Saska fell into a large cornfield. He stood frozen in place for minutes, listening for any sound, but there was only silence. Suddenly, a bird appeared above him, and he almost fainted from fear. He ran through the cornfield without paying attention and fell into a very deep well, breaking his right leg. He couldn't stay silent and let out a very loud scream. His scream was so loud that all the villagers heard it, but because of its intensity, no one could determine its exact location.
All the villagers—men, women, and children—came out, wondering where this strange and terrifying sound had come from. Some said it was the end of the world, while others said it was a bad omen and told everyone to go back inside their homes and not come out, warning that anyone who went outside would disappear forever. Rumors and speculation spread throughout the village, while Saska was suffering at the bottom of the abandoned well, injured and with a broken leg.
He tried to stand on one leg and climb. He was strong, so he grabbed onto the sides and began to climb slowly, but every time he made progress, he fell again.
Without warning, a rope was thrown down to him. He grabbed it and realized that a human had thrown it. He thought that the human would kill him as soon as he got out, so he decided to stay in the well. He started thinking about his father: Did my father fall into a hole like this? Why do humans dig such large pits? They want to harm us.
The person above the well shook the rope as if telling him to climb up, but Saska preferred the bottom of the well rather than going up and becoming easy prey for humans. He decided that dying at the bottom of the well was better.
Then he thought to himself: If he wanted to kill me, he would have gathered his people and called them to come and see, or he would have buried me inside the well. He didn't do that. Is it possible that some humans are kind like us, or are they all a danger to us?
While Saska was lost in his endless thoughts, the person above threw down some food.
"Hah, human food. It must be poisoned. I won't eat it. He wants to kill me with poison. Humans are deceitful—I can't trust them or eat their food. That's impossible."
But without realizing it, he grabbed the bread and ate it all at once. It smelled so good that he ate it without thinking.
"Oh no, I ate human poison! It got me! He must have put some kind of magic in the food so I couldn't control myself. The human has defeated me again."
More food was thrown down to him.
Saska saw it and said, "He has doubled the poison. I definitely won't eat it this time… but it looks so delicious. I'm going to die here anyway—at least let me die with a full stomach."
"No, no, what am I thinking? The human doesn't want to harm me. He is helping me. I will climb the rope now."
Then he thought again: "No, this is dangerous. Humans change quickly. I can't trust them. But if I stay here, I will die. If I climb, I might also die, but there is hope that the human will help heal my leg and I can return to Shanba. Anything is possible. I will choose to climb."
Saska grabbed the rope and climbed little by little until he reached the top of the well. He found a very small human—it was the one who had been throwing him food and helping him climb.
"The small humans are kind, not like the adults," Saska said.
The child was the son of the farm owner. His name was John. He was not afraid of Saska at all. Instead, he believed that Saska would help him defeat his friends at school. John ran back to the house.
Saska thought, "He is going to bring more humans to eliminate me."
But John did not take long. He came back with some medicine and helped Saska by placing two wooden pieces on his broken leg and wrapping it with a medical bandage. He brought more food and water, then went back home without telling anyone.
John saw Saska as a friend, or perhaps a guardian who would protect him from bad people.
Every day, John brought food to Saska, checked on him, and talked to him. Over time, Saska began to learn the human language, even if it was difficult. He started pronouncing some words and letters and could say some difficult words easily. He learned a lot from the boy until his leg was completely healed.
Saska thought about casting a spell on John, but he hesitated every time. Whenever John brought food, Saska would try to cast the spell, but at the last moment, he would hesitate and stop.
One day, John came with a red bruise under his eye.
Saska pointed at it and said, "Hoo, hoo."
John said, "You mean who did it? It was one of the jerks at school. He thinks he's the strongest. I was about to beat him, but his friends helped him. Next time, I'll smash his head."
This time, John brought some clothes and tried to dress Saska in something different from what he was wearing. After several attempts, he finally managed to change Saska's appearance so he looked normal.
The next morning, while John was going to school on his bicycle, he found three boys in his way trying to take his bike by force. He stood his ground and tried to fight them. One of them said in great fear, "Okay, I'm sorry, we're all sorry," as if they had seen death with their own eyes.
John laughed, "Cowards," and picked up his bike. Suddenly, he looked around but didn't see anyone. He went to school, while Saska was behind him every step of the way, seeing everything while no one could see him…
In the land of Shanba, a civil war was about to begin, if not for the intervention of the Great Pathos, who calmed the situation and said, "Not now. Right now, we must focus on our greater goal. We need every one of you. It makes no sense to fight among ourselves. Stop, all of you. Sebasi will receive his punishment—just stop, please."
"Sebasi must die! That bastard—there is no other solution!"
The Great Pathos replied, "Are you the one who lost his father? We decide what will happen. We will imprison Sebasi until Saska returns. The discussion is over."