"I have no coins for your fee." Said Miram.
Kelis held out her hand, palm open, showing her a pile of coins.
"My fee is paid Miram, though I don't know why I came to this place. A child came and paid me to help you, over an hour ago, maybe more. Still, I'm here now."
The old woman had trouble kneeling and obviously wasn't used to working on the floor. She lifted Miram's frock out of the way and grumbled as she inspected the trapped infant.
"Oh, nothing too bad, an arm in the wrong place, or is it a leg."
She looked up at Miram, a look of pity on her face and something else, perhaps fear.
"I'm sure the child will be fine, once I get the head turned round." Said Kelis.
Miram felt a lot of tugging and then Kelis took the knife from her and she felt it cutting. Consciousness left her and she didn't know anything else for some time. Miram awoke, still in pain, but she knew instinctively that her child, her son, had been born. Her frock was now red with blood and she was still in so much pain. But Kelis held her child and he was crying.
"You have a son." Said Kelis. "It took my all my skills to save him and now I'm wondering if I should have."
"Let me hold him." Said Miram.
She ignored the pain and got up on one elbow, reaching out to touch her son, his son. Kelis had the child crushed into the folds of her dress, it was impossible to see him properly.
"Best I take him and drop him in the creek. Snap his neck first of course."
"No, not my child ! Give me my child !"
"For the best Miram, for the best." Said Kelis. "I won't tell anyone that he's............ not human."
Miram ignored the pain and leapt forward, slipping on her own blood, but managing to snatch the baby from the midwife. Kelis wasn't giving up though, she tried to grab the child's arm. Miram picked her knife up from the floor and ran it over the midwife's thigh, causing her to scream and jump back. Miram pointed the knife at Kelis, while she pushed the baby against her chest, feeling him suckle at her breast.
"Go midwife, leave here. Touch my son again and I'll gut you like a fish. Tell everyone that I'll kill anyone who tries to harm my son."
Kelis went, limping and shouting abuse as she left the shack. Miram took her first look at her son and his legs looked bent up. She tried to straighten them, but the joints seemed to go both ways and he had two knees. It was a puzzle, but he didn't seem upset by her pulling, so she assumed they were supposed to be like that. His arms and shoulders looked strong, there was even evidence of muscle, almost unknown in a new born. His chest was all lopsided, but again, he didn't seem upset by her puling and prodding. There was no getting around the fact that her child was strange, but it seemed he was supposed to be................. as he was.
