"Mother who were you speaking with?" Young Lucius asked staring her.
"No one my child" she muttered.
Noticing her sudden sober mood he asked
"Mother are you crying?" He rushed to her side and hugged her.
"No son , mother is not crying, it's just a that an insect chosed to enter her eyes " she gave him a small giggle.
"Mother !" He called retreating from her embrace.
"Yes son" .
"We're you crying because I didn't helped you carry the laundry? " he mocked with a childish smirk.
"Lucius…"she laughed, mother wasn't crying okay…?" She gave him a smack on his cheek.
"Dear lord, see how he's still so chubby despite the hardship " .
Young Lucius was the envy of the camp refugees . He was envied by everyone including his mates. The others looked so thin and skinny, but despite the hunger he still grown fat and lively.
Everyone blamed his mother for pampering him by giving him her portion of food, which was just a combination of wheat and fish.
The indigines of the land had given them place to camp and employed them as workers in their farm.
Although the land was free but food wasn't. The more you work , the more you eat. No work , then…no food. That was simply the norms, and everyone was contented with it.
"Come over here boy , let us go back to the camp before strang creatures start coming out from the river".
"But they have never been any of such happenings heard since we got here" young Lucius narrowed his eyes.
"You can never tell when they will son" she gave him a smile.
"Mother I am surviving…" he cried holding his stomach.
"Come over here lad" she commanded. "Carry these on your head" she pointed to the bowl of clothes.
"Mother…!" He cried.
"Don't be lazy son, they are not heavy! You need to be strong, you are not a baby anymore ".
Young Lucius stood for some seconds staring at the creature in front of him. She looked strange, this wasn't the woman he used to know. A few minutes ago, he was still a baby to her and now..he's a grew up boy.
Usually when he complained his mother just let things slide, so he doesn't have to do any work. But now she is still demanding he carries the bowl.
"I don't like this new side of mother" he grudgingly carried the bowl and headed to camp.
"Time to eat! time to eat…!"cried a man with a bell".
It was just few minutes to six which meant dinner! The campers were already retiring to their tent for dinner. They had made it a habit to do things together and eating wasn't an exception.
The sole reason they decided to eat together was that some of them at times might have been weak or sick to go to work ,and that would have meant starvation and will eventually lead to death.
"To avoid that they are together sharing the little each had. And this was the reason everyone knew the amount of food Lucius gets to eat.
His mother will work the work of three strong women and eat the meal of a five year old with no appetite. All for her son.
Some pitied her, some didn't, while most envied Lucius, especially the children.
They all sat on the floor of the camp to eat . Everyone was shocked as to what they saw Madame Narmada did including Young Lucius.