Ezel was about to speak, but a sharp voice shattered the silence and pierced the air like a rusty knife, calling her name and making her heart leap in terror.
"Ezel! You little monster, who are you chattering with in this empty space?"
Ezel stiffened where she stood, a chill of death running through her veins.
It was the voice that echoed through her nightmares—the voice of her uncle's wife, dripping with hatred.
A sudden silence seized her, as though an evil spirit had tied her tongue.
And in that moment of dreadful shock, a sudden panic gripped her mind:
Oh God… my hands are empty. I didn't bring anything!
A muffled laugh came from nowhere, mocking and cold beside her ear.
The man no one but her could see was making fun of her.
"Where's that sharp tongue of yours now? My God! Anyone who saw your usual attitude would never believe that the presence of one mortal woman could silence you this easily!"
She could not answer him. She would look like a madwoman in front of her uncle's wife.
He took advantage of her forced silence and began to annoy her, tugging carelessly at the edge of her dress, messing with the neatly arranged strands of her hair, and playfully pinching her cheeks with cold amusement.
Then, without warning, he shoved a heavy bag into her hand, filled with fresh, shiny vegetables and fruits, as though he had suddenly decided to—
Ezel said in a trembling voice:
"No… no one is here… I was… I was looking over these vegetables. Look!"
She lifted the bag as though it were a shield protecting her from the woman about to attack her.
Her uncle's wife stared at her, sparks of anger flashing in her eyes, and said mockingly:
"And what are you waiting for, you fool? Should we tear the kitchen walls down and bring it to you? Hurry up, idiot. Wash them and prepare dinner immediately!"
She answered meekly:
"Okay… okay, Aunt."
The other woman exploded in her face, her scream tearing through the silence of the house:
"I'm not your aunt! How many times do I have to drill it into your thick skull that you call me 'Madam'?"
Ezel fled toward the kitchen.
She stood in the corner, the sound of her rapid breathing the only thing breaking the silence.
Her hands were still trembling from the weight of the heavy bag, and her mind was spinning in an endless whirl.
But when she emptied the contents of the bag, she pursed her lips in anger mixed with confusion.
Ezel whispered angrily:
"Damn that idiot! Does he actually want to help me, or does he want to get me killed?"
They were not ordinary vegetables.
They were luxurious, expensive produce—fruits that had never crossed the threshold of this miserable house.
Her uncle's wife followed behind her, watching her, the scrape of her shoe against the wooden floor coming before her.
As usual, she intended to beat and scold Ezel for buying cheap things with the little money she had given her.
But she stopped dead when she saw those luxurious fruits.
She said angrily and suspiciously:
"Where did you get these? And where did you steal the money for all this luxury?"
Ezel answered fearfully:
"The seller told me that a rich person donates these fruits to the poor. And because I'm a regular customer and always shop from him, he gave them to me for the same cheap price."
Her uncle's wife narrowed her eyes and stepped closer to Ezel until the girl could feel her cold breath.
She spoke in a low voice, like the hiss of a snake:
"Do you think I'm stupid enough to believe that story? A generous seller? Lucky poor people? Only kings get fruit like this."
Then her uncle's wife looked at the fruit with deep suspicion and desire, her voice turning threatening.
"Listen, girl. I'll swallow your lie this time, but remember… the walls in this house have eyes. So I'll take these fruits now. But if I find out that you stole them or that you're hiding something from me, I'll make your night as black as tar. Now work in silence and prepare dinner for us."
A lump of injustice choked her chest.
While her uncle's wife tore at her dignity with words like useless and stupid, Ezel had to swallow her anger and remain silent.
She felt bitter because she was forced to lie and invent stories about the "generous seller" just to avoid a beating or being deprived of sleep.
Ezel carefully placed the dishes on the table, the smell of delicious food filling the room.
She was so hungry it almost killed her.
When her uncle saw her, he gestured toward her with his hand.
"Sit down, Ezel. Eat with us, my daughter. You've worked hard today."
Ezel was about to sit, but her uncle's wife's sharp voice stopped her like a knife.
Her uncle's wife said with malicious sarcasm:
"My dear husband, we're eating food prepared by her hands… Surely she didn't wait for us and eat before we did, right, Ezel?"
She emphasized every word as though driving needles into the girl's heart.
Ezel looked at her, gritting her teeth in frustration, struggling to hold back her tears.
She answered in a choked voice:
"Yes, Uncle… I already ate. I'll come back when you're finished to clear the dishes and wash them."
Ezel quickly withdrew into the kitchen, her heart aching.
She began searching through the pots, the corners, behind the dishes…
But there was nothing.
She had poured all the food into their plates and had not even left herself a piece of bread to satisfy her hunger.
She stood alone, feeling wronged and helpless, surrounded by the coldness of the silent walls.
Suddenly, she caught a familiar scent.
She turned to find him standing beside her with his sly smile.
"Hungry? Or does that sharp tongue of yours only eat words?"
She looked at him suspiciously.
Before she could open her mouth to scold him or ask what he wanted, he held out a red apple.
A rich, fragrant scent rose from it, like expensive perfume.
He said in a calm, deep voice:
"Aras."
Ezel stared at him in confusion and surprise.
"What?"
He boldly stepped closer, messing up her hair again as though she were a little child.
Then he lightly pinched her cheek, making her face flush red.
He whispered playfully:
"That's my name, sharp tongue… My name is Aras."
Before she could say a single word, he vanished from before her eyes, leaving her standing there in shock, holding an apple unlike anything she had ever seen in her life.