Helanie:
The weather had turned gloomy and bad so quickly. As he dragged me out, I realized my belly looked like that of a nine-month pregnant woman.
"Please, be careful," I pleaded with a grimace. But the closer he got to the well, the more numb he became. I noticed how cold his hands were as he gripped my wrist.
I held one hand over my belly, my eyes misty, blinking again and again. If only Cora were here, she would have easily escaped his grasp. But I wasn't well.
Strange pains coursed through my body, not the kind from transition, heartbreak, or exhaustion, but the kind someone must feel before giving birth.
Yet I wasn't giving birth. So why was I in pain? Something was wrong with my babies, and I had no one to help me. I sniffled, overcome with emotion.
Then I saw the path to the well. We were only two minutes away.
