Great Dionysia

I am Pyotr Ilyich Dreamville.

I'm 19. And my mother was my superhero.

Ever when I was a kid hungry for chocolates and candies, mother was there the first time I opened my eyes and the first time she closed hers for eternity.

I discovered my gift when I was three and she was there being she so patient, giving what I cried for just to let me fully adapt what the universe had offered me. Seeing death was the most frightening shit a child could ever bump into. That darkness, that blood trickling down, that pale and lifeless lips, that heart finally beating its last, that knife stabbed too deeply in the chest, that rope yoked around the neck, that blown head on the pavement after jumping on a 34-floor building, that bullet in the brain, that suffocated lungs, that corpse sunk under the cold water, that scar of abuse and trauma, that slit on the wrist and throat, that hate crimes and genocides, and that final tear sliding down on the side of the face— reminiscing about the life being lived while death planted a kiss on the lips. I had seen them too many times that I could describe it in the most detailed way possible.

And that little child witnessing everyone's dead-end was hugged too tightly and caressed too gently by the comforting arms and soft hands of my mother. I didn't know why she chose me to run away with her, but I was thankful I spent my whole lovely nine years with the purest and sweetest mother a kid like me could ever have. She was my superhero, an inspiration that kept me alive up to this moment.

Yet I killed her.

I snapped out and got myself back on my senses-- in front of these people wearing white and almost naked garment with golden belt, sat right before the gigantic dinner table with dishes I have never seen before. Candles were lit and wine glasses were filled with Luxor champagne and sparkled with gold flakes.

Chandeliers were so bright above, lighting every corner of the dining hall including the enormous painting of a complete family: a lady in dark red hair; a man with old golden cane; and four little children sitting in front of their parents-- a Black girl with a strange straight hair, an East Asian boy with glasses, a French-looking little girl, a German boy with one brow slit, and a South East Asian looking boy I assumed was me... because below, a golden plate was embedded with text The Dreamvilles.

"Glasses, please..." Chaminade announced, raising the glass of champagne on her grip, and she rose.

Everyone, aside from me, raised their half-full wine glasses on the air.

"For Dionysus," they uttered in unison before they emptied their glasses upon the drinking.

I remained emotionless, just going along with every shit this family had to offer.

Great Dionysia, also called City Dionysia, is an ancient dramatic festival in which tragedy, comedy, and satyric drama originated; it was held in Athens in March in honour of Dionysus, the God of Wine, hence the banquet was present hungry for the drool of our mouths. Everything made sense now, their outfit was for this celebration. Yet, anger was overwhelming that any minute now, I would explode in indignation.

How could these four have this man, which motive was to kill out mother, eating with us like we hadn't have bad blood! This is madness!

It was minutes after but silence still governed every corner of this classic hall, pushing me to burst my shits out in frustration.

"Are we really gonna ignore the fact that we're eating with this wondrously evil, flecked sociopath?" I pointed the screwball sitting on the throne-like seat with two muscled men beside him, I supposed his guards.

Long silence had passed again of not giving a fuck to what I just said a moment ago.

"Eat..." K, on my side, started a conversation with me like he never heard me talk, yet like what he did to me just a minute ago, I replied silence.

"What are you waiting for? Dionysus coming down here in flesh, albeit we know it's never happening?" K added, slicing a raw vegetable in heat on his empty plate.

"You think I could eat with this old hag in my presence?" annoyed, I countered quickly that I caught their gaze locking up on my direction and stopping them from consuming their food cold-handed.

"Then don't," K responded back in annoyance.

"That's actually what I was doing, dumbass--"

"Listen here, pretty boy." Ludwig cut me off as he fixed his glasses after he wiped his lips with the napkin on his chest.  "We don't give a damn about you nor your anger. Get angry at him and we don't care. Don't include us to your unsubstantiated empathise-with-me bullshit."

Sure, this 17-year-old guy doesn't talk, but when he does, it hurts...

"He killed our mother!" I complained as I rose from my seat and slammed a hand on the glass table, making Lili ran off to K's side scared.

That mother fucking Giuseppe, meanwhile, paid me no mind. Ever since we entered the door on his room and he was sat in his wheelchair before the fire place, I had never heard him talk. His wrinkled, old face just glanced at me with his frail, helpless look that he couldn't even roll the wheels by himself.

"You killed our mother!" Ludwig returned while everyone remained silent as I spoiled their appetite.

"Mother wouldn't be dead if it wasn't for his doing!" I threw the glass of champagne on the snow-white wall, staining it with the wine that the two bulks of men beside the sociopathic Giuseppe prepared themselves to back up, yet was halted with the weak shake of Giuseppe's head.

"Mother wouldn't be dead if you just have not slit her throat with the bow of your, yes your, violin!" Ludwig yelled.

