𝐘𝗼𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐞 | 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍. 𝖿𝗂𝗏𝖾.
𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁: 𝗇𝖾𝗍𝖾𝗒𝖺𝗆 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅𝗌 𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗒𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗍𝗐𝗂𝗇 𝗌𝗂𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅𝗌. 𝗁𝖾 𝗀𝗈𝖾𝗌 𝖺𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝗋𝖾𝗌𝖼𝗎𝖾 𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗌𝗂𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋, 𝗐𝗂𝗍𝗁𝗈𝗎𝗍 𝗄𝗇𝗈𝗐𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗐𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝗍𝗈 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝖾𝖼𝗍.
𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗎𝗅𝗅𝗒’𝗌 𝗑 𝗌𝗎𝗅𝗅𝗒!𝖿𝖾𝗆!𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋
𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: 𝗂𝗍’𝗌 𝖺 𝗐𝗁𝗈𝗅𝖾 𝗅𝗈𝗍𝗍𝖺 𝖺𝗇𝗀𝗌𝗍. 𝖼𝖺𝗇𝗈𝗇-𝖽𝗂𝗏𝖾𝗋𝗀𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝗈𝗏𝗂𝖾, 𝗌𝗈 𝗂 𝗀𝗎𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝗂𝗍’𝗌 𝗌𝗉𝗈𝗂𝗅𝖾𝗋-𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖾. 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝗂𝗌 𝗇𝖾𝗍𝖾𝗒𝖺𝗆’𝗌 𝗍𝗐𝗂𝗇 𝗌𝗂𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗒 𝗌𝗁𝖺𝗋𝖾 𝖺 𝗍𝗐𝗂𝗇 𝖻𝗈𝗇𝖽. 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗍𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾!𝗇𝖾𝗍𝖾𝗒𝖺𝗆, 𝗉𝗋𝗈𝗍𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾!𝗃𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗇𝖾𝗒𝗍𝗂𝗋𝗂. 𝗎𝗇𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗌𝖼𝗂𝗈𝗎𝗌 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋. 𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝗌 𝗈𝖿 𝖻𝗅𝗈𝗈𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗇𝗃𝗎𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗌. 𝗇𝖾𝖺𝗋-𝖽𝖾𝖺𝗍𝗁 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾. 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗋𝖽 𝗉𝖾𝗋𝗌𝗈𝗇 𝗉𝗈𝗂𝗇𝗍 𝗈𝖿 𝗏𝗂𝖾𝗐. 𝗎𝗌𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗇𝖺’𝗏𝗂 𝗅𝖺𝗇𝗀𝗎𝖺𝗀𝖾.
𝗮.𝗻: 𝖾𝗇𝗀𝗅𝗂𝗌𝗁 𝗂𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗍 𝗆𝗒 𝖿𝗂𝗋𝗌𝗍 𝗅𝖺𝗇𝗀𝗎𝖺𝗀𝖾, 𝖺𝗉𝗈𝗅𝗈𝗀𝗂𝖾𝗌 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗉𝗈𝗌𝗌𝗂𝖻𝗅𝖾 𝗆𝗂𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗄𝖾𝗌. 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝖼𝖾𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗋𝖾𝖽 𝗈𝗇 𝗇𝖾𝗍𝖾𝗒𝖺𝗆, 𝗃𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗇𝖾𝗒𝗍𝗂𝗋𝗂, 𝖻𝗎𝗍 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗌𝗍𝗂𝗅𝗅 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋 𝖺𝗌 𝗐𝖾𝗅𝗅. 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗅𝗈𝗇𝗀𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗉𝖺𝗋𝗍 𝗂’𝗏𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝗇𝖺𝗀𝖾𝖽 𝗍𝗈 𝗐𝗋𝗂𝗍𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖿𝗂𝖼, 𝗒𝖺𝗒!! 𝗂 𝗁𝗈𝗉𝖾 𝗒𝗈𝗎’𝗅𝗅 𝖾𝗇𝗃𝗈𝗒. 𝗽.𝘀: 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝗸, 𝗶𝘁’𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗲 :)
𝗻𝗮’𝘃𝗶 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲: 𝘀𝗮’𝗻𝘂 [’𝘴𝘢?.𝘯𝘶]: 𝗆𝗎𝗆, 𝗆𝗈𝗆𝗆𝗒 (𝖺𝖿𝖿𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆) || 𝗺𝗮’𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗻 [𝘮𝘢’?𝘪.𝘵𝘢𝘯]: 𝗆𝗒 𝗌𝗈𝗇 || 𝘁𝘀𝗺𝘂𝗸𝗲 [’𝘵𝘴𝘮𝘶.𝘬ε]: 𝗌𝗂𝗌𝗍𝖾𝗋 || 𝘀𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘂 [’𝘴ε𝘮.𝘱𝘶]: 𝖽𝖺𝖽, 𝖽𝖺𝖽𝖽𝗒 (𝖺𝖿𝖿𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇𝖺𝗍𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆) || 𝗺𝗮’𝗶𝘁𝗲 [𝘮𝘢’?𝘪.𝘵ε]: 𝗆𝗒 𝖽𝖺𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍𝖾𝗋 || 𝗺𝗮’𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘁𝘀𝘆𝗶̀𝗽 [𝘮𝘢’?𝘪.𝘵ε.𝘵𝘴𝘫𝘪𝘱]: 𝗆𝗒 𝗅𝗂𝗍𝗍𝗅𝖾 𝖽𝖺𝗎𝗀𝗁𝗍𝖾𝗋 (𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗆 𝗈𝖿 𝖾𝗇𝖽𝖾𝖺𝗋𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍) || 𝘁𝘀𝗮𝗵𝗲𝘆𝗹𝘂 [𝗍𝗌𝖺.’𝗁ε𝗃.𝗅𝗎]: 𝖻𝗈𝗇𝖽 (𝗇𝖾𝗎𝗋𝖺𝗅 𝖼𝗈𝗇𝗇𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇) || 𝗺𝗮’𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗴 [𝘮𝘢’?ε𝘷ε𝘯]: 𝗆𝗒 𝖼𝗁𝗂𝗅𝖽
Neteyam wakes up abruptly, sweat dripping down his forehead and heavy pants leaving his lips. His chest rises and falls heavily, heart thumping loudly within his ribcage. His hands shake in his lap, and a searing pain in his abdomen causes him to double over, arms sneaking around his midriff in search of comfort. The beads in his braids cling together and echo in the silence of the tent. It sounds far away to Neteyam, sounds muffled by his heart beating louder. His ears are flat against his scalp, and his vision blurs with the tears that gather at his waterline. His breath comes short and shallow, and his limbs grow numb and weak with the pain that spreads through his torso. He does not look down though, because he knows he is not the one in pain. Panic rises in his body at the thought, and he searches for his parents as best as he can in the darkness that surrounds him.