Silvia woke up before the two children did. She looked at them sleeping soundly, hugging their stuffed animals tightly. Lorelei had a big teddy bear in her arms, while Maria clutched a bunny, drooling a little with a goofy smile on her face. She must be having beautiful dreams, Silvia thought. When she looked over at Lorelei, she noticed her expression was stiff, as if she were in pain. The way she clung to her stuffed animal seemed less like an embrace and more like she was holding it in place, as though it might escape her if she let go. Still, Silvia gently patted their heads.
How cute they both are.
She carefully got off the bed without making a sound, careful not to wake them. She went downstairs to the storage room and walked in, seemingly searching for something. She crouched near the baskets and moved them aside. Beneath them was a hatch, which she lifted. Inside lay a framed family photo. In the picture, Maria was sitting on a man's lap, and Silvia was beside him on his left shoulder. She wore a broad orange dress that suited her figure well, while Maria was dressed in a pair of blue overalls that looked a bit too big for her. The man wore a crisp white suit and glasses that he appeared to be adjusting on his nose. They all looked happy, but something was off. The man's face in the picture was blurry, as if it were slowly being erased. She gently placed her hand over the frame. Tears welled up in her eyes until they spilled down her cheek. At first, just one, then another and another, until she broke down, holding the picture tightly against her chest.
"You'll come back, won't you? You promised you would come back. I'm still waiting for you, so please, just come back safely."
At that moment, she turned around after hearing the door creak behind her. It was Lorelei, standing at the doorframe, still clinging to the teddy bear, watching Silvia from a distance. Lorelei gently whispered.
"Are yOu saD?"
Silvia didn't respond. Instead, she dried the tears on her face, carefully placed the picture back where it belonged, and closed the hatch. She slowly approached Lorelei, who backed away at the sight of Silvia's downcast eyes. Silvia didn't seem like herself. She still wasn't saying anything, but she kept moving forward. Lorelei kept retreating until she met the wall. Before she could speak, Silvia leaned in and hugged her.
"I'm sorry. I must have scared you. It's not like me to act that way. Please don't tell Maria what you saw. She'll get worried. Come, sit. I'm going to explain everything."
She made sure the storage room door was closed, then went back to the hatch and took the picture with her. Afterwards, Silvia sat next to Lorelei and asked her.
"Say… can you see this man's face?"
"Yes."
Silvia looked at her in confusion. To her, the man's face was still blurry—the only thing she could make out above his neck was his glasses.
"Please, Lorelei. Tell me. What does he look like?"
"He has bIg brOwn eyes, aNd his Face is like a sQuare."
"I see. Please… tell me more."
Lorelei looked at Silvia. Tears kept rolling down her cheeks, no matter how many times she wiped them away. Lorelei could see in her eyes that she was doing her best to keep a brave face despite everything.
"I'm sorry… Please, go on."
"He hAs thin eyeBrows and liPs like yours."
"Could you—"
She was crying more than she ever had before.
"Could you tell me what he's doing?"
"He's smiLing."
Silvia couldn't take it anymore. She covered her face with her hands and cried. Her mask had finally cracked, revealing her innocent eyes beneath. She didn't want to hide it anymore. For Maria's sake, she had put on the brave mother act, but all this time, she had been in pain. She had to constantly smile to keep her sanity intact and protect Maria from discovering the truth. Silvia clung to the hope that somewhere out there, her husband was still alive and would come back soon. She knew deep down that would never happen, but she held onto those lies anyway. To keep herself together, she hadn't just lied to Maria—she had tricked herself into believing her own lies. That her husband would come back one day.
"Of course… of course he's smiling. He's always smiling. Thank you, Lorelei… thank you."
Silvia turned to Lorelei and embraced her with all her might, holding her until she stopped crying. She then got up, took one last look at the picture, and placed it back in the hatch. She wiped the tears off her face and turned around swiftly, making her dress spin. She was smiling again, but this time she seemed more radiant than ever. It was as if a halo of light had settled over her hand, brightening the darkness of the room.
