"Mummy....Mummy.....Mummy..."
These words, so soft, yet so clear, they seemed to be the sole company in the darkness. There was nothing else, no other existence that broke through, not another thing that managed somehow, by some unknown means, to pierce the sea of nothingness.
"Mummy...."
Amourna ran for the voice, her body barely managing the swift movements through the impairing tremors in her limbs. Her eyes watered, her muscles ached, there was a tightness in her chest that begged for clemency, for relief that would spare further torment. Yet she ignored it all, proceeding to run blindly as the tears began to descend her thin cheeks.
"Mummy....?"
The voice, she was certain, was on the verge of driving her to madness. The pleading, the strain, the shear innocence of it. Her world was shaking now; the pain within her grew more intense.
"Mummy!"
A scream hit the air, one Amourna quickly recognized as her own, and all at once the darkness about her was broken, shattering into millions of fragments that were strewn in all directions. Amourna felt herself begin to fall, and another scream traveled up to the back of her throat, only to wither away against her lips as a bright light broke across her vision. It blinded her, left her drowning it its intensity as she continued to fall, crying still, heart breaking.
"Mummy, wake up..."
Amourna opened her eyes with a start, blinking to alertness as she stared at the two wide sights pointed at her. She stifled a cry of alarm with sealed lips upon noticing them, the only clear things in the blackness, along with the weight being applied to her stomach, her gaze darting wildly about the dark room for some sort of weapon, for any manner of defense. Fear sent adrenaline pumping rapidly through her veins, chasing away all remaining clouds of exhaustion. Her mind went firstly to put that newfound energy to good use, to throw the wide-eyed thing away from her and run, to get as far away as her legs could carry her.
Any such plans evaporated in an instant as the thing sneezed, a quiet, mousy 'Achoo!', and Amourna released the heavy breath that had unconsciously been caught in her lungs.
"Alrai," she panted, raising a shaken hand to her forehead and pressing it. "Oh, darling don't do that! Mummy can't take it now."
Amourna reached a hand to the nearby bedside table and clicked on the light, filling the room with a soft glow of orange warmth. As expected, the three year old was above her, sitting on the belly of her mother, a stuffed bear being choked against her side by one arm. The child sucked her thumb and trembled were she sat, wide-eyed and seemingly unblinking as she watched every movement Amourna made.
"Dark," she stated quietly through her finger, pulling her toy companion more closely. "Monsters coming."
Amourna sighed, feeling close to laughing she was so relieved by the child's concerns. She put on her best motherly smile and touched the baby's delicate face, patting it lightly.
"It is alright, my little star," she said soothingly, stroking the child's dark curls. "There are no monsters that would dare to harm you tonight."
The tiny girl seemed unconvinced, slanting her thin eyebrows in uncertainty. A bit of drool escaped the corner of her mouth and dribbled down her chin.
Amourna brushed it away with maternal finesse, her palm patting the blankets beside her. Understanding the silent act, her daughter climbed clumsily down from her body, sliding beneath the blankets held away by her mother and settled herself on the bed. Amourna sat upright and tucked the child cozily beneath the coverings, placing a kiss on her temple.
