Take Me Home, Country Roads chapter 2

Shival caught a ride. The song “Take Me Home, Country Roads” was playing repeatedly in the car. The sad melody made him feel a pang of sadness. Yes, home was the best. Thinking of his father’s dissuasion back then, he felt extremely regretful. But it was too late now. Would his father forgive him? How was his father doing now?

After a day – and – night journey, the car finally stopped in the small town. The town was still as quiet and peaceful as it was many years ago when he left home. Shival approached his house nervously. He knocked on the door for a long time, but there was no answer.

Shival was extremely disappointed. He had no choice but to turn around and walk towards his uncle’s house not far away. Just as he reached the front door, a big black wolf – dog suddenly jumped out and barked at him. Shival was so scared that he hid to one side. At that moment, an old man came out after hearing the noise.

Shival recognized him as his uncle. He excitedly shouted, “Uncle, it’s me, Shival!”

The old man groped his way to Shival, held his breath, and looked at him carefully. Suddenly, the muscles on his face twitched violently, and two lines of turbid tears rolled down. He grabbed Shival’s hand and choked with sobs, “Shival, you’re finally back. Your father has suffered so much because of you…”

It turned out that after Shival ran away from home, his father, França, started looking for him everywhere. In order to find his son, França sold the farm and the house over the years. He almost traveled all over the country but still couldn’t find Shival. All the signs indicated that his son might be dead. At this time, the sad and desperate França had nothing left. After years of running around, he was also in poor health.

Half a month ago, França said goodbye to Shival’s uncle. He said that he had read in the newspaper that many helpless old people committed serious crimes on purpose so that they could go to prison. Although there was not much freedom in prison, there was food, drink, and medical care. It was a good place to spend one’s old age! He had made up his mind to go to the Natal City Museum during this carnival to damage the famous paintings so that he could be sent to prison. Despite his uncle’s repeated dissuasion, the old man still insisted on taking the bus to Natal.

No one could have imagined that soon after, the sad news came that França had been killed by the painting – stealing robbers!

Hearing this, Shival let out a sudden scream and staggered out of the door…

After that, the people in the small town of Goiás could always see a crazy – looking man, ragged and unkempt, walking around and shouting loudly, “I killed my father. I killed my father…”