Love is like a full rose in bloom—beautiful, mesmerizing, and hypnotic. The emanating red that pierces envied onlooking eyes makes it all the more amorous, and all the more desirable.  Insects of all kind are attracted to the beauty that it beholds, and soak up the liveliness and joy from within the depths of its heart.  It is only when winter comes, and the leaves start to fall and the air becomes frigid, that the petals tumble down one by one, until they have all crashed onto the quaking floor like broken pieces of glass. Yes, like broken pieces of glass, that is how my whole world turned upside down, and the love I had seen with my eyes so many times in the past had branded itself onto my heart and was never seen again.
     

My mother is a woman of love, or rather she is in love with love and the affection it gives to the ones who accept it, however the thought of loneliness tinges the back of her mind like a pesky flea. On the other hand, my father is a man of discipline, and has seen more evil and corruptness in this world then most men, but his dominance and authority intimidates even those who feel they have more supremacy.  Now that my eyes are open, I should have known, even at the age of seven, that a marriage like that was doomed to crumble. Even so, deep down I knew my mother and father cared for one another, but it was not like a rose. It was like a flightless bird—ready to soar, but too afraid to make the commitment.
      

Darkness enveloped me on the night I was taken from my home and dragged to the den that contained my mother and the "Snake". I was caged, like a wild animal, inside of a demon chariot parked across from the Snake's fortress on the other side of the street. I watched, through the foggy windows, each trudging step my father took as he made his way to the entrance. One bang, two bangs, three bangs echoed throughout the street as my father's mighty knuckles met the rough timber of the door. My mind was clouded with confusion, making my thoughts turn into dust and vanish. I glanced to my left and saw my sister and cousin crying, but the fogginess that conquered my confused seven-year-old thoughts made it hard to process why they spilled such beautiful, twisted tears.
     

Light spilled through the entrance of the fortress as the door slowly opened and revealed the Snake's parents, who were visiting him for a nutritious meal. Words spilled that then turned into anger, and the graceful silhouette of my mother appeared in the doorway, frantic and worried. Worried that the life she built up until that point would be engulfed by the darkness of the eclipse, never being able to see the rays of sunshine again. Watching as my mother and father spat venomous words to one another, I saw my entire future, that sat on top of a golden throne, begin to collapse. I silently sat confused, listening to the sniffling of my sister and the sighs of my cousin.
       

My mother fell to the trickery ways of the Snake, and as a result ate the forbidden fruit. Once bitten, she evoked a life full of resentment and agony. A life where slithering snakes were no longer tolerated, and deception was considered malicious.