Hila's Harmonious Journey

I rested my head on a pillow, the smell of dust and silk filling my nostrils. The moonlight poured through a crack in the wall, spilling across my face. I stared at it, mesmerized by its enchantment. A breeze rustled through the window, stirring the curtains and sending a chill down my spine. I shuddered and snuggled deeper into my covers.

A soft cry sounded from somewhere in my room. I lifted my head to listen. It was coming from the cradle. I slipped out from under the sheets and padded softly across the carpet. As soon as I made it to the cradle, I put one hand on each side of it and peered inside. My baby brother was crying, his pudgy fists squirming around as he turned his face towards me.

“It’s ok, sweetie, Shhh…” I cooed. “Mommy will be back soon.”

I gathered him up in my arms and held him close to me. He quieted down after a moment and pressed his wet cheek against mine; little squeaks escaping as he breathed in and out. I walked over to the window and sat down cross legged with him cradled in my lap. The last embers of the dying sun glowed on the horizon like an orange flame fighting against the darkness of nightfall.

Soon enough, a woman walked past in her long white dress, her face covered with a veil, shadows flickering along her features as she crossed through a patch of moonlight before disappearing again into the dark corridor that led to our house’s front door. She was followed by two maidservants carrying bags filled with spoils from her trip to market, their eyes cast down in respect for their mistress who had just returned home after days away from home tending to business matters in another city far away from our village nestled deep within the mountains.

I held my breath as they drew near; thankful that no one had noticed me yet but also afraid that if they did they might think me rude for sitting outside watching their return long after dusk even though it was perfectly natural for someone to do so when awaiting family members who were always returning late because nature never sleeps like humans do and always has work to be done whether we are awake or not so how else would anyone be able to get any rest then?

The women stopped right next to me holding their heads high now blithely unaware of my presence which was precisely what I was counting on all along as they hurried inside carrying their packages without sparing them so much as a glance while trying to keep up with their mistress whose shape moved further away from mine until it turned down a hallway and disappeared from view altogether leaving only silence behind her save for my baby brother who continued to breathe softly against my shoulder now lulled into slumber by this strange new world he had been born into where everything was shrouded in mystery such as why his mother had gone away leaving him here with me instead of taking care of him herself or why there were brown people living on our very doorstep who had different customs than us or why his sister refused to ever go anywhere without telling him where she was going or when she would be back because those were dangerous times after all when anything could happen suddenly without warning so a child must be told what is happening at all times otherwise he might grow up not knowing anything about life at all!