Her barefoot steps left trails in the muddy water.
She kept walking until she reached a wooden house, worn and barely holding together.
It looked more like a memory than a home.
Standing in front of the door, she picked up the rag beside it and wiped her feet. Stepping inside, she called out,
"Momma!"
Her dewy grey eyes scanned the dim interior, squinting in an effort to see through the darkness.
"Nerine!" a frail voice called from within.
The little girl followed the voice to the back of the house and found her mother holding a pot. Alicia looked at her daughter, soaked and dripping with rain. Dropping the pot, she rushed over.
"Why didn't you wait until the rain stopped?" Alicia asked, concern written all over her face.
"I wanted to bring you the ingredients quickly," Nerine said, smiling up at her mother.
Alicia smiled back, brushing a damp strand of hair from her daughter's face.
"Okay. Thank you, my sweet girl. Now go and change your clothes so you don't catch a cold. I'll prepare dinner, alright?"
She picked up the pot and led Nerine back into the house.
"Dinner is ready!" Alicia called out later, the shout ending in a harsh cough.
Nerine rushed from her room into the kitchen, grabbed a cup, and filled it with water.
"Drink this, Mom!" she said, stretching out her hand.
Alicia took the cup, drank, then set it down on the table.
"Sit down and eat," she instructed gently.
Nerine obeyed, sitting at the table, spooning the food into her mouth. Once she finished, she cleared the dishes.
"Nerine, dear," her mother called softly.
The girl looked at her mother with curiosity.
"Your dad is coming tomorrow."
Nerine's expression shifted. "Why?" she asked, her tone suspicious.
"I sent him a letter last week... asked him to come check on you," Alicia replied, avoiding her daughter's eyes.
"But I don't want to see him!"
Alicia gently pulled her daughter close.
"He's your father, and you must show him respect," she said softly. Then, coughing again, she covered her mouth with her hand. When she looked at her palm, there was blood.
She drew in a shaky breath and quietly wiped her hand with a cloth.
Nerine watched her mother, deeply worried. She ran into the room, grabbed a bottle of medicine, and returned.
"Let's go to the physician. This drug isn't working, and it's almost finished!" she pleaded, handing the medicine to her mother.
The illness Alicia suffered from had no name, no known cure. The physician had tried everything, yet the coughing—and the blood—continued.
"Don't worry, dear... I'm not in pain. It's just a cough, okay?" she whispered with difficulty, staring into her daughter's eyes, which mirrored concern and confusion.
Still coughing harshly, she stood and walked slowly to her room. Nerine followed close behind.
Alicia sat on the bed, reached beneath it, and pulled out a small wooden box. Opening it, she took out a necklace—a simple chain with a ruby pendant. She placed it gently in her daughter's hands.
"I want you to keep this with you always," she said. "Never part with it."
Nerine looked down at the necklace, puzzled.
"Why are you giving this to me, Mother?"
Alicia smiled and softly patted her hair.
"It's a gift—from me to you."
She leaned forward and kissed her daughter's forehead, her lips cold and trembling.
"Time for bed, little one." She blew out the candle, plunging the room into a soft, sacred dark.
Nerine climbed into bed beside her.
"Good night, Mom," she said, giving her mother a peck on the cheek.
They fell asleep in each other's arms, warming one another against the cold night.
But peace never lingers long.
Not long after, a loud cry pierced the night—and jolted them both awake.