As time passed, the memories of the tragic night slowly shifted into scars for the family.
Some things had changed, however.
His mother no longer went outside too often and remained inside with him all day.
She didn't seem to be as happy as she once was, and through innocently eavesdropping, Anku concluded that his mother had a lot on her mind.
Regardless of her own state, she always put him as her priority and took care of him with the same affection she always expressed.
Babyl, concerned about his wife's state, also spent more time metalworking at the hut, though anywhere close to the furnace was now completely off-limits to his son.
At night, they would gather on the straw bed, and Babyl always reassured his wife, "Siria, sleep well."
"I don't know, Babyl, I've been getting bad dreams, not only of that night but of that man too."
As she articulated the latter part of her sentence, Anku felt his mother's hands get cold and shiver.
'Who is this man?' He knew his parents would never tell him.
"Siria, you've made the right decision, I'll never doubt that."
________
Soon enough, it was time for the new year again, and the beginning of Addaru.
However, unlike last year, the celebrations this year were much more different.
The previous summer, autumn, and winter had been too dry, and harvests were extremely minuscule compared to last year.
Water was also becoming a rarer resource, causing residents to unwillingly forgo hygiene and other essential water-consuming activities.
Consequently, disease was spreading through the village in a rampant manner, and the ongoing famine was not in the villager's favor.
In fact, Ura, one of Anku's friends, was now confined to her home with her mom, since they needed to take care of her heavily ill father.
Therefore, this new year wasn't a time of celebration, as they couldn't afford to present any food, never mind burying it.
The villagers instead sat down in distant circles and all paid attention to the village elder.
"I'm sure you've all notic-
"Elder! We're dying! We need medicine, what is the witch doing?" Ura's mom, who was also part of the commonfolk, interrupted the elder's speech, presenting her tragic case.
At that moment, everyone's attention turned towards a woman on the very edge of the gathering.
This was Enheduanna, the witch doctor.
She noticed the hostile glares, and stood up, speaking in her defense, "Well, I don't have any herbs to make medicine."
Her eyes passed through the crowd, pausing for a slightly longer period on four children.
All of the four felt suffocated at the moment, but Ura, in particular, turned blank.
Another common villager retorted, "HOW? I heard you have a sprawling herb garden!"
"YES! WHY?"
"!!!!"
In times of desperation, wrath, ire, and other negative emotions easily sprouted amidst a community.
Enheduanna coughed, and replied, "Well, my herb garden was destroyed by..."
She paused and took a glance at Anku, whose small body was hidden amongst the crowd.
Anku felt time stop at that instant, and fear overtook him.
"I DID I-
"A wandering tiger."
Enheduanna cut him off and finished her words.
Anku didn't know what to say, as he fell to the ground.
His parents misinterpreted this differently, as they hugged him and said, "Don't worry, I'm sure Ura and her parents will do very well, my light..."
Anku nodded listlessly, though guilt still chiseled at his weak, undeveloped heart.
At her explanation, the villagers could not protest anymore, and as the bandwagon of hate slowed down, they soon moved on to other subjects they could throw their hate at.
At that moment, a younger woman from the crowd stood up.
She moved her hands expressively, and exclaimed, "Elder, if you ask me, I would say this disaster is only the result of our sins against the gods!"
"Huh?"
"Sins?"
"Who?"
The villagers found her appeal compelling, but no one wanted to admit they could have been sinners, so they all looked around to their peers to find a possible victim.
Over time, by sheer coincidence, all eyes seemed to look towards a single person.
Babyl felt anxious, and when he turned to the direction everyone glanced at, his face turned livid from shock.
Siria closed her and bit her lips, knowing full well she was the target of their witch hunt.
The younger woman from earlier took notice of this and smirked, "I'm not sure it is much of a coincidence that the entire village seems to agree..."
Babyl frantically stood up and exclaimed, "Why are you spreading lies?!"
The woman smirked, and replied, "Lies? It isn't much of a secret what your wife has done, is it, my villagers?"
Now, the mob had found a perfect target for their dissatisfaction, and they would not let her go.
A random man shouted in approval, "She has broken her oath to the goddess Narth, her oath to bear the seed of only one man!"
At that instant, Siria stood up.
She had tears in her eyes, and she screamed, "A MAN FORCED HIMSELF ON ME! WHY CAN'T I MOVE ON FROM THAT?!"
The villagers had looks of indecision on their faces, as Siria's appeal was reasonable.
Yet, the elder coughed hoarsely, gathering everyone's attention back towards him.
"Daughter Siria, your case does hold value, however, it stands to date that you have still broken your monogamy oath to the goddess, and might have brought down catastrophe on all of us."
The younger woman nodded, and added, "On top of that, you have still chosen to raise a devil's spawn, attracting the wrath of the gods even further!"
The villagers now looked at the petite silhouette below the two parents.
Anku, now the target of everyone's attention, looked around in confusion.
Siria fell down to her knees and embraced her child, "Anku, don't say anything, okay, my light?"
"What's happening, mom?" Anku's jaw was shaking slightly.
Enheduanna took a sharp glance at the couple and their son.
She didn't like the way the situation was developing, and a bitter sensation arose inside her heart.
After embracing and reassuring her child, Siria faced the villagers once again, "Once again, I see no connection between my decision to raise a child, one that has been adamantly granted to me by the goddess, considering Anku has grown healthy and big..."
The pressure of the villager's wrath was weighing ridiculously heavy on her back, but she stood upright.
Another pair of shoulders also helped her sustain that weight.
Babyl and Siria were not defending themselves.
The only person they wanted to defend today was their light, their love, and the fruit of their union, their son, Anku.