Tower of Paradise

Chapter 3: Road Ahead

When mommy ran back to the tunnels, someone with a dirty face greeted her. It was as if they hadn't washed their face since the day they were born.

Most people in the district looked like that. Almost every day they went to the nearby coal mine to work in exchange for some food.

It wasn't just about coal extraction. Any dirty work that needed to be done would be carried out by anyone who wanted to survive.

Fortunately, there were candles casting a dim light inside little cubby holes dug into either side of the walls.

The underground shelter had access to water sources like aquifers and underground rivers, so the amount each person received per day was fixed, and no one dared even think about asking for more. Additionally, there were almost no clean water sources nearby.

Or rather, any clean water source was too dangerous to go to, as wild beasts gathered there to drink.

Therefore, everyone in the district always looked so dirty that no one could see their faces clearly. Mom, for some reason, seemed to be the exception.

I had never seen her work in the coal mine because she had her own way of surviving.

My mother didn't respond to anyone who greeted her. Apparently, she just wanted to return to her shack as quickly as possible.

The reality of this underground world was cruel: few managed to reach adulthood. I saw other children, some smaller than me, others barely able to walk, struggling against hunger and diseases. Most succumbed to unknown plagues or simple colds that, without medicines, became death sentences.

Pregnant women, as my mother had been, faced a particularly grim fate. Giving birth under these conditions was comparable to walking through the gates of hell, and the survival rate for both mothers and babies was frighteningly low.@@@@

My mother, despite her sweet and harmless appearance, always carried a bone knife while gathering. I saw her staying constantly on guard, her eyes scanning the shadows for potential dangers.

—I know you came from me, but you're too cute

She continued, bringing her face close to mine.

—Who's so pretty? Yes, you are.

Instead of kissing my lips or cheeks, she found my toes peeking out from under the blanket. She kissed them repeatedly, causing tickles that I couldn't help but enjoy. Naturally, she proceeded to lift her shirt and took me in her arms to feed me.

I sucked her breast eagerly, noticing how my senses had sharpened. The taste of milk, with its subtle coconut touch, was more distinctive than ever.

My eyes could better capture the details of her face while I fed, and my ears perceived every small sound around us with greater clarity.

When I was satisfied, my lips continued moving by instinct, although I was no longer swallowing. It was a reflex that, according to what I had heard my mother comment, would gradually disappear over time.

—Baby, grow healthy and strong.

Whispered Adelaide while holding me against her chest

—I love you so much.

Unable to respond with words, I concentrated all my energy in my gaze, hoping my eyes could convey the message that my mouth couldn't pronounce: "I love you too, mom."

I thought it with such intensity that I could almost feel the words vibrating in my small body, wishing that somehow she could perceive the depth of my feelings.