A Tale of the World **HIATUS**

Chapter 52: Nina

March 21st in the town of Elverslin twenty years ago.

"Ahhh!!" Emily cried in pain as she pushed.

"Just a little more, Emily," the midwife said.

"I don't understand! I was sure this baby was dead! I made sure it was dead! So why-! Why-!"

"What are you blabbering about? Just focus your strength on getting the baby out," the scraggly small midwife told her.

Emily continued yelling and screaming in pain as the stormy night drowned her voice. The midwife's six year old daughter, Beth, stood up against the wall as far away as she can be from the screaming woman.

"This baby was dead for sure-! Until my water broke!" groaned Emily.

"I see the baby's head! Now one more push! Push!"

With one final push, the baby was delivered. Emily laid on her creaking bed, panting, breathing heavily as sweat dripped from every part of her body. The midwife took the crying baby and wiped off the blood off. As she was wiping the baby, she saw that on the baby's lower back, at the base of the spine, there was a scraggly birth mark that looked like an ugly scar, taking the form of a long, boney, skeletal-like fingers, however, it was decently light so the midwife brushed it off as a birth mark. Wrapping the baby into a warm cloth, the midwife gently rocked and cooed the baby to sleep.

"It's a good thing Beth and I were passing by. No one would've heard you screaming out in this storm, and look, it's a beautiful girl. She has such beautiful hair, Emily," the midwife smiled as she turned and faced her daughter.

Beth came running over to see the baby. "Such a weird hair color," she said. The midwife laughed at her daughter's comment.

"Let me see the baby," Emily groaned exhausted.

The midwife walked over and leaned the baby towards Emily. One look was all it took. Her eyes went blood shot as she screeched in horror. The midwife jumped back bringing the baby into her arms, surprised at Emily's reaction.

"Th-that is the Devil's child," she whispered with a shaking voice.

"What are you talking about, dear?"

"Her hair color! I've never seen such black hair before," she mumbled.

"That's true. I've never seen natural born black hair before," the midwife agreed.

"Not me or that man has such hair. And my baby died. I'm sure of it," Emily continued to mumble as she brought her trembling fingers to her lips. "The baby should not be alive. I made sure it died. I did. My baby did die!"

"What are you talking about?"

Emily looked up to the midwife with wide opened eyes, "I killed my baby. So there's no way that thing is my child."

"What are you talking about? You gave birth to her yourself so obviously she live-," the midwife stopped herself and looked at Emily in terror holding the baby close to her bosom. "You what?! You tried killing your own child?! How could you?!" She exclaimed as she wrapped one arm around her daughter. Beth clung onto her mother's ragged dress.

"That thing is not my baby! It's the Devil's. It's come back from the dead to haunt me. It's all his fault! It's his child!" Emily wailed. And then she remembered. "There's a church in town, right? Call the Father. He'll believe me!"

The midwife looked down to her daughter who was frightened by Emily's outrage and to the innocent baby who was sleeping soundly and agreed to visit the church that was located on the other side of town. As they stepped outside, the pouring rain was now sprinkling lightly. Covering herself and the baby, she took her daughter by the hand and they made their way to the church by taking the outskirts of town to avoid any trouble. The neighborhood around the church was a lot safer than any other part of town. Arriving at the front of the church, she knocked on the door. Momentarily, someone heard the knock and opened the door.