My Son
Anne Seeing remembered her lover's face as her contractions began. She could still remember his smile as he saw her whenever he made deliveries. His white scarf, as white as the hair on his head, always seemed to flow lighter and less ominous when he saw her – even when they only spent a moment together. Being a Letter Bee, Anne's lover had seen beyond the poor district of Yodaka, and he promised her that one day she would see Akatsuki, the capital, where he worked as Head Bee. She remembered the last time she saw him, tears streaking down his cheeks and his voice trembling with emotion when he told her that he couldn't see her anymore. The last thing that he had given her was a promise – a promise that she would see him again, and a single spirit amber. Flashing back to the present, Anne clutched her right hand onto the spirit amber as if her life depended on it. Her contractions were getting worse and more painful. She suppressed a scream of agony as the baby inside her continued its journey from outside her womb. Her sister, Sabrina, was with her, and dabbed a cool wet cloth on her forehead. Anne's silver hair was soaked in sweat. Although Anne had not told her sister who the father was, she could tell that Sabrina's sharp mind was putting the pieces together – of why her younger sister had respect, not contempt, for the government workers, and how she came to know the inner workings of the Letter Bees and the other more prosperous districts. The snow haired man with kind eyes she had seen one rare time. Anne was certain that her sister, upon the birth of her baby, would know the father of her child…if the child looked like him.
Anne couldn't suppress a scream this time. Sabrina was speaking to her, but Anne couldn't make out her words. A sudden darkness overwhelmed them both as a new cry entered the world. Anne couldn't see the baby – or anything. It was as if the darkness had covered her eyes and had taken away her sight. The new mother groped for anything to cover her child with, who was still wailing and covered in birth fluid, but Sabrina was taking care of that. She could hear her sister grunt as she grabbed two soft blankets and washed the child with them. Anne could hear them swish. The spirit amber was still in her hand, sleek with sweat, and as moments passed, Anne could feel a bundle being laid in her exhausted arms. At first, she thought that the baby's face would be obscured by the darkness, but the spirit amber, now across from the infant and mother, now glowed from the love that Anne felt for her child. The redness of the spirit amber almost blinded her, and the baby's cries filled the small single room again. As she hushed the child, Anne saw that it had downy snow white hair and pink eyes – the coloring of its father. She kissed its head and the child finally quieted.
"It's a boy," Sabrina said proudly as the spirit amber continued glowing. A peaceful smile was on Anne's son's face. My son, she thought. "What are you going to name him?"
"His name will be Lag Seeing," Anne whispered with a smile.
Even though the darkness continued to surround them, both Anne Seeing, Sabrina Mary. and the young Lag Seeing were happy.
The day the sun went out came known to be Day of Flicker. The man-made sun appeared to have vanished during the moment during Lag's birth, and surprisingly returned. Anne heard rumors about the disabling effects it had on people, regardless of district, including the three Letter Bees who had almost died. Anne had more pressing concerns. A day after his birth, her son was showing signs of an illness. An illness that was fatal, the local doctor had explained. Lag's tiny face was paler than usual, and he wouldn't cry or feed. Something happened when Anne inserted the spirit amber eye into his left eye socket. The quiet baby became colicky again, and Lag regained the strength he had lost from the unknown illness. Anne remembered how her son's father had complimented her one time. "You have an aptitude to be a Letter Bee, Anne. Your hands are strong, the courage you posses is only given to some, and your heart," she still remembered his gentle hands on her heart, "is full of hope." Like my son, Anne had thought, watching Lag grow up. Like the son you would be proud of.
That is why she had gone to Akatsuki when her lover, who she had not seen in thirteen years, had offered for her to come with him, to live with him. She hadn't refused. Lag would grow to be a Letter Bee, like the father he had never known, and would find them together and be the family they were meant to be. Like our son, he will follow hope, she thought. Lag turned twelve today. Resting her hand on her heart, she closed her eyes, remembering the dear son she had left behind.