manner and said that she was.

"This-s is-s a s-safe place" Martha said.

"But, how about Medusa?"

"No one will hurt you as-s long as-s I'm here bes-side you." She wiped her tears, held his hand, and smiled even though Jaco couldn't see her face.

Five months later, Jaco decided to court Martha because he felt that she was more than just a friend. Likewise, Martha felt the same towards Jaco. They lived happily and romantically until one night, Jaco woke up, shocked, because his vision had returned. He could finally see again. He looked beside him and saw Medusa sleeping quietly. He noticed that there were tears on her face. He figured that the tears had touched his eyes which made him see and become normal again.

He realized that he fell in love with Martha, the Medusa that the villagers had talked about. He also realized some things like... Medusa was trying her best to fit in to become one of the people in this paradise; she was hated by the people around her because of who she was and so she hid in a dark and lonely cave where no one could hate on her; lastly, not all monsters are bad. Some monsters are judged first, which is why people don't realize that they have hearts too.

But he became sad knowing that when he sees Martha, he will turn to stone and will become numb so he decided to leave the cave while Martha was sleeping quietly. "I'm sorry, Martha. You don't deserve such pain. This might be the only right thing to do to make you happy. Good bye," he whispered to Martha and left.

The next day, Martha woke up without Jaco beside her. She looked for him all throughout the cave and even out in the forest, except the village. After all the searching, she gave up and let out a loud high-pitched scream and cried all day. She starved herself because of how sad she was all the time. She couldn't feel her heart beating anymore. Her snakes kept hissing every night, saying something before she sleeps, and whenever she wakes up, her tears had already dried up all over her cheeks.

Two months have passed and Martha was still sad and alone. She always covers her hair with a blanket because she's trying her best not to care anymore. She tried to ignore it and her heart said 'no more', but the snakes on her head kept on hissing, saying that she should hunt and kill Jaco. However, she knew that she should quit playing in this giant maze and just rest forever.

"Is there really a rainbow after the storm or is it only an illusion to make the paradise colorful?" she asked herself and fell asleep.

"Is there anyone here? I'm lost."

There was a man lost in the forest, and he suddenly wandered to the cave where Martha lives. "Please answer me. I'm lost" The man repeated his statement while slowly and carefully walking into the cave.

Martha woke up and heard the voice and hid herself behind the bookshelves, covering her hair with a blanket. The voice drew closer and closer until she saw a shadow of a man. Her heart began to beat faster. She was scared and nervous thinking that there is a man who wanted to kill her. "Please help me," the man said. Now, all she can see is a tall young man holding a cane while shouting her name.

"Jaco?" she asked.

The End.