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Chapter 27 Part 2 – This is the story of Mary, before she became my wet nurse. The lullaby of migrant birds. The tears of Mary, and her son that would never see the spring.

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Translator: “Ranzan”

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Chapter 27 p2 –

She saw sparks after the cane rapped her head. Even so, she grabbed the cane, and the man kicked her in the face. Mary refused to let go. She shook her neck and could feel blood flow from her head and nose. She was still determined and tried to grasp the child.

She had no idea that the old man was a criminal and these “Demon Dogs” were his monsters that specialized in killing children. He looked for babies to train and maintain the killing spirit of his prized dog Gallam. And Joshua was the next choice for his fangs.

「Stop your fighting! The child is already dead! It’s leg was broken like a matchstick by my Gallam. No need rushing to his aid now!」

The old man screeched ruthlessly, kicking her over and over as she tried to reach him. He had no pity for her as violence was his daily tea and bread. Mary didn’t fight him back. She didn’t even hear him…wipe the blood…care how much she was kicked. All she wanted was to hold her son.

「Joshua…GIVE HIM BACK! GIVE HIM TO ME!!」

Mary screamed at him with such force he recoiled, and then retreating a bit, shouted,

「You don’t give up! You can have countless other children after this! Gallam, eat quickly!」

And so the fangs of the beast slammed into Joshua’s body. The sound of loud chewing.

「AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!」

She screamed as she ran at the demon dog.

The shock of such a tiny arm having such force startled the demon dog as it fell on its haunches.

「You did it! Gallam! Give the corpse to the girl so she can deal with reality!」

The demon dog trainer shouted at the dog.

「Joshua!!」

And so the demon dog dropped its prey at the feet of Mary. She immediately hugged it in one jump, scraping it up. He was a mess…his right side was almost completely torn away. The child was now a bloody lump. It was clear it had stopped breathing.

「Joshua! Momma will help you…I can help…you’re a strong child.」

Mary said, believing that the child would open his eyes again.

She wiped the blood on Joshua’s face with her clothes as he spoke.

「Hah, you think you can help that child when it only has half a face?! It’s already dead, I’d say! Too much of a trouble.」

The old man cursed at the woman who had given him so much unexpected trouble.

But Mary just continued to call to her child, ignoring the old man.

「Joshua…wake up. Get up! You’re just sleeping, right? Get up now. Hey…see? You can even play with mama’s hair…!」

She wasn’t thinking about the child not breathing…she wanted to believe it was just sleeping.

「…you can pull my hair! Laugh!…」

She tried to present him some hair with her shivering fivers, but Joshua’s hand just hung loosely in the air.

「…tch, how long is she going on like that? She’s completely lost her mind. Let’s go, Gallam.」

And so they turned their backs, the old man spitting to the ground in disgust. There was sweat on his forehead from what he had seen from Mary, though.

And so the demon dog slowly slinked away with his trainer.

Behind was Mary, who tried to care for the corpse of her child, Joshua.

「Just a little…get up…please…Joshua…Just laugh at me…hey!」

And the pleas of Mary seemed to continue almost forever that night.

. . . . . . . . . .

The villagers arranged the funeral for little Joshua.

Mary lost control in the middle of the ceremony, clutching the baby and hugging him, not letting go. Everyone there simply shed tears of pity.

When he was buried in the graveyard, she seemed to return to herself, but still she knelt in front of the grave and never moved from it the whole night.

But even when you mourn, time just doesn’t stop.

Those humans we leave behind don’t continue living in our present tears. We’re only blessed by the memories that remain. There’s no way to avoid a future without them. And so everyone lives everyday, trying to do their best to move on.

And Mary as well regained her calm.

After a month, she had resumed her same daily life…she made jokes with others…but she could not forget that sadness.

And though she could never forget, humans still have to put on that bright face that covers for the sorrow.

. . . . . . . . . . .

It was a dazzling warm day.

The frigid winter had disappeared and the soft spring light was spreading over the garden.

Mary squinted under the new light as she hung up her laundry while the sun was out, In the garden a little kitten appeared. It seemed to be curious and watched Mary as it drew nearer.

「Hey, I’ve never seen you before…did you move here? Where’s your mother?」

She reached out to touch the kitten’s face, when the mother cat jumped out in a hurry, lifted it away in her mouth, and turned. Mary smiled at the mother cat’s vigilance.

「It’s okay. I won’t hurt your child…right, Joshua?」

She automatically had called to the child at her feet, but this time was shocked…she thought she had placed the basket there as she had always done, a habit during her chores. In fact, when she turned to speak to her son, she even thought that she had heard him laugh…but the baby’s basket was now stowed in the barn, invisible.

The illusion of her happy past had returned suddenly and suddenly disappeared just as quickly.

The laundry slipped from her hands as she stood there.

「Not again…I know…Joshua isn’t here anymore.」

She mumbled to herself.

The dropped laundry spread on the ground.

The mother cat then turned with her child and hopped into the brush.

Mary simply gathered the laundry up with vacant eyes.

「The weather is so nice today…because of it…there are so many things…to do…」

She said as strongly as she could, in a whisper.

She tried to take the next step, but her body quivered.

Winter is over, and her mother, father, husband, son, her complete family with which he longed to share the joy of spring was no longer here. The spring sun’s warmth seemed to pain her chest.

「Hey, Joshua…do you know? Spring. It’s very warm…」

She remembered the days she laughed with her son.

「When spring comes, you can go outside on a walk with mom. There are more beautiful flowers and buds to pick than hairs on mom’s head. See? Pwip! Pwip!」

She put her fingers to the ground like there was a sprout from the ground, and showed it to him.

Joshua didn’t know what she meant, so he grabbed her finger and laughed happily.

The warmth of the child, his voice, smile, his strong girl all revived in her mind. She stood.

「…ah…」

She let a small sound leak out.

Tears ran down her cheeks, but she was smiling.

Joshua died only knowing the cold of winter.

He never reached the happiness of spring.

And so she unconsciously hummed the lullaby she tried to lull him to sleep with.

Every time she sang it, Joshua would laugh and giggle instead of sleep.

Maybe Joshua rode the migratory birds’ wings to heaven?

Was he dropped beside her gentle husband?

Is he getting a good night’s sleep in heaven?

All the thoughts rushed in and she broke down.

「…aughhh…ahhhh!」

She hugged her laundry tightly and burst into tears.

It was into the white sheet that she had always laid her son down on at night.

So she sat down with it alone.

She thought about all the things she could do, how quickly she herself had grown.

But now her whole life was ahead of her. She could only progress forward.

Even though she had expected to be given happiness.

Even though…!

「I…couldn’t give…Joshua anything! I couldn’t protect…him! I’m sorry! So sorry!」

And so her sobbing sadly echoed in the garden. There was no one here to smile on her or comfort her. A scented breeze of new flowers blew over the spring garden. It was the beauty that she had wanted to show Joshua, and the sun she wanted him to feel, spreading lightly over the warming air.

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