"Lorelei, please keep this between us. I know it's selfish of me to hide it from her, but I don't want to see her cry anymore. I'm the one who needs to… never mind. I'm going on too long, aren't I? I'm sorry, Lorelei. But please, don't tell her anything about this."
Lorelei nodded in response, and Silvia smiled.
Lorelei had seen this man before. He was the same merchant who had taken care of her back in town—the one who had held her hand and died. She wanted to tell Silvia, but something swelled up in her throat, blocking her voice. She felt guilty, but at the same time, she didn't. The only thing she managed to ask was his name.
"WHat is his naAme?"
"I don't know… I must look stupid, don't I? First I can't see or remember his face, and now I don't even know his name. Sorry to bother you like this."
She smiled at Lorelei again and left the storage room, leaving Lorelei alone.
"You killed him, didn't you?"
Lorelei quickly turned around, searching for where the voice had come from. She looked everywhere in the darkness but couldn't find a thing. She kept searching, and eventually brushed it off, thinking it must have been her imagination. She trotted out of the storage room and closed the door behind her.
Afterwards, Silvia brought her to the kitchen, where they started making breakfast. There were so many things in the kitchen that were new to Lorelei—things she had never seen before. Silvia taught her as much as she could: which herbs could be used for cooking and which ones to avoid. Soon after, Maria woke up and came running downstairs, as energetic as ever, while Lorelei helped Silvia set the table. When they were done, they all sat around the table and began to eat.
Lorelei, still unfamiliar with how to eat with a fork, stared at it. Silvia noticed and remembered what she had told Lorelei the first night she ate with them.
"Sorry, dear, I wasn't able to teach you yesterday. Do you want me to show you now?"
Lorelei shook her head. Silvia came up behind her, took her hand, and guided her on how to hold it properly. It took a while for Lorelei to learn, but once she did, everything else came more easily.
While eating, Maria asked her mother if she would be going to the capital today to buy groceries.
"Yes, Maria. Yes, you are."
Maria jumped in excitement.
"Can Lorelei come too?"
"CaPital? WHat is the caPital?"
Maria asked Lorelei.
"Have you never been to the capital?"
Lorelei said she hadn't. Maria's eyes seemed to ignite with a spark as she excitedly talked about it.
"It's a big place with so many people, and it's so beautiful. Everyone is so nice and kind to me when I go with Mom to buy groceries. There's so much to say about it. You'll see when we get there!"
Lorelei seemed startled at the thought of so many people. She was still scared—scared of what could happen. She didn't want to meet more humans, not yet. But Silvia insisted she should go, that it would be a nice experience for her.
A while after they finished eating, Silvia told Maria to get dressed, then pulled Lorelei upstairs into her room. She opened a drawer and told Lorelei to wear the clothes inside. It was a blue, flowy dress made of silk. Since she had arrived at their house, Lorelei had been wearing the same tattered clothes. Silvia offered to keep them, but Lorelei insisted on holding onto them.
After Lorelei put on the dress, Silvia told her to sit on the bed. She took combs and a string from the drawer and began combing Lorelei's hair. When she was done, she braided it into twin tails and showed Lorelei in the mirror. Lorelei grew very happy seeing herself in the blue dress and thanked her. Silvia went outside, and soon after, Maria and Lorelei followed. They saw her talking to a man next to a carriage. At the sight of the two girls, Silvia called them over. Maria came running, while Lorelei hesitated, hiding behind Maria. Silvia told them to greet the man, since he would be the one taking them to the capital. Maria greeted him enthusiastically, but Lorelei didn't. She stayed quiet, cowering behind Maria.
Before they climbed into the carriage, Silvia gave Lorelei a long gray cloak, telling her she could wear it if she ever felt uncomfortable in the capital. Lorelei thanked her and hopped into the carriage after Maria. Silvia waved them goodbye as the carriage slowly drifted into the distance.