Mrs. Hubson Had an Idea

Mom and I stayed in bed for the most part of the morning. She was impressed, to be honest, I was too. I was getting better control of my body. I was able to crawl and even sit by myself with some extra effort now. Slowly, I felt that I could interact more and more with the world around me. I guess my almost-death experience gave me an extra push in that direction. In addition to that, mom was happier than yesterday. She seemed calmer and more relaxed. She even sang while changing me. Her song was a love story about the god of light and the goddess of the darkness, and how problematic was their relationship for being so antagonists. Mom sang the chorus loud and clear every single time.

"I have a love like Ahdarr, the god of light, and Kadilia, the goddess of darkness. The day and the night are an endless cycle, like how my love is for you. By your side, I want to wake; by your side, I want to work; by your side, I want to live; by your side, I find the best of all my sides. By your side, I intend to stay. My life only shines on your side like the light of Ahdarr, the god of light, shines for Kadilia, the goddess of darkness". Mom had a beautiful voice. She often danced with me in her arms. I giggled all the time.

We seated outside for my sunbath time. We used to do that inside the bedroom, but the weather was so good that mom wanted to do it. Her good mood would not fit inside. It was not too warm like yesterday, but the weather was comfortable to stay outside for longer. Mom put a white cloth on the wooden floor of the front of our house. She sat me there and stayed in a chair, brushing her light-brown long hair. She normally had her hair tightly under a cloth, and for sleep, she kept it braided.

This was my first time being able to see outside without major problems with my eyes. My parents used to cover me with a cloth, put me in a sling to move around. Yesterday at the farm, I was so dizzy with the heat that I didn't bother to look around. Now, I could have an idea how our house was and the surroundings. We lived in a small hill that we could see things a bit higher. Trees so big that it was hard for me to look at their tops surrounded our house. The path we walked a few days ago started from our front door, passed between a garden on the hill, then there was a small wooden fence, and further down, and it split our little farm in two sides. The crops were getting bigger, and they had a vivid green color. I spotted someone waving, walking towards us. I looked at mom and she was waving too. Not only that, but I didn't see anyone with the person. She was all by herself.

"Look, Henry! It's Mrs. Hubson", said mom, grabbing me.

"Your hair looks gorgeous, Clarice!" said the elderly woman, stepping inside the wooden floor.

"Oh, thank you, Mrs. Hubson! The weather is so good that I wanted to let it breathe. May I offer you some tea?" said mom, inviting her to go inside the house.

"My apologies for the sudden visit. I'd appreciate the tea. Thank you, my dear. Yesterday, you looked so distressed when you were walking home. I wanted to check on you". she gently touched my cheeks. "I also brought a few things, so we could eat together"

"Thank you for taking time to come here. The news from the village worried me. Let's come inside, and I'll prepare some delicious tea", said mom. She took the cloth and we went inside.

Mrs. Hubson stayed with me while mom was preparing the tea. We are in the kitchen in our only table. I didn't trust her after that goat milk bag event, but she was being kind and playing with me.

"Clarice, I've not seen Richard, and the children. How are they?"

"They are outside gathering some herbs and wood. Soon they will be here. You are also invited to lunch with us".

"Don't mind this old lady. I came here without any notification. You don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine".

"I insist. They should be here at the fourth bell; meanwhile, we can have these wonderful sweets we brought us", mom finished setting the table. She took me from Mrs. Hubson's arms and started feeding me. Mrs. Hubson took a sip and started speaking.

"The tea is delicious! What kind of herb is it?"

"Richard knows a lot about tea. Unbelievable, right? It's a mixture of herbs that I am not very familiar with. I was still learning with him". Mom gave a gentle smile.

"I think I will ask him for some later. It's delicious". She gave a long paused to take some sweets from the table. "We didn't have much time to talk yesterday, but what are your thoughts on the feybeast?"

"Richard and I think it will get worse in a matter of time… Soon the creature will run out of meat from the wilderness, and it will go after humans… Have you heard anything from the villagers?"

"It seems it might have taken a wanderer man's life nearby the village yesterday. They said the man screamed for a moment and then silence. The guards couldn't find the exact place of the attack".

"It has already attacked the village…", said mom, looking down in worry.

"We are uncertain if it was the feybeast, my dear. There were no witnesses, and no blood to be found. Someone could have kidnapped him. The man didn't have a great reputation in the village. They might use this as an opportunity to hide their doings", said Mrs. Hubson, sipping her cup of tea. She seemed confident in her speech.

"You are right. Have you heard any decisions from the leaders?", the worried face mom did before was lightened.

"It's been set a curfew time before the seventh bell. No one is allowed to leave unless it is an emergency".

"If it is what I think it is. I am not sure if that would keep the feybeast away…"

"What do you mean, dear?"

"You remember I used to live here, and I had to move because, my father had an excellent job opportunity, and what happened him and my mom almost right after that, don't you?" Mom gave a brief pause to drink the tea. Her whole body stiffened, but she continued. "I think it's a similar creature…" Mom faced expression become into a deep sadness. She was about to cry as if she was reviving the memories. Her hands were shaking. I could also see her sweating.

"Oh, dear… It was not my intention to bring those hurtful memories…" said, trying to comfort mom.

"It's alright now. Though I hope I am wrong, but if I am not, no one is safe… walls and doors would be nothing to it…"

"That's serious! What do you think we should do?"

"Richard said a priest could bless the land to keep the creature away, but it would be a temporary solution… In fact, Dearborn would have done it already if it was possible. The second solution would be to request help from Vanean City, but the royals have too much in their hands to bother with peasants problems…"

"My dear… our solution is we move to Dearborn winter mansions sooner this year". She looked at mom with a determined face. "My son will receive us there. I will send him a message. I hope he can get it soon".

"I heard Dearborn is not doing well". Mom complained.

"The feybeast was there before coming here, and as a result, they are suffering a shortage of food and forests supplies. Elbert said the gate guards are confiscating most of the food that goes inside the citadel, and later share some amount to the population based on the size of their families".

"That's horrible! It never works! People will go to hunger to their death, it will be worse in the winter!" Mom agitated. It was becoming like the last dinner.

"Elbert is the gate guard commander, he would help us". She gave mom a side smile, like one having a trick up her sleeve.

"That's too risky, Mrs. Hubson. Your son could be executed for not following his orders as a traitor, and we will have the same fate!" She put her free hand on her chest as she was having hard time to breathe.

"Nobles don't have their belongings confiscated. We could pass by to a similar process. He could send us a carriage to pick us up near the gate. They will never know". Mrs. Hubson sounded so calm and confidant.

"It seems you have done that before…" Mom also noticed that.

"Oh, dear… I've lived so many years, not for nothing. I'll send a word to him and get his thoughts on this. It would take a week. We can ask him for two, or maybe three weeks before we leave. I think that's enough for us to guarantee some provisions".

"That sounds a great idea, Mrs. Hubson. You are certainly a person with incredible intellect. Let's wait for Richard and share these thoughts with him".

"That's a wonderful idea, my dear. We should drink our tea before it becomes too cold. I'm certain that Henry is also having a hard time eating", she said, pointing at me. "Don't let yourself be too much stressed. Otherwise, your milk will dry". Mom looked concerned and nodded in agreement with Mrs. Hubson.

They both agreed to wait for dad to give them his thoughts. Mrs. Hubson decided to help mom to prepare lunch. Mom put me in the sling after breastfeeding me. With my belly full and the swing of mom's moving around, I felt sleepy and slept.