A lone figure stumbled in the night. Faceless both in name and in soul, she now was nothing more than a wanderer.
The un-mother. That was what she was called. Or WHAT she was called, rather.
She didn't even know her own name, or the names of the children that she had lost, however long ago that was. But she did know one thing: grief. An eternity of grief.
For too long had she been empty and soulless. She needed someone. Something. Anything, to help her from this grief.
A raven called out in the night, other forest sounds coming to her ears. Chirps of the crickets, hoots of owls, the silent song of the stars…
The faceless being stopped for a moment, tilting her head slightly. There was a sound that was not so normal to these forests that she normally wandered. Quiet, yet screaming for her to find it.
Her pace quickened somewhat, trying to find the source. The golden eyes of owls stared down at her with both curiosity and hate. They didn't know what it was, but they did know that they didn't want anything to do with it.
More trees passed through her vision that needed no eyes. She could feel a calling to something that she hadn't felt in a long time.
Her pace quickened to a run, and the quiet sound got louder.
"Someone… please come find me…."
Suddenly, she found the source: a young girl.
She lay pathetically between two roots of a tree. Probably in her early teenage years, a single shred of cloth, possibly some kind of silk, was all that she had for clothing. Dirt and what looked like a little blood was gracing her features, tears blurring her face into a mess of dirt and grime.
The un-mother would have smiled, as once again the familiar white light surrounded her. It was time…
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Pain. Tears. More pain.
How could he have done that? Her own FATHER had…had…
It didn't matter anymore. She had nothing. Nothing but a scrap of what was left of her dress. Nothing in the way of clothing. No one to care for her, not since…
"Abby?"
Her teary eyes snapped open. Could it be…? "Mother…? But how?"
She didn't have a chance to answer as loving arms wrapped themselves around the young girl. "Oh, my darling Abby, I'm so sorry I haven't been here for you…"
The young girl didn't have any words. Her dead mother…was HERE, with HER. It didn't really matter about the how's or why's. There was someone who cared, and this brought even more tears to her face.
"Oh, mom… daddy… he…"
"Shh shh shh… it'll be alright. I'm here my Abby. You're safe now…"
The un-mother watched as the girl threw herself into her waiting arms, bringing her arms around the shaken girl. Sobs racked her body.
"It's okay… I'm here…" the un-mother cooed to her "daughter."
Why should a girl have to go through this? Why should anyone go through the grief of having nothing left to live for? No matter…she'd fix it…
The girl now lay in her arms, her sobs gradually fading as she fell into sleep. She felt safe, and that was what she had wanted.
The un-mother waited until her breathing steadied, then smiled with her acquired face. She moved the violated girl onto her lap. Her shirt opened, revealing a mark-less body as she moved the girl's head to where her belly button would have been…if she had been human.
If she had children left in this world…
If she had anything to live for in this world…
There was no need for this girl to feel pain any longer.
With a gentle push, she felt her wholeness coming once again.
This girl was safe now, and that's the way it should be.
She got up, her belly swollen with a new child. She would keep this one safe, away from the pains of the world and the grief that had racked her body for so long.
It didn't matter anymore, both were content.