Does the Goddess like Babies?

I woke up having a nostalgic feeling. I was lying on my side, but I could see pieces of bones hanging from the ceiling. Not only that, but I was at Mrs. Hubson's house again. My body was still hurting, and my head was still spinning. I saw mom and Mrs. Hubson talking by the bedroom door, but I couldn't hear them. Mom was concerned about something. I felt cold. I looked down, and I was not wearing my clothes from earlier. I was just in my cloth diapers. Likewise, I tried to cry to mom and I laid on my back with all strength that I had left. I didn't want to stay there again. Then, I heard Jonathan's voice coming from the window.

"Mom, he is awake, and he is about to cry". Jonathan was outside, but his upper body was inclined inside the bedroom.

Mom picked me up and checked my temperature. I still had a fever, It had lowered down. Mrs. Hubson also checked my forehead and checked hers to compare temperatures.

"Indeed. He is better than earlier. We should keep watching him, Clarice. When you arrive home, do as I suggested"

I put my head on mom's shoulder. My bad mood was back, and my body was aching again. I felt it would be better not to move nor leave mom's side. Even the lights and sounds like the ones from the bones were also bothering me. Gladly, mom didn't stay there much longer. She covered me with a white cloth and walked home with Jonathan. The way home was difficult. Mom walked and the swinging of her steps made me dizzier. They had to stop a few times for me to recover. I vomit a few times on the way home.

When we arrived home, it was close to sundown, and Alice was waving at us at the front door. Mom asked Alice if Dad was already at home, so he could take a look at me. Alice said she had not seen him yet. Mom looked behind the path with a worried face.

"Shouldn't Dad be home already, mom?" asked Jonathan.

"He might have had a lot of work to do… Soon he will be home. Let's wait inside". She held Jonathan's hand and went inside.

Mom took my dirty piece of clothing off and took me to the bathtub. She added some herbs, but the water was cold.

"Mom, wouldn't you need hot water? I can bring you a bucket with it from the kitchen". Alice and Jonathan were watching Mom and me, but Alice offered herself to help. Jonathan looked to be worried. He walked home with us and saw that I was not doing well.

"It's alright, sweetie. Mrs. Hubson said we should bathe him in cold water to lower down the fever. The herbs will help him to breathe better". Alice nodded as if she understood what mom was doing.

Mom held me in one of her arms in a way that my chest and belly were touching. My back was completely exposed to her. Mom filled her free hand with cold water and poured it on my back. I started a weak and low crying. I didn't have enough strength to fight against it.

"It's cold, but we need to keep your fever down, sweetie. I'm sorry". She gently poured the cold water on my back, doing a massage afterward to help to calm me down.

It was painful. The cold water felt like fire burning my back's skin. My lungs shrank and it was harder to breathe. I could smell the herbs and feel the refreshing sensation on my skin, but the water was too cold to be enjoyable. When mom was moving me to pour more water on other parts of my body, I noticed Alice and Jonathan were still at the door, spying on us. They were holding each other's hands and waiting for something to happen.

When Mom noticed my fever got down, she wrapped me in a soft cloth to dry me out. Since no more cold water was not being poured on me, I realized my body was not aching as before. I even felt hungry. She took me to our bedroom to put my diapers on. Jonathan and Alice were following her the entire time, but they didn't say anything. I cried with more strength than before. She might have noticed that I was hungry. She sat on the bed and breastfed me with a happy face.

"It was painful, but it worked. You are such a strong little baby!"

"Mom, do you think his sickness is anything related to the Wolfsbane?", said Alice, bringing some tea to mom with. Jonathan was with her with a worried expression.

"It could be because the flowers are poisonous, but I don't think so, sweetheart. Wolfsbane is poisonous if we eat them. Good point, though. However, let's wait for Dad and see what he thinks"

"He is not home yet, Mom, and it's already nighttime… Should we remove the plants from the house just to be safe? We can put them in the backyard". They were insisting that my sickness had to be something related to the plants.

