ARC I: Where a Child Drifted
Chapter 5 — I Was Still Here
I was sleeping when their fight started. I tried to ignore the voices coming from outside.
I pulled the blanket over myself and covered my ears with my hands, but nothing worked.
Then a loud sound came from the woman. My eyes opened instantly.
The sound felt familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, like I had heard it somewhere before.
The next sounds were quieter, but they sparked a strange curiosity inside me.
I wrapped the blanket tightly around myself and moved toward the entrance of the tent.
It was difficult. Only a faint light from the campfire slipped inside, but I managed to find my way to the opening.
I opened the curtain slowly, careful not to make a sound, and held it open with one hand.
What I saw were three people near the campfire. Two men were sitting, and the woman was standing, saying something.
I couldn't understand her words clearly, but I could tell she was angry from the look on her face.
When the last word left her mouth, silence stretched longer than it should have.
No one spoke. I couldn't make out their expressions because of the fire and the distance.
Curiosity pushed me further. I put more weight on the hand holding the curtain.
It couldn't support me.
My hand slipped, and I fell headfirst onto the ground.
It made a strange sound, like hitting mud and snow at the same time.
It was terrifying. The cold slammed into my face—it felt alive, like it was trying to freeze me.
They all heard the sound. It wasn't loud, but in that dead silence, it was enough.
They looked my way. I heard footsteps while I lay there.
I tried to stand, but waking suddenly and the cold left my hands and feet with almost no strength.
So I stayed there.
The footsteps stopped near me. Others drew closer.
I felt weight on my back, then a pull on my clothes.
It was a familiar feeling—something I recognized.
I was lifted up, and then I saw her face.
It was the same woman from before.
She… she's the one who took my blanket, I thought.
This time felt different. I didn't feel fear.
Maybe it was the look on her face, but I couldn't say why.
She set me down, brushed the snow and dirt from my face, and helped me stand.
I stood there, unsure what to think. My mind had stopped working after everything that had happened.
An unusual calm settled over me.
They all looked at me, their expressions expectant, like they were waiting for something after my fall.
Maybe I didn't have the strength to react.
Or maybe I had forgotten how.
I looked at each of them, one by one, as if thinking deeply—though my mind was empty.
"Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…"
A growling sound escaped my stomach.
Silence followed for a moment.
Then relief washed over all of them, and the tension broke.