Pain

Hugo had never knew pain. A lot of other people did.
Every single person had at least experienced it at some point in their lives.
But not Hugo.
Because his life was absolutely nothing.
Nothing.
Why?
Because Hugo was not exactly a walking, talking, real life human.
His soul is so prodigiously empty, that there was nothing to fill it in the first place.

Hugo’s life is one great, big mystery.
And no one could solve it.
Until now.


Hugo had never had any friends. He preferred to sit in his cave rather than meet people. Most of the time he just snuck out to get some food, but even then, no one could see him.
Even in plain sight.
You might think he is a ghost, which is the thing that often comes to mind.
But he isn’t.
Hugo is not a human.
He is not an animal.
As I said before, he is a mystery.


America is a busy place.
It is also a popular tourist attraction.
Which is great for the economy.
But not so great for Hugo.
That meant that there were too many people around.
Even though no one could see him, Hugo still wasn’t satisfied.
People unnerved him.
But they were everywhere.
So he had to put up with it.
Even if it meant having to steal from them.

Hugo crouched as he approached the bakery.
The floor was dirty and smelled like 3 month old cheese.
He focused on the loaves of bread that lined the surface of the table.
Slowly, he crawled towards it.
Hugo gradually advanced towards the bread until he was about ten centimetres from the nearest loaf.
He edged a bit closer. Now he was right next to the bread.
Hugo swiftly grabbed a loaf from the side of the table. He grinned at it, feeling a sense of satisfaction.
He breathed in the smell. It smelt like wheat, mixed with sesame seeds.
Hugo quietly made his way out of the bakery. He was nearly outside the store, until……

Crunch.
A lady in an oversized fur coat instantly lifted her foot from the ground.
Or, to be more precise, Hugo’s hand.
He winced, but didn’t make a sound, otherwise the woman would have had heard him. One of the limitations of Hugo’s ability to live is that people can hear any single sound he makes.
Which is a bad thing.

“Ouch! What in the name of heaven was that?!” said the lady as she hopped over to a nearby bench to nurse her foot.
Hugo rolled his eyes.
That woman was a cry baby.
He looked at his hand. It was bright red, due to the impact of the woman’s foot.
It really hurt.
There was something he felt inside. He couldn’t name it, but it made him feel stressed.
Hugo tried to make it stop, but it kept coming.

And that, my dear readers, was how had Hugo first experienced pain.

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