Stalin was about to kiss Callisto, who was closing his eyes, as he didn't want to be seen by others being kissed by a disgusting girl. However, before Stalin's lips could reach his, she collapsed due to hunger.
    Callisto thought that perhaps Stalin had pushed herself to her limits, so he decided to carry her back to her house. After a few moments, Callisto reached her house and finally met Stalin's mother, who was also looking for her.
    "Thank you so much for bringing my daughter back home. I've been looking for her everywhere, and I am so worried about her. Where did you find her?" the woman asked as she helped Callisto bring her daughter inside the house.
    "Good day, ma'am," Callisto greeted. "I saw your daughter strolling down the road again. I was afraid that those cars may have run over her, so I decided to take her home. By the way, I am Callisto."
    "Again? Do you mean that it's not the first time you saw her on the road where there are many cars passing by?" The woman asked. She had been so busy with work recently that she had no idea what Stalin was up to. "It's not that I'm abandoning my daughter. I just have to work harder because we're poor, as you can see; we're living in this slum area."
    "I'm sorry for your struggle, ma'am," Callisto said, realizing that he couldn't blame the woman either, because she was just working for their survival in this cruel world. Although he wanted to help them, there was nothing else he could do, and it wasn't his responsibility to do that, so it would be better for him to not get himself involved with their lives too much.
    Callisto put Stalin on her bed and told the woman that he had seen her daughter several times on the street already. He said that he just moved here with his family for vacation.
    "So, you are just here for vacation?" they asked, taking the clothes on the chair to let Callisto sit on it. She thought that this boy looked rich, and perhaps she could make money from him, using her daughter's situation.
    "I'm sorry for my daughter. You know, she has autism. Perhaps it's caused by—" the woman stopped as she couldn't stop herself from crying. "I shall not tell you about our problems because you're so young to be involved with this."
    "Don't worry about it, ma'am. I'm here to listen, or at least that's what I can do," Callisto replied.
    "Yeah, thanks for being so considerate," the woman said. "Anyway, do you want water?"
    Even though Callisto didn't reply that he wanted to drink water, the woman immediately disappeared from the kitchen, while Callisto was staring at Stalin's face, wondering how she turned this way. He knew it must be difficult for her to live like this, and for her mother as well.
    After a while, the woman went back with a cup of water. She gave it to Callisto, who also didn't refuse to accept and drink it, and then she sat down on the wooden chair.
    "You and my daughter look so close. I want to ask you directly: is there something between you and her? You know, what I mean is, do you have a relationship?" The woman asked in a serious tone.
    Callisto was speechless; he didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure about his feelings either. He knew it couldn't be love, but perhaps sympathy for her condition.
    Stalin might want to kiss him, but Callisto knew that was not enough reason that she liked him too, because it was only caused by her insanity, and she got close to him because she always saw him.
    "Okay, I know what you're thinking. You don't have to answer my question if it's difficult. I understand that. I'm just curious," the woman said.
    "No, I have feelings for your daughter, ma'am," Callisto admitted. "I know that even though she has autism, that can't stop me from loving her. I know that it wasn't just sympathy because of her condition, but isn't it that sympathy leads to love?"
    "I'm not in your position, Callisto, right?" The woman asked, and Callisto nodded as a response. "So, I don't know what you really felt for my daughter. What I only want is her safety and happiness. You know, I'm getting old, and soon I will die, and I don't want my daughter to be a beggar who's strolling around the town during the daytime."
    "Ma'am, please don't say that. You can live as long as you want," Callisto tried to convince her, but it seemed difficult.
    "Callisto, life is unpredictable and death is unavoidable for everyone. But I want you to promise me that you will take care of my daughter once I'm gone. This is all I wish for." Tears formed in her eyes and ran down her face.
    Callisto didn't say anything. It was like the woman was passing her responsibility to him because she was going somewhere, and Callisto knew that it mustn't be his responsibility to take care of someone who wasn't even related to his blood.
    "I know you're confused why I'm telling you this, but please, Callisto. I hope you'll take care of my daughter even if just as a friend. You don't know how much I wish her to have a normal life," the woman said.
    A few moments later, Stalin woke up and saw her mother lying on the chair next to her. The woman looked pale. Stalin stood up and hugged her, but she was cold and was lifeless. Stalin suddenly let out a loud scream, knowing that her mother was leaving her.
    "Don't worry, ma'am, I'll take care of your daughter whatever happens," Callisto said quietly, looking at the woman in front of him, who was beaming with hope and happiness even after death.
    That woman was confident that Callisto would take care of her daughter, especially since she saw in his sparkling eyes that he cared for her, that he has a kind heart. She could finally rest in peace, knowing that someone would willingly take her role.
    Callisto called an undertaker and let them prepare a simple funeral for the poor woman. Callisto decided to stay for a while, as he couldn't just leave Stalin alone with her dead mother.
