Chapter 32: Fina Asks the Bear for Something

Chapter 32:
Fina Asks the Bear for Something

 

WHEN I WOKE UP in the morning, Mom was in pain. She’s usually in pain, but this was different. She wasn’t conscious. No matter how many times I called her name, she didn’t answer. I tried over and over to get her to take her medicine, but even after she finally got it down, nothing changed. There was a ton of sweat running down her forehead.

My little sister Shuri was so worried. She stuck by the bed, calling Mom, Mom. I couldn’t let things stay like this.

“Shuri, take care of Mom.”

“Sis?” She gave me a worried look.

“I’m going to Mr. Gentz. It’ll be okay. Mr. Gentz will be able to do something.”

I gently patted her head and ran to Mr. Gentz’s house. He wouldn’t be at work yet. It was a good thing there weren’t many people out on the street yet. When I made it there, I banged on the door really hard.

“Mr. Gentz! Mr. Gentz!”

Mr. Gentz came out when I knocked. “What’s wrong? Why are you here so early in the morning?”

“It’s Mom.”

“What happened to Tiermina?!”

“She’s hurting. Worse than before.” I couldn’t stop crying anymore. “She isn’t getting better.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Mr. Gentz started running. I ran as fast as I could, too. By the time I got to my house, I couldn’t see Mr. Gentz anymore, since he was running ahead of me. Inside, I saw Mr. Gentz calling out to Mom. She didn’t respond.

Mr. Gentz turned to me and Shuri. “I’m going to find medicine. You watch over your mom.”

Shuri and I held mom’s hands. I thought, Please, save my mom. I’d do anything I can. Please don’t take her away from us. Please…

“Mom…”

“Fina, Shuri…”

“Mom!”

Mom was awake again. My prayers had reached someone.

“Fina, Shuri, I’m sorry.”

Why was she apologizing? She hadn’t done anything wrong. Her eyes were filled with tears.

“Mom…”

“This might be it for me. If I die, look to Gentz. I’m sure he’ll help you.”

It seemed like it hurt her to talk. She was going to die? I didn’t want to think about it.

“I’m sorry, you two. I’m so sorry that you had a mom like this.”

She held our hands with her weak grip. I wondered how long it had been since Mr. Gentz left.

He wasn’t back. It might have just been a few minutes, but it felt like hours had gone by already. Please hurry home, I wished again.

“Ugh.”

The pain must have been getting stronger. Someone, help. Shuri’s little hand squeezed mine hard. I couldn’t give up.

“Shuri.” I looked into Shuri’s eyes. She looked uneasy. “Keep holding Mom’s hand.”

I took the hand she was holding mine with and moved it to Mom’s.

“Sis?”

“Maybe Yuna can do something.”

I left Shuri to take care of her and ran over to Yuna’s house. I wasn’t allowed to be tired yet. I could see the bear house. I opened the door without knocking.

“Yuna!”

Yuna was there. “What’s wrong?”

“Y-Yuna, m-my mom…”

I couldn’t do it. My voice wouldn’t come out.

“Calm down.”

“My mom is really sick…and even giving her medicine…doesn’t help…I tried going to Mr. Gentz, but…he said he’d go out to find medicine and hasn’t come back…wh-what should I do?”

When I saw Yuna’s face, I couldn’t stop crying. I came all the way here, but Yuna wasn’t any kind of doctor. Still, I thought, because this was Yuna, she might be able to do something.

Yuna gently put her hand on my head. “Okay, I got it. Could you take me to your house?” she said with a kind smile.

And I did.

 

When we got there, Mr. Gentz had returned. Maybe he had gotten the medicine? “Mr. Gentz?!”

“I’m sorry I was so late.”

“Did you find medicine for my mom?”

“Sorry.” Mr. Gentz lowered his head. If it was a medicine that was easy to get, then Mr. Gentz probably would have had it already. He’d already done so much. I couldn’t be mad at him.

I let myself get closer to the bed. Mom looked like she was in so much pain that I almost couldn’t look at her.

“Gentz, if anything…happens to me…please…take care of my daughters.”

“Wh-what are you saying? What’s supposed to happen to you?!” Mr. Gentz yelled.

“Gentz…I’ve troubled you…so much. Thank you so much for the medicine and for what you did for Fina.” “It’s okay. If you rest, you’ll get better. Stop trying to talk. I’ll look after these two, so you just focus on healing.”

“Shuri…Fina…let me see your faces.”

“Mom!” we both cried.

I couldn’t see my mom’s face through my tears. She hugged us close with her weak arms.

“I’m so sorry I couldn’t do anything for you. And thank you, Fina, Shuri.”

She closed her eyes.

“Thank you, Gentz.”

It looked like she couldn’t open her eyes anymore. I held her hand, but she couldn’t grip it back anymore. She couldn’t open her eyes, anymore. Maybe she wouldn’t ever say my name again.

Mom, Mom, Mom.

I couldn’t stop crying.

I heard a weird sound behind me. When I turned around, Yuna was hitting her hands together.

“Yuna?”

“I don’t know if I can help, but I’m going to take a look at her, so move aside.” Yuna pulled us away from the bed. “Please just hold on for a little while,” she said to my mom.

Yuna laid her bear hands on my mom.

“Cure.”

Her body lit up. The glow of the magic was pretty, and I felt warm, as if, just for the moment, I felt the presence of a god there. My mom’s breathing calmed down. I couldn’t believe it. Until that moment, she sounded like she was suffocating, but now her breathing was growing even.

“Heal.”

This time Yuna chanted a different spell. Mom’s eyes slowly opened, and—like nothing had happened at all—she got out of bed.

“…it doesn’t hurt anymore?”

“Mom!”

“Looks like it worked.”

“Miss, what’d you do? You looked like some kind of powerful priest or cleric—no, that doesn’t matter right now. Whatever you did, thank you.” Mr. Gentz thanked Yuna. That was right—I hadn’t thanked her yet!

“Yuna, thank you!”

Mr. Gentz and my mom started asking Yuna how to pay her back. I remembered hearing from Mr. Gentz that the only way to heal my mom’s sickness was to pay a lot of money to a priest. We didn’t have that kind of money.

Yuna saved my mom. I’d risk my life to pay her back, if I had to—but Yuna said something I didn’t expect.

“I don’t need money. I just wanted to protect Fina’s smile.”

I almost started crying again. Would I ever be able to pay back my debt to Yuna while I was still alive?

“But…”

“Right, if there’s anything I can do for you, just tell me.”

“I’ll do anything once I’ve gotten my energy back.”

Right. We couldn’t just let things be, even if Yuna said she didn’t want anything in return. If I had something I could do, I would do it.

I noticed that the moment that Mom and Mr. Gentz said “anything,” the corner of Yuna’s mouth twitched up.

“In that case, I’d like the two of you to do something that only you can do.” she blurted out.

The air in the room got heavy. What was Yuna going to tell them to do? She looked around the room before settling on me and Shuri.

“Fina, go buy something yummy with your sister. Make sure you have your mom eat something that’ll nourish her.”

She handed me money. Was Yuna planning on telling my mom and Mr. Gentz to do something she didn’t want us to hear? I wanted to know what was happening, but…I also urgently wanted to get my mom something nutritious to eat, like Yuna had said, so I left with Shuri.