Chapter 2: The Offering

When Aina woke up the next morning, she was greeted by the view of a sparse thatched roof. The ‘bed’, if you would call it one, was simply a long table in one of the rooms with a piece of cloth covering a thin pile of straw. It was prickly and itchy. She thought it would probably be even more prickly and itchy if it wasn’t for her pain receptors dying from lacking nutrients.

As for the others, the children were already awake. They had talked last night and introduced themselves, thinking that Aina had lost her memory as a result of coming back to life. Aina did not have the heart to tell them that she was not their mother and their mother was probably already dead. So she pretended that she did have amnesia and decided to act as if she was their formerly dead mother.

Though she worried that she would do a bad job at it. Being a mother, that is. She had never been a mother before, but not for lack of trying. It just so happened that God cursed her to be unable to have any.

She looked at the oldest boy in the house. He went by the name of Irek, only 17 years old. Had this been the place she was, he would probably have been on the verge of finishing the last year of compulsory education or getting into a trade school.

Such a pity. If he had a little meat on his bones, he’d probably be a real heartthrob.

The second son was called Varn, merely 13 years old. His words were abrasive and his actions were tactless. Last night he repeatedly asked her leading questions, clearly not believing that she had no memory of the past. His words made Aina want to slap those rude cheeks.

Just how was he raised? Call his mother! I want to - oh wait, that’s me.

The third son, Tallo was only 8 years old. From speaking to him, she could tell that he was a very intelligent boy, if somewhat naive. Unlike Varn, his questions didn’t sound insulting and only showed his curiosity. But still, being asked how it was like in Hell unsettled her greatly.

It’s not like I remember what it was like going through Hell. Or if I even went to Hell in the first place.

The youngest child, a daughter by the name of Vila was the very picture of a precocious tomboy. Despite being malnourished, she appeared to have abundant energy. Throughout the conversation the little girl was running orbits around her to the point it made her dizzy. Looking at the hyperactive little girl’s abundant energy, her previous fear of being found out seemed to be a lie.

So thin and malnourished but still so active. What would she be like if her belly was full?

Aina could not imagine how she would deal with such a powerful locomotive.

And then there was the daughter-in-law. Her name was Rhielle from the Argen house of the nearby Richfield Village. Rhielle was only sixteen when she married into the family four months earlier.

Irek certainly lucked up. If she fattens up a little, who’s to say she won’t be a beauty?

As for Aina, apparently the body she took over was called Rinia Virell. She was a single mother whose husband died in the war over seven years ago while pregnant with Vila. According to the oldest son, Rinia was a beloved mother who took her own life so that her children could have more food for themselves.

Aina didn’t know how to feel about that. On one hand, she thought if she were a mother, she would’ve probably sacrificed herself too. But to hang herself? Only for her children to find her dead? She didn’t think she would be that short-sighted and give her children life-long trauma.

But then again, she never had a child. It was a fortune never granted to her in her previous life. What a surprise that in her new life, she suddenly had four children, plus one. She supposed she should count it a blessing, having children without having to go through the pain of childbirth.

Yet, it was a pain she had longed for, for the better part of her life.

“Mom, we’re going to the farm,” the oldest son said, kissing her hand as she stayed laid down, weak on the bed.

On his right side was the second son carrying a weeder on his shoulder. On his left was the daughter in law, carrying a basket filled with farm implements. All of them looked tired and hungry, but still they went to work. Aina, now Rinia, had her share of pains, but even in her darkest hour as Aina, she didn’t think she would be as tough or as strong as Rinia’s children.

Then her two youngest children too kissed her hand timidly before following behind the older children.

She watched them leave the house. and couldn’t help but admire these children.

Outside the house, the second son asked, “First, why did you lie to mother?”

The first son stopped his feet, but held his tongue. His wife, standing next to him looked at him also in confusion. Much of what he told their mother last night was true, but there were also many lies woven into it. She had kept quiet as she was only a daughter in law but she herself knew that her mother in law was no angel, having been on the receiving end of her abuse herself.

“Why? Why?” The youngest daughter Vila also asked, as she had lived her life in fear of their mother’s temper.

“Mother… was sick.”

The second son argued. “Of course mother was sick. She was sick in the head.”

“I will NOT allow you talk of mother like that!”

“Allow or not, we’ve all been beaten up by her, starved and forced to work like animals. Isn’t it normal to harbour resentments?”

“She wasn’t like this… before. She was kind, loving. I remember her. She changed after sister was born.”

“You want to blame it on Vila?”

“I would never! How could I blame a baby? I'm just sad that you all couldn’t experience mother’s gentleness and kindness.”

“I remember. I remember when mother was gentle,” the second son said in sorrow.

“She became like that after father died,” the first son explained.

“She went batshit insane after father died, you mean?”

“Second!” Irek raised his hand as if to slap his brother.

The daughter in law held his arm, trying to calm him down.

The oldest son placed his hand on hers, squeezing it gently before saying, “Mother seems to have forgotten the past. I want to believe that she can return to being the kind mother she used to be.”

“You didn’t think she’s pretending?” The second son asked.

“I don’t see why she would. But if she does, we’ll see in the following days,” Irek said as he pulled open the gate door.

“Even if she’s pretending, maybe she stopped being crazy after death and - ow!” Varn said as his big nose hit his brother’s big, bony back. “Big brother, even if you disagree, don’t just stop suddenly.”

“This… this…” Irek the eldest child stammered the moment he saw what was on the other side of the door.

“This… this…” Rhielle the daughter in law stammered the moment she too saw it.

“What’s going on with both of you - this…. this…” Varn the second child stammered when he saw what stopped them.

The third child Tallo peeked around them from the left side and said, “This! This!”

And the fourth child Vila peeked around them from the right side and said, “This! This mountain of food!”