    Laterally, the wooden coffin was sent to Stalin's house, and they put the woman's body inside. Callisto felt sad as he didn't even get the name of the woman.
    What was more miserable was because of how those people would treat a corpse just because they could get nothing from it. The woman was treated like an animal, as they couldn't even provide her a proper funeral.
    Callisto already told his parents what happened by calling them, and they sent their condolences to Stalin's family. However, they couldn't go there because they didn't know this woman nor the girl named Stalin.
    If Callisto was like those other people out there who were carefree about whatever was going on, he already went home and left the crazy girl behind, following her mother's advice that he shouldn't get himself involved with the lives of other people he didn't know.
    But because he felt a lot of sympathy for Stalin, he was the one who managed everything without complaining. He acted so mature by calling for help and preparing the funeral. The authorities asked him what his relationship was with the deceased, and he told them the truth.
    "Are you sure you're not related to them?" The man asked. "Then why are you doing this for them? Why are you helping people who don't even know you that much?"
    "I'm just doing what I can do, sir. That girl isn't in her right mind, and she couldn't manage everything without anyone's help," Callisto said, referring to Stalin.
    "I commend you for your kindness, but you don't have to do this anymore. You're so young, and your parents might be looking for you now. It'll be our responsibility if something bad happens to you. Just leave this to us; we'll send the girl to the mental health facilities," another woman said.
    Callisto thinks about it for a while. Stalin's mother told him to take care of her daughter, and he could break his promise if he'd hand her to these guys.
    "Please, sir. Allow me to let Stalin live with us," Callisto said. "Her mother begged me to take care of her, so I'm willing to convince my parents to let her in."
    "That's so kind of you, man. But taking care of a mentally ill girl is difficult. Are you really sure about that? Can you let us talk to your parents if they'd do that?" The man asked.
    Callisto hesitated for a while. He knew that his parents would never allow him to have an affair with a crazy girl. But he couldn't just abandon Stalin now that she had nobody to turn to, because no one from her family even came to attend her mother's funeral.
    As the night came, a strong force pulled Stalin inside her room. Callisto tried to hold onto her hand, but the force was so strong that nobody could stop it, not even the strongest person in the world, so he eventually gave up. The door of Stalin's bedroom slammed shut, and Callisto had no idea what was happening inside.
    "Stalin! Stalin! Are you alright?" Callisto asked worriedly while knocking on the door.
    "Who are you?" A voice of a girl asked.
    "Stalin? Is that you? Can you please open the door for me? I want to see if you're just fine," Callisto said.
    "The door is already open. You may get inside, but first you must introduce yourself to me and my mother. Do you know where my mother is?" The girl asked.
    "I am Callisto, and did you forget what happened?" Callisto slightly scratched his head. "Please open the door. I want to see if you're just fine, and please make everything clear—goddammit—I'm so confused."
    After Callisto said those words, the girl didn't say anything or make any noise. There was a complete silence inside the house, except for the ticking of the old wall clock and the back-and-forth swinging of the pendulum.
    Callisto sat down on the floor, pressing his head as he was dumbfounded by whatever was going on. After a few moments, he stood up and opened the door. Callisto slowly entered the room, and when he looked around, he was surprised by what he saw.
    "Stalin? Is that you?" Callisto asked in a surprised tone of voice, seeing a beautiful girl standing by the window.
    "Oh! You're the boy I saw yesterday who was gazing at me. By the way, what are you doing in my house, and how did you know my name?" Stalin asked.
    "It seems like you really don't remember anything," Callisto said, touching his chin thoughtfully.
    "No?" Stalin replied in a curious tone. "Would you mind telling me what happened?"
    "As I have said, I am Callisto, and I'm always with you during the daytime, and now I know that you have a different character during the nighttime. Can you please explain how this happened?" Callisto asked.
    "You're with me every time I transform into an ugly girl?" Stalin inquired, feeling embarrassed. "I want to explain it to you, but first you must tell me where my mother is and how you could enter my house."
    "Your mother, your mother has died," Callisto replied. "This might sound unreal because that woman acts tough, but that's the truth. She died earlier."
    "My mother? My mother had passed away? How can you say that? I don't even know you. You must be lying. Please take back what you've said. My mother is not dead yet! She's not dead!" Stalin screamed.
    Seeing the girl cry in front of him, Callisto wanted to take back his words, but he couldn't do it. There are things in this world that cannot be undone.
    "I'm sorry for your loss, Stalin," Callisto said in a low voice.
    Stalin couldn't believe him, but when Callisto opened the door of her room, she saw a coffin below and realized who was lying inside it. She remembered her last conversation with her mom, but she didn't expect that it would be the last. She told her that she'd do everything to fulfill her responsibility as her mother even though she was tired, but now Stalin couldn't believe that she took a rest.