Chapter 88: Not Asleep yet
They enjoyed their dinner while exchanging exciting chats and talking about that day.
When they were done for the night, Sunnie stared in the direction of the stream. "It should have filled and calmed down by now..."
Azure stared in the same direction. "Let’s go then, we’ll keep you company."
Sunnie nodded.
She left with her husbands and Little Black. While they stood at the side watching, Sunnie walked closer. She ran her fingers through the water that had filled up the space now. It was now looking like a proper river.
She smiled. "The dirt has calmed down in the water. But for proper usage, it’s best to run some cleansing," she explained.
"So what do we do?" Little Black inquired.
"You don’t have to do anything. I’ll handle it."
They stood at the side as Sunnie got out the chemical she had obtained from her system for cleansing. And so she used it on the waters.
"I’ll help," Karl approached, and Sunnie didn’t protest. She let him have it as he flew across the water body, spilling it all over. Soon, it touched everywhere.
He was done as he came to stand where he was before. The seven of them stood there, staring across the glimmering water under the moonlight.
"It’s our stream now," Little Black smiled. He liked how it sounded.
Sunnie nodded as she patted him on the hair and ears. "Yes. It’s ours. By tomorrow, it should be fit for usage. And then we don’t have to stress about getting water at all."
Azure nodded as he stared at Sunnie. "How smart of you."
Sunnie shrugged as they quietly stood there, staring into the quiet waters and enjoying the scenery.
---
Everyone had retired to bed for the night. But Sunnie couldn’t bring herself to sleep at all.
Early morning, by 3 a.m., she was still awake, staring up at the ceiling while fighting the discomfort her stomach was giving her.
She had been feeling extremely thirsty since last night and had lost count of how many times she had drunk water. Now, not only could she not sleep, but her stomach was feeling uncomfortable.
She was feeling cold all over her skin, and her stomach was also feeling like a freezer. She didn’t understand this new development, but it was extremely uncomfortable.
Sunnie clicked her teeth together as she struggled to get out of bed. She couldn’t fall asleep, so she might as well go outside and look around. So she grabbed some animal skin and wrapped herself in it.
She was soon sitting down outside on the rock, staring into the moon while praying that she wouldn’t freeze here before morning.
From time to time, she ran her hand through her stomach. "You little one, what mischievous things are you up to in there, huh? You won’t let mummy catch a break, will you?"
She sighed as she stared back into the sky.
"Can’t sleep?"
Sunnie heard an unfamiliar voice, and it made her turn immediately, almost panicking. But she calmed down as soon as she saw that it was the quiet woman.
"Oh, it’s you," she blinked. She was shocked; this was the first time she had heard her speak.
The woman let out a soft smile as she came to sit down beside Sunnie, hugging her feet as she stared into the sky as well. Sunnie stared at her, surprised.
She wondered if she was seeing things. Was hallucination part of the side effects of pregnancy?
"Don’t worry, I’m not a ghost. It’s me." The woman stared at her. "I couldn’t sleep, so I came out since I saw you also coming out."
Sunnie slowly nodded. "Ah... I see..."
There was a brief silence as the two women sat there staring into the quiet night sky. Then she suddenly said, "Thank you."
Sunnie stared at her.
"Thanks a lot for saving my baby. I didn’t know what I would have done if I lost her. So I’m grateful for your intervention."
Sunnie hesitated before she let out a soft smile. "Don’t worry at all. It’s a pleasure."
The two stared into the sky as Sunnie asked, "This is my first time hearing you speak and even smile. What’s wrong?"
The woman hesitated and then said, "I don’t know. I guess I got comfortable and safe enough..." She sighed. "Either way, I apologize for not being outspoken. I should have also thanked you for accepting me."
Sunnie shook her head. "Don’t bother. I understand how you feel, really. So don’t force yourself if you don’t feel ready for anything. You have to heal first."
There was silence as the woman stared into the sky with a faint smile. "Heal... Is that even possible?"
Sunnie stared at her. "How?"
She smiled with a soft sigh. "Healing from that isn’t possible. It’s more of learning to live with it forever."
She continued, "I lost my husband tragically and had to grieve from that forever. And the only thing everyone knew from that fact was that I killed him. And they made me into the witch who killed my beloved husband."
She sighed as she said, "I don’t know which was worse—losing my husband or making everyone believe I was behind it... it was a lot."
Sunnie only listened. She guessed the woman now felt safe enough to share things with her.
"...I was locked up with my daughter. Treated like a monster and tortured for losing my husband. They believed I was the source of their issues... and that doing that to me would make their land better." She forced a smile. "But I guess I survived that."
Sunnie brought her hands to pat her on the shoulder. "You’re safe now. No one will do that to you."
She nodded with a smile. "I guess so." The woman turned and stared at her again. "Thanks a lot for accepting me and my daughter. I really, really appreciate it."
Sunnie returned it with a smile. "It’s a pleasure of mine. Don’t mention it."