After the moonlight party, it wasn't funny anymore. Things became tougher for Mira. The hatred that Empress Lulu and her daughter - Princess Bellina had towards her grew to its highest percentile overnight.
Mira's life in the Crums became a miserable one. As the days passed by, it became unbearable as the torments they were rendering on her were unending.
She had no option but to keep accepting it without knowing how to go about it.
Facing everyday became her biggest nightmare. They rendered all manner of abuse on her. Accusations were the other of the moments.
From one punishment to another. They never minded if the maiden was feeling pain.
All Empress Lulu and Princess Bellina wanted was to eliminate her.
Truly, they were working towards their plans gradually.
One day, Bella succeeded in secretly seeing her friend.
It wasn't easy for Bella because they banned Mira from seeing her friends after the moonlight party. This was one of the prizes she had to pay for being loved by many instead of her daughter, Princess Bellina.
They had made rules that anybody that they catch visiting Mira will be killed. This made many of her friends withdraw from visiting her.
Bella had escaped death that day because she was almost caught but being so smart, she outsmarted them and escaped for her dire life.
Mira was serving her duty - cleaning the back of the empire when Bella secretly came by. She pretended to be passing by which was not true. She had just come to try her luck if she would get to see her friend.
She hid herself in the small thick bush made up of hydrophilic plants that was located behind the empire as she talked to Mira.
Mira, in her own intelligence, drew near to the bush and they engaged in a small discussion.
It was in their discussion that she managed to narrate a little of the hell that she was going through to her friend.
In the process, one of the guards was overhearing their voices from the inside of the empress's chambers. Immediately, he made to the outside in a rush to know who was that to dare to fault the empress's orders. As he left the chambers, the golden flute fell from its position because it was disturbed by the guard while passing in a rush.
The noise sent shivers to Mira's spines. Being observant enough, she noticed that someone had been watching and that they would be caught if they're not careful.
She immediately told Bella to run for her dear life. That was how Bella escaped and she wasn't caught.
When the guard was finally outside, he was surprised to see that nobody was there. "I heard voices, I mean voices and I am very sure of it," he muttered beneath his breath. Still moving to and fro trying to look out for the person, Princess Bellina showed up.
Clearing her throat slowly like one whom her trap has caught a prey. "Provide the person you were discussing with or….," She said, smiling wickedly.
"I wasn't talking to anyone rather to myself," she said with a little rage in her voice as she looked at both of them.
"You're a big time lier!" Retorted Princess Bellina, pointing at her.
With rage in her spirit, she turned to the guard, "You didn't do your work smartly," she said to him furiously.
"Now! Get her, mother must hear this," she concluded as the guard captured Mira and they went to the throne to report and prosecute her.
"Long live your majesty!!" They chorused as they entered the throne.
Princess Bellina, without wasting much of their time, dived into the matter immediately.
"Mother, I caught this bitch talking with her friends behind the empire as she was pretending to be doing the cleaning, but she lied that she was never talking to anyone," she said, pointing at Mira.
"You're a big time lier, stupid bitch," she voiced out furiously as she concluded with her breath racing.
Empress Lulu - looking at her and being lost of words. After a while she stared at her and said, "Will you expose them, or…..?"
"I was never talking to anyone, your majesty," Mira caught in immediately with tears dripping down her cheeks.
"Squad!!!" The Empress screamed.
Within a while, they appeared.
"Long live your majesty!" They echoed.
"Deal with that bitch!" She said with wrinkles on her face.
"Cast her into the dark tunnel and let her rot there," she concluded.
Mira cried and pleaded to be spared but all to no avail. The squad paid deaf ears to her plea and blind eyes to her tears and gave her a harsh beating and after which she was casted into the dark tunnel.
Mira was already half dead when she was casted into the dark tunnel. It was believed that anyone casted into their will definitely die as the place is not conducive and dangerous animals exist there.
She had already given up hope of living when the hungry crab met her.
Instead of biting her up to death, it had pity on her.
The crab took her to the deepest part of the tunnel where she lived.
"This is my humble abode," said the crab. "Make yourself comfortable," she added, showing off a friendly smile.
She fed her and after she was done eating to her satisfaction, she started dressing her wounds. She treated her wounds till they got better.
She then inquired of Mira to tell her about herself.
At this point, Mira could not help but to tell her the story of her life starting from how she lost her father to unknown hands to how they denied her mother of being the empress of their empire to the disappearance of her mother to an unknown place because of the maltreatments and accusations she was getting from her sister - Empress Lulu, to how they denied her of being the real princess and the supposed empress since her mother who was supposed to assume the throne wasn't around to how she became homeless, to how they turned her to a help and hated her because everyone liked her instead of Princess Bellina to how they want to get rid of her.
When she finished narrating her story, the crab had pity on her.
The crab asked her one question.
"My dear Mira, you're so beautiful, I like you already. What would you like me to do for you now?"
"Honestly, If I survive this, I don't want to go back to that empire. I want to go to a different kingdom and start up a new life because I'm tired of suffering," she said crying.
"Relax, Mira, '' the crab said, cleaning her tears.
"Which kingdom could that be?"
"The surface, I want to be human. Those beings are kinder than half humans, I swear."
"Alright…let your wounds heal, your request will be granted," they ended their discussions.
Few days later after her wounds had healed, the crab took her to one of her very good friends that has the power to make humans.
When they got there, she told her what she wanted and the work began.
After some incantations, she was given a green concoction in a dark container to drink of which she drank and a beautiful necklace appeared in her hands.
"When you get to the surface, wear the necklace and you will be human. Don't ever pull it off your neck. If you do, you will be half human and you will get killed because you will be seen as a monster and finally never bath with hot water", she concluded and told them to go.
When they got out of her chambers, the crab showed her a way out to the surface and wished her good luck.
Mira was so happy to have broken out of her misfortunes at that point. Within her, that was the beginning of her Victory. She began swimming to the surface.
When she got to the exit from Crums, she was lucky to meet Gilmore at the exit in his duty post instead of other guards.
Gilmore secretly allowed her to go and wished her good luck too. She begged him to relate the news to Bella and tell her not to worry that she will definitely come back for them when the time is right and she departed from the Crums to the surface.
Swimming up there wasn't easy but because she was overwhelmed with excitement, she didn't feel the heat of the stress.
Within a while she got to the surface and straight to her favorite spot. She carefully checked around and made sure that no one was watching.
She then wore the necklace and after the shiney pyramidal pendant dropped on her chest, a stunning light shone so bright on her face down to her tails and something great and unusual happened.
Her beautiful tail disappeared and was replaced with beautiful legs. Her memory, too, was tampered with.