THE woman brought the water bucket over to Unen the next day too.
She told Unen to help her draw water from the river the next day also, and the day after that and the day after that, and gave Unen a single small roll each time upon carrying the bucket to her house.
Unen no longer turned down the bread.
Before she knew it, secretly helping out in the woman’s field when her mother kicked her out of the house had become a daily routine for Unen.
The woman had two big sons at her house. They barely spoke to Unen, but they never made any faces as they watched their mother give Unen jobs left and right.
Once, when her eldest daughter who was married to someone the next town over, visited with her young children and a baby, they entrusted Unen with babysitting them. Unen had her hands full dealing with a little rascal, who was only three but a lot larger than her, but it all worked out when she was paid with baked sweets that melted in her mouth.
✦ ✦ ✦
A month passed with this new routine until a certain summer day rolled in, and everything changed.
Unen had been walking behind the woman carrying a bucket full of water as usual. The water that swayed with her every step sparkled wherever it caught the sunlight. Unen squinted her eyes against the ticklish splashes of water that landed on her nose every now and then when the water hit the rim of the bucket and fell back in a big wave.
Wind blowing through the forest brushed against her cheeks. Unen stopped, suddenly feeling like someone had called her name. Frightened to death that her mother had come for her early, she trembled as she turned around. There was an adult man carrying a huge pack on his back down the road.
Long hay-colored hair hung in a loose braid behind his back, and he was glancing around as if in search of something.
Wind murmured in Unen’s ears again.
A voiceless voice permeated her body. It was like a drop of water falling onto the ground, moistening the surface for but a second before soaking in faster than it had come.
Without realizing, Unen’s lips moved as if they were tracing the disappearing murmur, “Unen Ende Baina…”
The man spun toward Unen as if he had been drawn to her. Surprise plain on his face, he slowly walked over to Unen and crouched down in front of her.
✦ ✦ ✦
His augite-blue eyes peered straight into hers as he asked in a gravelly voice, “What…did you just say?”
“Eh…?”
Had she said something bad? Just as Unen was about to apologize, a loud shout from the woman rained down on her from behind. “Hey, you there! What do you want with that child?!”
“Eh? You’re mistaken, um…” The man stood up, looking cornered. “It’s not that I want anything, um…well, I’m not a suspicious person.”
“Anyone can say whatever they want about themselves. Get away from that child this instant, or I’ll call for someone. You kidnapper!” The woman put her water bucket down and jogged over. Pushing past Unen, she positioned herself in front of the man.
“Kidnapper? I would never! I’m a doctor. I’ve only just arrived in this area, but I was staying in the neighboring town until yesterday. If you think I am lying, I humbly implore you to confirm with them—”
“Neighboring town? Are you possibly Doctor Hereh?” the woman exclaimed in surprise, before the man could finish speaking.
“Ah, yes.”
The man leaned back as far as the woman leaned forward. “Yup, you have the trademark hay-colored braid. My daughter lives in that town, you know, and mentioned that a reliable doctor had arrived. So what’s going on? You aren’t going to settle down in that town?”
“Yes, I’m afraid not. I’m in the middle of a journey.”
“So? What business do you have here, doctor? Hm?”
“No business, really. How do I explain? I thought I heard someone call my name as I was walking…and then that child…” The man looked down at Unen again and fumbled for words.
Then something caught his eye and he studied her carefully from head to toe, like he was taking her apart. Crouching down in front of Unen a second time, he lifted the water bucket out of her hands and placed it on the ground beside her. As he took her arm in his hand, something scary flashed across his face.
Unable to pull away from his grip, Unen felt her entire body tense.
The man rubbed and pressed her arms for some reason before lightly pressing around her eyes. Then he peered inside of her eyes, told her to show him the inside of her mouth and her tongue, and finally, slowly examined the tips of Unen’s fingers—her discolored nails.
“Is this child yours?” he asked the woman in a low growl.
The woman sucked in her breath and quietly responded, “No.”
✦ ✦ ✦
A short while later, the man exited the woman’s house. Holding a single tiny bag in place of the huge pack he had earlier, he left alone in the same slight fury from when he had questioned the woman.
The woman watched him go and told Unen that it was time to weed the field. Relieved from the bottom of her heart that the woman wasn’t behaving any differently, Unen happily nodded.
✦ ✦ ✦
THE sun sunk below the horizon, bringing it close to the time Unen’s mother would come to fetch her.
Unen was about to tell the old woman she was going home when she spotted someone coming up the road. It was the man from earlier in the day, and one other person. Walking a few paces behind him was…Unen’s mother.
Unen felt as if someone had strung her up by the neck and punched her in the gut. Whatever bread, gruel, and water was in her stomach immediately washed up to her chest.
Mommy found out. She saw me with auntie. She saw me in auntie’s field.
“What? Are you saying some strange old lady matters more to you than your mother?” The acrid voice distinctly replayed in Unen’s ears.
Mommy’s gonna abandon me now. I’m gonna be abandoned—
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” Wrapping her arms around her head, Unen squatted on the ground, trying to make herself as small as possible. She didn’t know any other way to weather the coming storm.
“It’s okay,” a kind voice said above her head. Unen apprehensively lifted her face to find augite eyes right before her. “There’s absolutely nothing you have to apologize for. Nothing,” he reassured.
Unen saw her mother huff with exasperation behind his hay-colored hair.
“Unen, you’re going away with this person now,” her mother declared.
“HUUUH?” squeaked the woman behind Unen.
“Good riddance,” her mother said, rolling her eyes as she turned her back on Unen. As she did so, sunlight caught on something attached to the side of her head, sending sparkles into the air. It was a very beautiful hair ornament decorated with red, rose pink, and other sparkling gems—of colors Unen had never seen before.