Chapter 129
“After sending the child away, this lady… cried a lot too. That’s why seeing you cry alone made me feel so sorry and sad that I wanted to hold you.”
“Hold… me?”
“Yes. I’ll hold you and also give you some stew. We… we just want to help kids your age.”
Feeling the sadness in Linda’s words, Raphaella’s hand slowly moved toward the latch.
No! You mustn’t meet them!
“?”
For a moment, it seemed as if someone was shouting in her mind. Raphaella tilted her tear-streaked face in confusion. She didn’t know that the voice was a hollow message sent by herself—from the very distant future.
Click—
When Raphaella opened the door after unlatching it, the rich aroma of creamy stew immediately filled the room.
Looking up, she saw a burly man and a red-eyed woman holding pots.
“My goodness, you’re so thin. Bill, look at this child’s arms.”
“…Tsk. Even worse than a thorn bush in midwinter.”
“This child speaks in a way that seems rough… but don’t worry, dear. Inside, she feels the pain of your situation.”
Linda crouched down to meet Raphaella at eye level. Carefully, she wiped the wet tears from Raphaella’s cheeks with her coat sleeve.
“Your cheeks will crack if you cry in the cold. We can’t let such a pretty face get hurt.”
“…Did you really come from the village at the foot of the mountain?”
“Yes. That’s the hometown where I was born and raised.”
“What’s a hometown?”
“Well, a hometown is a place full of memories that you want to protect and somewhere you want to return to, even if you’ve been far away.”
“…Then I don’t have a hometown anymore.”
Linda looked at Raphaella with a heavy, gentle gaze, then slowly hugged her small body and spoke softly, as if comforting her.
“Sweetie, how about making a new hometown?”
“?”
“If you live with us, it could be your new home. I’ll give you a warm room and cook delicious meals every day so you won’t go hungry. I’ll make it cozy enough for you to consider it your hometown.”
“Delicious food? Really… my brother and I won’t go hungry?”
“Yes. We’ll talk about the details when your brother arrives later. But it’s cold now, so let’s come inside and have some stew first. I just made it, and it’s still hot.”
So Linda and Bill led Raphaella and Bill into the cabin.
At that moment, Gilly was walking along a mountain path with steep cliffs.
Carrying a heavy sack filled with branches on his back, he couldn’t move quickly along the narrow, dangerous path. The snow covering the ground made it difficult to tell where it was safe to step. At one point, he almost fell into a massive crevice, thinking it was solid ground.
But thinking of Raphaella being alone, he couldn’t slow down.
Finally, when the cabin came into view, Gilly’s heart sank at the sight of unfamiliar adult footprints leading toward it.
“Eh, Ella. Ella!”
Gilly dropped his sack and ran at full speed. His heavy breaths spread in white puffs in the cold air.
Bang—!
He opened the cabin door frantically and saw Raphaella sitting between the middle-aged couple, eating stew.
“Brother!”
Raphaella, with cream smeared all over her mouth, ran toward Gilly. She hugged him tightly and smiled brightly.
“This lady and mister brought cream stew, and it’s really delicious! You must be hungry from gathering firewood, right? Let’s eat quickly, brother!”
“This… what happened? Ella, I told you not to open the door!”
“Ah, no… I wasn’t going to… But Linda cried a bit, and I cried a bit too… and then…”
Seeing Gilly shout, Raphaella flinched and stammered, unable to explain properly. Linda, standing behind, stepped forward.
“Sweetie, don’t be angry. Sit down first. Ella only opened the door because she worried we might be cold.”
“Y-You all, get out of here!”
“Oh my… you’re so thin. It must have been hard for the two of you to eat properly. Oh dear, how pitiful.”
Gilly grabbed Raphaella’s wrist and tried to hide her behind him, glaring. Linda, seeing his hostility, spoke gently.
“I told Ella earlier… my husband and I recently lost our child. That’s why we feel sorry for kids your age and want to help. I understand being suspicious in these chaotic times… but can you trust us just this once?”
“Cough. Well… we’re human too. If we weren’t, why would we come all the way up here for little kids like you? We have nothing to gain.”
