[Nurumaiel]

Edmund and Kali

The little squirrel was tucked inside Edmund's shirt as it usually was, chattering noisily and making scolding noises when another wild squirrel chanced to pass by. Edmund and Kali were walking side by side towards the Inn that was being used as a hospital for the sick children. Edmund had heard his mother was there, and he was anxious to talk to her.

The two children said nothing to each other, though every so often their eyes would meet and they would smile. Often Kali would reached over and stroked the furry head that popped through the spaces in between buttons on Edmund's shirt and laugh softly. Edmund was as always pleased that his squirrel made such a favorable impression on nearly everyone it met.

They entered the Inn softly when they reached it, hoping not to disturb any of the sick children. Edmund's finger touched the squirrel's forehead and gently pushed it. The head slipped back inside his shirt. "Mamma is most likely to be in the common room," Edmund murmured, not quite speaking to Kali but rather to himself. "That's where the hospital is."

As they crept into the common room, Kali drew in a sharp breath. There were beds all across the floor, and sick children in the beds, pale and moaning. Some of them were sleeping, though not a gentle easy sleep, for they were tossing and turning in their beds, crying out at various times. Others were awake and restless, the elders trying not to show their pain and the younger children groaning openly. Kali's eyes softened with pity as he gazed about him. One little girl was lying in her bed, her eyes half closed, weeping softly. Kali drew nearer to her and Edmund followed. As they reached her bed the squirrel popped his head out of Edmund's shirt and began to chatter noisily. The girl's eyes opened fully and her mouth formed a little 'o.' She looked from Edmund to Kali to the squirrel, then whimpered a bit.

Both Edmund and Kali were at a loss of what to say. They didn't know if the girl was afraid of them or simply very sick. One little hand stretched out towards the squirrel, and Edmund very gently placed his pet on her bed. The squirrel crawled up to her head and put a tiny paw on each cheek, stretching his head up to investigate her nose. Then, scolding loudly, he began running down the bed and back up again. Edmund could not suppress a chuckle, and the little girl smiled faintly. Then she turned her head away and began to cry again.

"What's wrong?" Kali questioned her, his voice low and kind.

She hesitated a moment, as if wondering whether she should talk to them or not, then replied, "I want Mamma." Her eyes opened wide and she stared at Kali. "They tell me Mamma is dead, but she isn't, because she came and talked to me." The girl raised her head a little and looked over the room, and then pointed towards Andreth. "See, there is Mamma now," she said. "Mamma isn't dead." She buried her face in her pillow and began crying softly until at last she was asleep.

Edmund turned to Kali, puzzled. "She thinks your mamma is her own," said Kali. "I think she probably has a high fever... I've heard my mamma say that often times you think like that when you have a high fever."

Edmund had turned his eyes towards his mother. He remembered he had wanted to speak with her, but he didn't remember what he wanted to say. He was overwhelmed with pity for all the children in the room. He caught his squirrel as it began scampering down the bed for the fifteenth time and nestled it in his arms. He stood there for a moment, then made his way across the room to Andreth. She was telling a story. Clutching his squirrel tighter he climbed up onto her lap and put his head on her shoulder. She did not pause in her story, but he felt two comforting arms slip about him.