I didn't know how he was able to know such thing, how mother died, because the murder was very clean after I burned our house with her dead body inside. It wasn't that I ever shared it to anyone... not even to Sally nor to Sally's son, a friend I lost eight years ago.

"What the hell is wrong with you picking the wrong side when it is very clear that man made our lives worst!" I screeched in the loudest tone I could possibly pull.

"Lili, go to your room, now. Chaminade would be there just a minute after, okay?" K made a scene which Lili just replied a nod.

"Why don't you ask yourself..." Ludwig scoffed. "What the hell is wrong with you when there's even no side to pick! Boy, you don't know what this man you called sociopath did to save us when mother and you ran away, leaving us no trace of money we could use for food! Why the hell are you even here? Looking for damned justice when you didn't know the whole story? You think we live our lives in luxury? Fuck off! We're all the same here, victims of mistake that these old had pulled! You don't get to blame anyone. You don't get to act like the most damaged person in this hall with your one-sided view, you close-minded scumbag!"

That's it! Everything he mouthed was annoying and progressively added fuel to the fire. This 17-year-old boy thought he knew more things than me like he was dearly experienced. He knew nothing! He didn't know a pint of my pain!

"You both, stop!" K dove into the conversation as soon as Lili left the hall. Chaminade and Giuseppe, on the other hand, remained muted— eyes locked on us, responding silence before it stirred the situation worse. "At least respect the food! Show a little decency! Everyone has their own version of their story and having different views doesn't mean other's is wrong. Sometimes we should understand and just shut our mouth."

I tilted my head sideway in disbelief with one brow in the sky, peering intently at K.

"You're choosing his side? After you told me it was Giuseppe's fault back there at Shoestring Lake? Son of a bitch! You're worse than I expected!" I exclaimed arms crossed as I threw aggressively an intricately designed plate that it created a thunderous noise as it hit the wall, ringing on our eardrums boldly.

"What's with you and sides!" K retorted.

Chaminade stormed out, perhaps angry about what was happening or just checking on Lili on her room, but who the fuck minded when I had no company here siding me!

"I have had enough! I'm leaving!" With nothing lying on my stomach, I vamoosed out leaving them hanging on their fucked up celebration.

"And where do you think you're going!" K yelled in the hall.

"Somewhere I couldn't see your face!" I replied out and slammed the door of the dining hall, sending series of vibrations along the way.

I sallied forth, through the halls, doors, and turns after it led me to the closed gate. I didn't believe this gate could electrocute me. Ludwig said they didn't live their life in luxury which just implied they couldn't afford such installment of technological advancement. Climbing this would be nothing like hard for me, I used to do it when I was 15 first thing in the morning when I chose to sleep in someone's house.

I was about to jump on the other side but 5 silhouettes of men stopped me from even landing my feet on the ground.

"It's dangerous out there, Pyotr!" K cried out with both of his hands circled around her lips to louden his voice.

It was the first time he called me by my name and it sounded comforting hearing that word escaping on his lips.

"I live my life in danger, Karlheinz... there's nothing new..." I replied not even looking at him becasue my eyes were zeroed upon the ground, still a hesitant if I walked away from him or not.

I was sure to leave a while ago, but with his presence present on the scene upon my departure made everything hard like his soul was not letting me escape his arms.

"Why are you even stopping him? You want that scumbag here in our house? You're worse than Johannes!" Ludwig screamed.

Johannes. I didn't hear his name before but it seemed like he was someone significant.

"He's your brother, Ludwig!" K replied in the most serious note a man could pull off his sleeve.

That old Giuseppe was just staring at me with his body guards on his back, seemed like anywhere he went, those two were tailing him. What's so special with him! He got our mother killed! 

"I'd rather have a dog than having that bigoted and hidebound dirtbag around! You know what happened before! That's why you tried to change it, didn't you? Yet here you are, letting the history repeat itself!" Lugwig exclaimed, he seemed to know a lot which made me stay here for a moment listening to the things my mind couldn't come up with something to what on Earth Ludwig was even saying.

"You two would get along!"

"I once hoped we would, too, but now that I knew his rotten attitude? There's no way tense wouldn't be present as our eyes met," Ludwig complained, withstanding what he wanted to point out.

I prepared myself to jump.

"As if I would want to get along with you, you dumbfuck! You don't worth my time nor my words! I should have never gone here! If this is what family looks like to you, I'd rather be an orphan..." I spoke and I jumped before I could even hear him reply.

The window above, which was still on the line of my sight, unlatched and Chaminade popped up with written text on white bond paper.

Confused, I stared before I turned my back ang finally walked away. It's not that I hadn't done this before, this was my life I used to live.

I gave Chaminade an intent glance and scanned the paper she held and exhibited for me behind the window. It was the name that Ludwig once spoke, but it had something more, too.

"Johannes was looking for our mother!"