"I CRIEd 4 MY BROTHER 6 TIMES" (part 1)

I cried for my brother 6 times
I was born in a secluded village of a mountain.
Days by days my parents plowed the yellow dry soil
with their backs facing the sky.

I have a younger brother, 3 years younger than me.
Once, to buy a handkerchief which all girls around me
seemed to have, I stole 50 cents from my father's drawer. Father known
about it right away.

He made my younger brother and me kneeled against the
wall, with a bamboo stick in his hand.

"Who stole the money?" he asked.

I was stunned, too afraid to talk. Father didn't hear
any of us admit, so he said, "Fine, if nobody wants to
admit, you two should be beaten!"

He lifted up the bamboo stick.

Suddenly, my younger brother gripped father's hand and
said," Dad, I was the one who did it!"

The long stick smacked on my brother's back repeatedly.

Father was so angry that he kept on whipped my brother
until he lost his breath.

After that, he sat down on our stone bed and scolded
my brother, "You have learnt to steal from your own
house now, what other embarrassing things you
will do in the future?? You should be beaten to death!
You shameless thief!"

That night, mother and I hugged my brother. His body
full of injuries, but he didn't shed a single tear.

In the middle of the night, all of sudden I cried out
loudly.

My brother covered my mouth with his little hand and
said, " Sis, now don't cry anymore. Everything has
happened."

I still hate myself for didn't have enough courage to
admit what I had done.


(cont')