Hearing Linda’s words, Bill added softly. Though he had a rough appearance with a thick beard, his voice was very gentle. Perhaps because of what happened with Linda yesterday, he was careful not to startle young Raphaella.
“What’s your name? Ella told me hers, but I’d like to know yours too.”
“My brother’s name is Gilly!”
Raphaella, peeking out from behind Gilly, answered for him. Linda smiled warmly.
“Gilly. That’s a good name. You went to gather wood, huh? It must be cold. Come, let’s warm up with some stew. Ella saved some for you, so don’t worry.”
“Just leave! I said get out!”
“We weren’t going to throw you out. We only wanted to give you some stew. Just watch us eat, and then we’ll leave. Seeing how thin you are makes my heart ache.”
“…”
“I’ll really leave once the pot is empty.”
Gilly looked at the pot on the table. It was full of white cream stew, rich with meat and vegetables. Only then did the savory aroma fully hit him.
Raphaella tugged at Gilly’s pant leg.
“Brother… it’s really delicious. Let’s eat together…”
“Why did you…! Ugh… no… it’s my fault for leaving you alone.”
“Linda isn’t a bad person… really… and she’s an amazing cook.”
For the first time, Gilly noticed that Raphaella’s usually messy hair was neatly combed, tied into two braids with ribbons. She looked like a child growing up surrounded by parental love.
The presence of an adult taking care of things he hadn’t even considered hit him heavily.
Seeing Gilly’s wavering gaze, Linda approached carefully and gently held his reddened, chapped hands.
A small woman, plump yet only slightly taller than fifteen-year-old Gilly, tried to warm his frozen, nearly numb hands with her wrinkled ones.
Warmth.
A hand he could lean on.
Could he receive care like this and allow himself to be spoiled like other children? The anticipation to feel such warmth surged despite his anxiety.
“Your hands… are all hurt. You went to gather wood in this condition?”
It was his own hands that were injured, yet Linda shed sad tears for him.
Perhaps, he thought, she was someone who could share his heavy responsibility. Still, Gilly answered sulkily.
“…I promise. When the pot is empty, you’ll leave.”
“Alright… understood.”
Reluctantly, Gilly sat at the table, guided by Linda’s hand. Linda went to the corner of the kitchen to reheat the stew and tidied the kitchen while it simmered.
“Oh my. If you cook in such a messy kitchen, even in winter you’d get a stomachache.”
The once chaotic kitchen was now neatly organized.
Linda scrubbed the old pot one last time and called Bill.
“Honey, are you just going to sit there? The firewood is almost gone. Go get some.”
“Nothing much nearby… cough. Well, I’ll see if I can find something usable.”
Bill left the cabin awkwardly, carrying an axe from the bag they had set aside for fear of scaring the kids. He began chopping thick wood nearby—wood too tough for young Gilly to handle.
Thud—! Thud—!
The resounding sound of the axe echoed into the cabin.
“Wow… Uncle Bill is really strong. Right, brother?”
“……”
“She used to work at the village blacksmith. Hitting metal all the time built tremendous arm strength.”
Linda carried the steaming pot of stew to the table, serving it generously to Gilly as if she were his guardian, as if they were family.
Gilly stared blankly at the stew. Yesterday’s sandwich had been surprisingly delicious but cold. Today’s food was warm. Just looking at it, he felt the heat spread through his body.
It reminded him of when the village was normal, and adults collected milk from every house to make hot stew for birthdays. Warm and comforting.
After a long pause, Raphaella poked Gilly.
“Brother… what’s wrong? I already tried it earlier. Just like yesterday, I checked it. It’s okay. You can eat.”
Gilly slowly scooped some stew. Hesitating, he finally put it in his mouth. The salty, rich cream melted with the meat and onions on his tongue. He chewed several times but… couldn’t swallow.
Tears he hadn’t realized were forming dropped onto the table.
“Brother… are… you crying…?”
Linda shook her head at Raphaella and put her finger to her lips. Gilly hid his face with both hands and began to sob uncontrollably. Linda gently patted his back.
“It was hard, wasn’t it? But it’s okay now…”
The thick log Bill had been chopping finally fell with a heavy thud— echoing through the forest.
