Numb: The Genesis

XIV. Tantrums

Nearing the docks of the kingdom, I heard the tempo of my breaths; breaths that beat along with my tired arms that rowed me closer and closer to salvation.

"Hel... H-hel... Help!" My unrecognizable gritty voice probably was heard by many. My boat collided with the docks. I eagerly stumbled over the wood planks of the pier. The civilians just stared, looking down on me.

Finally, an elderly woman came to my aid. "Oh, my! What's happened?"

I grasped onto her arm and helped myself up. "I am Admiral Hans Westergård, Prince of the Southern Isles. My kingdom is at war, and the ship I was commanding was destroyed." Losing my balance, the woman held onto my arm tightly.

"Dear, I'll take you. You need some food and water. I don't have much to offer, but I hope it'll be enough for you to get well and be on your way to where you need to be." She grinned, but I could see pity in dark eyes.

Prime Dock was a seemingly humble kingdom, nothing elaborate. The village within was dull. The kingdom folk didn't seem all too friendly--their faces hid under shadows and were expressionless.

The woman took me into a small cottage. Inside, a fire was ablaze and the only sound was the ticking of a clock. She sat me down on a wooden rocking chair. I thanked her quietly as she moved swiftly away.

The silence was interrupted by the clinking of porcelain. The woman held a dish and mug and neared both towards me. "Here, darling," she handed me the mug of water and a dish with some bread. "My name is Elise."

I sipped little by little and nibbled the bread. Why I was more concerned about my etiquette rather than my needs: I don't know. "What is it you do, Elise?"

"A caretaker. I am a caretaker. I assist those in need of my assistance. I take care of a quite frail woman. She's sick... Y'know..." She tapped the temple of her head, "Over here, I reckon. She mumbles things. Uttering little things. Sometimes. Otherwise, she's real healthy. She's quite young too. I ha-"

We heard shouts and screams coming from not too far. Elise sighed, "That's her. Tantrums."

"I'll help you, Elise."

"No, Your Highness. I don't wa-"

"Please. It's the least I can do." I set down the empty porcelain. Elise nodded and beckoned me to follow her.

Walking into the room, I saw Elise shushing the woman. I went to the other side of the bed to help Elise calm her. Now closer to the woman, I stared at her reddened face. Her hair, messy. Her cheeks, sunken. Her voice, wailing. Despite all of this, I knew.

I knew and dropped to my knees. My hands wandered to hers and held them tight within my grasp. I start to cry like this shaken woman, the woman Elise calls sick.

I, too, was shaken. Under my breath, I call out to her, "Ma... Mamma?"

She doesn't stop fighting Elise and I. Her hands slip out of mine as she screams and screams and screams. I hurriedly grab them again. "Look at me! Remember me? I'm your son! Hans! Please... Look at me!"

Elise stops to look at me, her hands cupped over mouth. She gasps. "Annika's muttered about you before... About having a son."

Hearing her name led me to be distraught with tears. I held onto my mother's hand more securely. She kept crying and crying, and so was I. "Please look at me..."