“Goom…” A soft voice. A tug on my arm. “Goom, wake up…”

I opened my eyes. The darkness wasn’t complete. Some light filtered in from the entrance, dimmed by the hanging plants.

I didn’t remember falling asleep. The last time I blinked, I was waiting for daylight. But my body had given in.

The children were awake. Alive.

The smallest… made that sound. That one that isn’t a cry, nor a word. Just a soft, broken noise. The sound of those who cannot speak…

The other two were quiet, but their eyes gave them away. And their stomachs… growled.

Hunger.

And then the fear returned.

“What if they’re still out there…? What if they see me? What if they follow me back here…?”

But the baby kept making that sound. And the other two looked at him like he was screaming what they couldn’t say.

I had to do something.

I went over and took the hands of the two older ones. “I’m going out,” I said softly. “To find food. But promise me something: don’t leave. Take care of the little one. Don’t make a sound. Okay?”

They both nodded. One hugged me. I accepted it. I needed it.

I slipped through the curtain of plants. Outside… just as quiet.

But now the silence wasn’t a friend. It was long. Tense.

I moved under the bushes, listening to everything. Every creak. Every breath of wind.

I stopped many times. But my senses… were sharp. I knew where to look.

Small fruits. Sprouts. Edible branches. Hidden seeds.

I didn’t find soft leaves. But I took a few smooth stones. The kind used for grinding.

When I returned to the cave, the three of them looked at me like I’d crossed mountains.

I smiled at them, though inside I only wanted quiet.

“No soft leaves,” I said. “But I’ll make something for the baby.”

I mashed the fruits and seeds with the stones. Turned them into a paste. Fed the little one with my fingers.

He ate slowly. Small bites. The others chewed slowly too. As if they were tasting peace more than flavor.

Then… they asked.

“Can we go back to the tribe now?” “Did they leave…? The monsters…?”

I stayed silent. I didn’t know. I knew nothing.

But I had to say something.

“I don’t know,” I replied. “It’s not safe yet. We’ll spend the night here. And… if after the next moon no one comes… I’ll go look.”

They nodded, though their eyes still held doubt.

My mind wouldn’t stop. What if someone’s hurt? What if a goblin is still trapped? What if I go… and don’t come back? What if they see me? What if no one else is left…?

Thoughts came and went like a flooded river.

And in the middle of all that… I kept going.

I played with them. We looked for oddly shaped stones. I told them stories, some real, some made up. Things the Chief would say… if he were still here.

While they laughed, distracted, I kept thinking. Thinking so much… I didn’t notice how much I had started to think.

Never in my life had I felt so many things. Or thought so deeply.

But I didn’t know why.

I only knew I had to keep going.

For them.