In the heart of their rugged cave, the dim flicker of a flickering fire painted eerie shadows on the uneven walls. Garnt, with furrowed brows and unwavering determination, sat hunched beside a makeshift bed of furs and leaves. His mother lay there, her face pale and drawn, beads of sweat glistening on her forehead.
[You were lucky to find dry branches inside the cave, if not you won't even be able to start a fire]
Garnt heard the voice of Eva inside his head and he couldn't be more thankful to her, as he already saw how comfortable the space became after they lit the fire.
"I'm glad you came to help me Eva, sorry for doubting you and trying to talk back," Garnt looked at the empty ceiling of the cave and muttered, as he looked at his half-naked mother, who was only covering her vagina with a single piece of animal fur. "She is all I have right now, I want her to be healthy and strong,"
[Kid, you've been tending to her day and night. You're weary, your own strength waning. She needs you to be strong. But you mustn't forget your own well-being. You can't help her if you exhaust yourself so go and rest while you can.]
"Water! Thirsty... Water...Water," While they were talking, suddenly Garnt's mother started to cough weakly, her voice barely a whisper. She clutched her dry throat and looked at Garnt with pleading eyes, her face pale and sweat-soaked. Realizing the urgency of the situation, Garnt's heart raced. Without wasting a moment, he sprang into action.
Fear and determination filled Garnt's eyes as he rushed towards the corner of their cave where they had stored water springs filled with the precious liquid from the nearby water sources. The springs were not completely full, but they held enough to potentially relieve his mother's immediate thirst and help ease her distress.
Garnt's hands trembled as he carefully took some water into his hand, mindful not to spill a single drop. But before he could go there, half of the water started to spill and when he tried to give water to his mother, she couldn't even drink properly as her mouth refused to open properly.
"Eva, what should I do? At this rate, she won't survive," Garnt whispered desperately, his voice cracking with emotion. He looked at the frail figure of his mother, her condition deteriorating rapidly.
Eva's steady thoughts conveyed to Garnt's, her voice thoughtful yet resolute. Her voice carrying a sense of urgency, she suddenly spoke,
[You need to take some water into your mouth and feed it to her directly. It might be difficult for her to drink from her hands in this state]
Realization dawned upon Garnt, his fear momentarily giving way to determination. He nodded to Eva, his gratitude evident in his eyes. Without another word, he rushed back to the springs, scooping up some water into his mouth, careful not to waste a drop. His heart raced as he hurried to his mother's side, his hands still trembling, but now with a newfound purpose.
Kneeling beside his mother, Garnt leaned in gently, his own lips barely touching hers. He let the water flow into her mouth, a slow and steady stream that she could manage. It was a delicate process, but Garnt was unwavering, his focus solely on helping his mother quench her thirst.
As the cool water trickled into her parched mouth, Garnt's mother stirred weakly, her eyelids fluttering. With each precious sip, colour began to return to her cheeks, and a faint glimmer of strength flickered in her eyes. Garnt held his breath, his heart pounding, hoping and praying that this act of desperation would work.
Observing this scene, Eva felt a sense of inner turmoil as her own emotions began to deceive her, witnessing Garnt's interactions with his mother.
[If I truly cared for my daughter, would she respect and take care of me in a similar manner? I guess I was a bad parent after all.]
As his mother's strength slowly returned, Garnt took a deep breath and steadied himself. He knew the battle was not yet won, but this small victory fueled his determination. Garnt's thoughts, however, were not solely focused on his mother's recovery. His memories stirred, and he found himself thinking about moments he had witnessed, moments filled with warmth and tenderness between others and the feeling of soft and tender lips.
Curiosity and a newfound sense of urgency overtook him. He needed answers and guidance to understand these unknown things that he kept seeing in his memories, to be more accurate in Eva's memory.
"Eva, I've seen... I've seen people sharing affection through kisses in my memories. What... what are kisses? What do they mean? So by kissing her did I become her lover since they are the ones that always do those things?"
It was an innocent question of a kid, but Eva felt shocked and guilty hearing such things, as it was pure taboo for her. Eva wasn't a heartless woman to mislead a child, so she decided to act as a proper teacher to this naive but strong kid.
[Noooo! Don't even think like that, she is your mother, this is just an emergency so this is invalid, Looks like I will have to teach you everything from the beginning]
Garnt listened intently, absorbing Eva's explanation. At this point, Eva's words became absolute to Garnt as he started to see her as his guardian angel simply because she helped his mother.
[Until she gets better, keep collecting wood and leaves from trees. Since the rain is already over, it won't be a big problem. From now on, you're going to learn and act every day, so get ready]
Despite being aware of the challenges that lay ahead, Garnt remained resolute in his determination to traverse the arduous journey. He was prepared to face whatever peril came his way, driven by his unwavering commitment to safeguarding the individuals who held a special place in his heart.