Beyond the Games: A Journey in the World of The Hunger Games"

1

I hardly noticed how the first rays of light began to take over the small room. I spent the entire night by my little Charles's side; he was small and dreamy, and even with the world around him in pieces, he still found reasons to smile.

This would be the third year that his name would be among those of several children who would be selected to participate in a bloodbath, or as the Capitol likes to call it, the "Hunger Games."

But the truth is that for me, life has already been a struggle, and in parts, I have come out as the loser.

After my husband Benjamin passed away, I thought I wouldn't have the strength to move forward; tomorrow was uncertain.

Until the nausea and sudden trips to the bathroom started to show up. For a moment, I thought it was food poisoning. I didn't have money to buy something to relieve the nausea, so I had to turn to alternative medicine.

Benjamin had botanical knowledge; he knew which herbs could be used and when to use them. Living together, I ended up learning a few things.

We managed to help some people in the district, and in gratitude, they gave us what little they had. However, some viewed us as people dabbling in mysticism.

We didn't pay much attention to the accusations until one day when they came to our house, informing us that a man in the square was causing a commotion. Benjamin grabbed his things and went out.

The weather was cloudy, to the point where you could sense that something was about to happen.

Benjamin arrived at the square and found a crowd of people. He continued walking until he reached the guy who was having seizures. Although he was sweating from the run to get to the square, his voice was calm and tranquil.

He began to administer first aid. Next to him, he had a bag from which he took some scraps and two flasks, one with white powder and the other with leaves.

When he started preparing what would be a solution to help the poor guy, he noticed a drop of water had fallen on his arm.

That was it; it was happening.

In the midst of the crowd, a loud and clear shout was heard, "We don't want your alternative medicine in our district, charlatan!"

Benjamin thought it was a Peacekeeper, but to his surprise, it was one of his former patients. He claimed that after supposedly being cured, he began to struggle with his daily tasks, saying he lacked air. Benjamin instructed him to rest and gave him some leaves to make a tea to drink before bedtime.

The man must have thought he was already 100% cured and that it wasn't necessary to take these precautions. As a result, his illness wasn't treated as it should have been, leaving him with lasting effects.

At this moment, the rain intensified, mixing with the man's screams. Gradually, some people around the square began to approach the man; they must have been individuals who had a grudge against Benjamin or had experienced similar problems to his former patients.

Benjamin didn't seem to care until the fallen man stopped the attacks and slowly began to move again.