John stood up and started walking beside Leo on the way back home. A moment of silence settled between them.
"Uh… how did you get that strong, big brother?" Leo asked.
"What, me? I'm not strong." John paused mid-step. "I'm not strong at all," he added in a low voice, followed by a long breath out.
Leo jumped in front of him, walking backwards. "Yeah, that's exactly what a really strong person would say." He chuckled and fell back in beside John, and the two walked home.
"We're home," John announced as they entered the house.
"Get over here, you two — dinner's about to get cold," Alina replied from the kitchen. At that moment, John and Leo looked at each other and whispered, "We were so close to getting her mad."
"Yes, you two were really close," Lina responded as she set the dinner table, and John and Leo took their seats.
We're safe… I hope it lasts.
John looked around and saw Alina and Lina joining the table, and Leo getting himself comfortable with the sound of the fire crackling.
Alina caught John's eyes — and chose to continue eating.
— After dinner —
Everyone settled in for the night. John lay in his bed, holding the book in his right hand, when he heard a knock.
"John, I'm coming in." Alina opened the door without waiting for an answer, sat down on the bed next to him, and let the silence settle in.
Confused, John made space for her, watching and waiting.
She tilted her head down. "Are you okay, son?"
"Uh… yes, Mom. We finally made it back home in one piece. Why? Are you okay?" he said, adjusting himself.
Alina lifted her eyes, looking at him quietly.
He froze. Eyes wide open. "…Mom?" A tear dropped, uncontrollably, from his eye.
She kept holding his gaze, and slowly her eyes started turning red and watery.
In that moment, John dropped the book on the bed and grabbed his chest, trying to catch air. "H… he… help…" His eyes flooded over as the weight of the long, harsh three days fell on him all at once. Alina caught him, wrapping her arms around him, trying to hold back her own tears. "Let it out… you're safe now. Let it out, John." She kept tapping his back.
A low, choked cry cracked out of Alina as she held him. She kept holding him.
— A few minutes later —
Suddenly, John went still — breathing normally but not pulling away. A few minutes passed, and then Alina checked on him.
"…You cried yourself to sleep…" she whispered, gently stroking the back of his head. Slowly, she laid him back down and covered him, took the book and set it aside, then left the room without making a sound. At the door:
"Goodnight… son."
— Next morning —
"Huh…? What's all this noise?" John woke up all sweaty from the night before and walked slowly to the window. After the first glance, he dropped to his knees, taking cover.
Every villager had come, forming a line at the door, waiting for John.
"John!" "John!" "John!" they cheered.
Still kneeling, he slowly crawled away from the window to exit his room — and as he did:
"Good morning, John… why are you on all fours?" Alina asked.
"Too… too many people yelling my name…" he whispered.
Alina chuckled. "Of course — they want their new leader to lead them." She went on with her daily chores, then added, "Better go see them now, while they're asking for your word politely."
— Outside —
"John!" "John!" "John!" Everyone was calling for him. Among them: Gustav.
"What? What is going on in this village?" he said, noticing all the villagers gathered up. "Excuse me — who is John? Why is everyone here?"
"Oh, John is the new leader of this village," a young man answered. "We're waiting for him to come out and tell us the new rules. Better we come asking for them before he comes and approaches us in a harmful way, just like the previous leader did."
"Thank you, good sir," Gustav said, stepping back to watch from a distance.