” Aaahhhhhh! ”
Mia’s voice tore through the serenity of the silent southern sea.
” Aunt Jade. Aunt Ruby. It’s hurting. Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh! I can’t take it anymore. ”
Mia kept yelling as she held both her Aunts’ hands.
” Do you think it’s time Jade? ”
” Not yet Ruby. She has almost a month left. ”
” A month? Then why is her pain already starting. This does not sound very good to me. ”
” Should we call the mid wives? Just to check.. ”
” I think so. ”
One of them darted off as she left a few ripples behind. The other was trying to relieve Mia’s pain my giving her some compress.
” Hold on Mia. We will get through this. Stay strong. ”
” Aunt, can we not send words to my Lin. He needs to be here if I am really birthing. ”
” Yeah. Sure. Sure. Whatever you say. Let the mid wives check and diagnose first. Then we will do just as you say. ” She planted s kiss on Mia’s forehead.
Mia wanted to close her eyes and relax. But the pain would not let her. She kept shrieking.
” Aahhhhhhhhhh! Mumma! “. she suddenly called out involuntarily.
Her Aunt looked a little hesitant.
She held her motherless niece’s hand tighter, in hopes of comforting her.
It seemed like the girl was going into a premature labour. Though she was technically home, she was far from her loved ones.
It was natural for anybody to go into a frenzy.
Mia tried to hold the light stand beside her but it slipped.
” Take it easy. Mia. Take it easy. The midwives are coming. It will be alright. ”
” We are here! ”
Just then two mer-women came with Mia’s Aunt.
” Take this. Hold it between your palms. ”
One of then Mia something to squeeze. Was it some kind of a stress reliever?
” Keep pressing it Mia. ” Then she ducked right between her legs, without giving her a head start.
” Goodness Grace! ”
The woman retracted in shock.
” What happened? What’s wrong? ” Mia asked, pressing the things in her hand harder.
” You are in labour no doubt. That’s confirmed… But… ”
” But what? ”
Jade and Ruby asked in unison.
” The child is coming upside down. His feets first. ”
So it was happening. Mia could not believe her time was up. The time she had asked for, begged for from the Tree of Knowledge. It was all going to be over soon.
” We need to inform Lin and my father. ”
Mia was struggling to stay steady. She kept slipping and falling and getting back again.
” That is not possible! ”
It was the Queen.
” Long live our queen! ” Everybody instantly lowered their head in respect.
” Why so? ”
Mia looked confused.
” The grudge that is after you has turned into a more powerful spirit. It had been lurking at our borders for days. Today when your husband had tried getting here, it had attacked him! ”
” It attacked Lin? But Lin is too strong? How is he? ”
She was both confident yet worried.
” It’s not about strength Mia. The thing is the spirit has morphed into so much evil that it is now capable of possession. We witnessed it ourselves. I mean our border guards. He was able to lure it away just in time before it could use Lin’s body to tread our waters. ”
The queen went to sit beside Mia.
” It knows that I am here? No way? Isn’t even this place safe?”
Mia remembered the words of the Tree of knowledge. There would be no place to hide from its wrath.
“You don’t need to worry about any of the mess around Mia. We are here to take care of it for you. Aren’t we? ”
The queen asked looked at Mia’s aunts. Who had been startled at the sudden appearance of the queen.
They knew the queen had been too soft towards Mia. Which was itself very odd given her history.
Now she was sitting beside her with the news that they were cut off from the Mia’s tribes. At least for the time being.
” Mia just needs to concentrate on the birth of her son. Doesn’t she? ”
The queen repeated herself, getting no response from them.
” Yes. Yes. Yes your Majesty. ”
They agreed together the second time.
” Mia your boy is coming. Our priority is your and his safety. ”
Mia had a chocking sensation in her pit. Lin would not be around when their baby was coming? After all they had been together? Will she have to leave without even seeing his face? May be it was better that way. He would never let her go if he had even the slightest hint of that.
It was all good and settled. Mia had to just make sure she brought her son to this world properly. He would be the one to unify the three tribes and the four worlds.
The true inheritor . The true heir.
She had never thought she would have the chance of getting to see the hostilities between her families gone? But there they were. Now working all together. For her safety for her son’s safe keeping. It was like a true merger. They all seemed thrilled and excited with the birth. The mermaids that is. She was sure her father, Nana, Xie and Roe would have been equally excited had they been around. Just like her Lin.
The pain building around her clitoris and hips suddenly seemed a lit more bearable. It was the nothing compared with the pain building around her pit.
It was tremendous. Overwhelming. No matter how she told herself. Her heart would not listen. She needed Lin. Needed him by her side. Needed to gaze upon the ever changing colours in his eyes. No matter how much she tried to. She could not hide. She was missing Lin too much. Even too much seemed to little.