"Are you two feeling well? You also have a plant in your bedroom"

"I am fine; nothing has changed since the flower blossom event". Alice looked at her body and turned around to show Mom she was going fine.

"Me too", said Jonathan.

"I am also fine. I didn't notice any change too. I don't think it's the plants. But as I said, your Dad knows more than I do"

"Mom, if it's the flowers doing that, it means the goddess doesn't like him, or she doesn't like babies?" added Jonathan. He looked at Alice as if they had talked about it before.

"That makes sense, but it's too soon to make any predictions. Your dad knows more than I do. He wouldn't bring something inside the house to hurt us". Mom's last sentence sounded more like self-talk and doubt rather than anything else.

"We don't know yet… Mom, let us put the flowers in the backward. They will be fine outside. I still can see them through our bedroom window". They kept insisting on removing the plants from the house for my safety's sake.

"Alright, sweeties. Please place the plants in the backyard. Don't forget what Dad said, the plants need shadow. So, be sure that they will not get sunlight in the morning". My siblings grabbed the pot with the plant and left the bedroom.

Mom kept breastfeeding me, and it took more time than normal. I was slowly drinking her milk. I didn't have much energy to drink it at my normal pace. As I drank her milk, my body was getting a bit lighter. It was still hurting me, but not as before. The milk was giving me the necessary energy to start moving my body. Mom held my hand with a smile. It was a sign that I was getting better. Suddenly, Alice and Jonathan rushed into the room. With pale faces. Their hands and knees were covered in earth.

"Mom, we saw someone in the woods! Dad said to tell you or him if we see something!"

"Yes! I thought Alice would be toying with me, but I also saw someone there!"

"Let's close the doors and shut the windows!"

"Yes, mom!"

Mom stood up and helped my siblings to close the windows with a wooden bar, reinforcing them to be shut and holding any unwanted person outside. Soon all our windows and doors were securely closed. We all went to Alice's and Jonathan's bedroom since they had a window that led to the backyard. Mom shut the candles off and watched outside through the cracks of the window.

"Do you see anything, mom?". Jonathan was too afraid to go near the window. Mom nodded negatively.

"Where do you two see the person?", Mom whispered.

"We saw someone down the hill, in the woods over there", said Alice pointing in the direction also trying to keep her voice low.

"The moon was not high yet, and we cannot see much from her…"

"What do we do, mom? Dad is not here"

Mom hurried to check if something was still in her pocket. I could hear a low metal-clashing sound.

"Let's keep the candles in the kitchen on. If there is a person, they might be waiting for us to sleep, and let's grab some sticks or anything that we can use to protect ourselves"

Alice and Jonathan were scared. I could see Jonathan's hands shaking. Alice took him by his and told him to grab the wooden sword that Dad gave them. Mom went to our bedroom and looked for Dad's quiver and bow. Once everyone was ready, they went to the kitchen. Mom had a quiver on her back, and my siblings were holding their wooden swords, which looked more like toys but were hard enough to hurt someone. Time passed and nothing happened.

If someone were indeed lurking in the house or the area, the person would wait until they sleep, and my siblings looked hungry. So, Mom decided to warm up the stew from yesterday and give my siblings dinner without Dad as an attempt to calm them down. However, we heard something outside on the path. It had heavy steps and a shuffling gait. Everyone kept waiting to hear it. It was coming closer to the front door, which was the kitchen's one. Mom hurried to turn off the lights and the stove. We waited in the darkness. I could feel Mom's heart beating faster. She set the bow ready and aimed at the door. My siblings were behind her. Alice whispered, asking Mom.

"Mom, could it be Dad?"

"I don't know sweetie, but we need to be ready if it's not him… I hope it's him", said Mom, whispering back.

It stepped on the wooden door in front of our house and walked to the door. It tried to open the door a few times. My siblings gasped in fear with a silent scream.