Grandma's eyes widened the moment she realized how deep my wounds were.
Her hands trembled.
Without a word, she gathered me carefully into her arms as if I might break and began to walk, then run, as fast as her legs would allow.
Each step was unsteady… but she didn't stop.
When we finally came to a halt, we stood before a small, quiet hut.
A young woman stepped out, her voice bright at first.
"Grandma, where did you go? I was searchi"
Her words faded.
Her eyes fell on me.
On the blood.
On the wounds.
And everything changed.
I could see the fear in their faces.
The worry.
The urgency.
But my body… didn't move.
Not a single part of me responded.
My vision slowly dimmed, the world growing distant,
And then...
darkness.
When I opened my eyes again, everything felt… soft.
I was lying on a simple cloth, another gently draped over me.
Warm.
Safe.
For a moment, I didn't move, just looked around.
The same woman was there, sitting nearby with a bundle of leaves and herbs in her hands.
Our eyes met.
She rushed to me instantly.
"Thank goodness… you're awake," she said, relief filling her voice.
Her fingers brushed gently through my hair before she dipped a cloth into warm water and carefully placed it against my skin.
Her touch was… gentle.
Too gentle.
Soon after, Grandma and a young man entered the room.
The moment they saw me awake, their faces softened with quiet relief.
I looked at them.
All of them.
They stood there together… like something out of a story.
Like a family.
Something I had never known.
And something I never thought I would.
I felt… out of place.
Like I didn't belong in that picture.
The young woman came closer, carrying a small bowl of rice.
She sat beside me and began feeding me slowly, patiently.
I watched her for a moment before speaking, my voice rough and fragile.
"Why… are you helping me?"
She paused.
"What do you expect in return?"
Because in my world,
Kindness always had an end.
And when I could stand on my own again…
this would end too.
That's how it always worked.
She looked at me for a moment… then gently patted my head.
Her voice, when she spoke, was soft, warm in a way I didn't understand.
"I didn't really think about it," she admitted with a small smile.
Then, after a brief pause,
"I suppose… what I want is for you to stay."
Her eyes met mine.
"With us. As family."
"…What do you think?"
My mind went blank.
Family?
Us?
Why?
Why me?
Seeing my silence, she hesitated slightly.
"I'm sorry… am I asking too much?" she asked softly.
Her voice carried something fragile.
Hope.
And that… caught me off guard.
Why did she care?
Why would anyone ask like that?
Who would ever say no to something like this?
Before I could stop them...
tears began to fall.
Warm.
Endless.
For the first time…
I wasn't in pain.
I wasn't afraid.
I was… happy.
"…Yes," I whispered.
The moment the word left my lips,
her face lit up.
A soft, radiant glow.
She rushed to the young man, telling him in hurried excitement.
They both turned to me at once,
and came closer.
Grandma joined them soon after.
And before I could react-
they pulled me into their arms.
A warmth I had never known surrounded me.
Not force.
Not control.
Just… warmth.
A family-
so simple, so real,
that no story could fully capture it.
And no words could truly describe it.
For the first time...
I had a place to return to.
A place where I was wanted.
This…
is my home.