Tear drops dripped as she cried her heart out, looking at her child, held firmly within her arms. The baby boy had pristine eyes matching his lustrous hair. His cheeks had drops of her spilt tears on them. She wiped them off his cheeks gently.
The baby boy looked at his crying mother who held him so comfortably that he didn't feel the need to cry. Amidst the soothing hold and the nonstop crying, he couldn't perceive his mother's face despite looking directly at her. It was hazy, her face. But her beauty and elegance managed to snuck out despite the distorted vision.
"Oh my dear boy.." tears dripped while she cradled her baby in her arms.
"I thought I was strong enough to do this.."
More tears flooded as she looked at the boy's sparkling eyes with his pinkish cheeks. His feeble fingers grabbed her thumb. She felt her baby's warm and soft touch. It was the most soothing feeling she had ever felt.
"My sweet boy."
She cried, tears running down.
Her maternal instinct of protecting her child at any cost rampaged within her.
"I wish I had more time with you."
"I wish I could look at your face all day long."
The boy smiled while gripping her thumb even tighter.
"I want to see you grow up, I want to see you taking your first step, I want to hear your voice.."
"I want to be there for it all."
Her heart ache deepened as she thought about all the things she was going to miss.
"I hope you live your life just the way you like it."
"Don't be disheartened when people disappoint you. Be brave and always remember to be kind."
"Make a lot of friends or just a few is also fine."
Two strange arms approached the baby and began to take the baby off his mother's arms as she weeped.
"It's time love, I'm afraid we must leave soon."
The mother shook her face refusing to hand over the baby. But she knew within that she had to do this.
Her grip on the baby loosened as the strange arms slowly approached.
"No..wait.., there's more I want to say…"
The words of the crying mother reached the boy's ears as he was pulled away from her arms.
"Vasir kutty, my sweetest boy, my truest love."
[kutty- an eandearing expression]
As if he had comprehended his mother's pain, a tear drop materialized in one of his eyes and, after stagnating enough, slid down his cheek.
shudder
Nine year old Vasir woke up with a jerk with a tear drop dried halfway from his left eye to his ear, as the sun shined brightly on his face.
It was his Ammi (term for grandmother) who opened the curtains swiftly to wake him up.
"Enough sleeping, get refreshed!"
He then touched the spot on his face where the dried-up tear was. As his fingers ran along the path, he remembered broken fragments of his dream and tried to put them together. It turned out futile after trying for a couple of times. In the end, just nearly ten percent of the fragments remained in his mind as the memory of the vague dream gradually flew away. Even more to add for distraction, his dog spike started to lick his face.
"Ughh enough spiky!"
Already forgotten about the dream, Vasir climbed down from his single cot bed, rushed out of his room, and then outside the house to finally answer the nature's call.
"Vasirrrrrr, did you pee again while sleeping?"
The loud voice of an old lady passed through the wooden walls and reached Vasir's ears.
"NO! And how many times must I tell you, Ammi, that I didn't wet my bed the last time! It was Spike who peed when he slept near me as usual."
Vasir explained in an annoyed yet exhausted voice explaining how his pet dog had been the culprit.
Hrrrrrmph
Spike emerged out of the sheets and looked at Tabatha(Ammi).
Tabatha chuckled and petted spike on his white furry head.
Vasir lived with his grandmother, whom he called Ammi endearingly, and their pet dog, Spike. Spike looked much more like a small white wolf than a dog, which often led their neighbors to mistake him for a wild animal. Spike always stayed away from the rest of the village as his scent made them feel sick after a few moments. But Vasir and his Ammi, Tabatha, had gotten used to his smell and pheromones.
Vasir went back inside the house to see what his Ammi was up to. As he crossed the threshold of the kitchen, he found Tabatha, his gray-haired grandmother with a visible yet subtle hunch, making breakfast with her magic spells. Her wrinkled face and grey hair told volumes about her life's journey. She conjured water out of nothing and lit the stove seamlessly using fire magic. Vegetables flew from her chopping board and fell into the boiling pot as she cut through them.
"What's for breakfast, Ammi?" he asked as he neared Tabatha.
"Did you wash your hands?" Tabatha turned her sharp gaze toward Vasir.
A shock passed through Vasir's body as he remembered that he had not. Without answering his Ammi, he turned around and headed straight to the washbasin and put his hands above it.
He focused on his hands and, as usual, tried to conjure a ball of water to rinse them. Upon concentrating, a drop of water materialized and got bigger and bigger. Vasir couldn't control the size as it just kept expanding.
"Oo..Ooo!"
Vasir ran out of control as the ball of water enlarged to the size of a boulder with nearly the diameter of his own body. With no mana left to stabilize the sphere, the water bubble bursted, and drenched him completely except for his hands.
"Haha, talk about failing a task so perfectly. At least your trainings to increase your mana reserve haven't gone to waste." Tabatha remarked.
"Hehe"
Vasir gave Tabatha his biggest grin feeling pretty proud of himself.
"What are you grinning about, having a bottomless pit of mana is useless when you can't control it. Look at the mess you made!"
"Now, clean it up."
Vasir's grin vanished as fast as it appeared.
"Maybe your talent isn't water magic or perhaps I should train you harder."
Tabatha spoke softly.
That one line sent shiver through Viru's body. He quickly picked up a cloth and started wiping the floor.
"I don't think you talent is water magic either, yet you can easily squirt, spray, pour water precisely as you wish."
He pouted as his jealously revealed itself.
Tabatha patted his head as she found his jealousy adorable.
"Are you comparing yourself to someone who has been practicing magic for decades?"
"But I was better than you when I was your age tho."
Tabatha pulled Vasir's legs with her remark.
Vasir's face shrunk in jealousy even more, but the he understood his Ammi's talent and experience.
Tabatha had a rare talent for magic and was a popular healer within and around her village. Vasir realized her point rather quickly and stopped pouting.
Besides that, Vasir did not have scale other than his Ammi to compare his magic prowess to.
Tabatha watched proudly as her grandson develop a reasonable mind at a surprisingly fast pace.
"Put your hands back on the sink now!"
Ordered Tabatha.
She pointed her finger at Vasir's hands, and immediately a water jet began to spurt. She stopped it after a few seconds, as Vasir's hands weren't dirty anymore.
Vasir then wiped his hands dry on his Ammi's apron.
Creakkk
*The main door of the house opened.
Thud thud
Foot steps approached the kitchen.
"Smells fantastic! What's for breakfast today Ammi ?"
A familiar voice reached both Vasir and Tabatha's ears as they were conversing in the kitchen.
"It is truly surprising how he manages to come here right on cue, every single time," Tabatha mentioned.
"Consider him more related to Spike than a normal human Ammi, and your astonishment will disappear," Vasir remarked.
"Ahh, that does make more sense!" Tabatha laughed.
Both of them chuckled as their eyes turned to the kitchen entrance.
It was Raveer, Vasir's closest friend in the village.