Everlasting Dream

Chapter 31: Birthday gift for their mother

[Silvia]

The sky outside the cave was bright and sunny, and the sounds of chirping birds filled the forest. The sun's warmth shines through the leaves of the trees as the gentle breeze blows through the woods, making them rustle and dance. Inside the cave, Aster sat quietly, playing with his sister's long silver hair as she lay beside him in their nest.

— "Hey, Asty," Silvia said softly, smiling tenderly at her baby brother's curious face. She gently brushed his soft hair with her fingers. "I'm working on something for Mommy's birthday. Would you like to see it?" she asked sweetly, her eyes twinkling brightly.

Aster stared at her with round, golden eyes, cheeks chubby and pink. Confused, he tilted his head to the side, his brow furrowed slightly.

— "Alright, I'll show you!" Silvia exclaimed, laughing gently as she patted Aster's head lovingly. She got up and walked to their corner of the cave, where she had left her unfinished gift. It was hidden beneath several blankets so their mother wouldn't accidentally find it.

She quickly returned and carefully placed it on the floor between them, right in front of Aster.— "It's not finished yet..." she whispered, smiling shyly as she pushed it forward slightly so Aster could see it better. "See this?" she asked Aster, her voice hushed as she showed him her work. "It's a bracelet. Sort of," she explained.

— "It's just a knitted string with a bunch of small stones attached..." Silvia continued. "But it is really hard to attach them, you know!" Silvia pouted adorably, "But I think it looks good, even half-finished. What do you think? Do you like it?" she asked her brother as she placed the jewelry around his tiny wrist and fastened it securely, tying a knot. "There you go!" she said cheerfully as she finished attaching the bracelet to her brother.

Aster's eyes widened slightly as he stared at the colorful new accessory on his arm, admiring it closely.

— "Those are Mommy's favorite colors!" Silvia explained excitedly, her cheeks flushed pink as she admired her creation. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked proudly.

— "Well, I hope she likes it." She glanced at Aster and smiled as she watched him examine the bracelet. Aster listened attentively to every word coming out of his sister's mouth. "Do you want to see how I made it, little Asty? Here, let me show you!" Silvia said excitedly as she took out several thin, long strands of thread.

— "I took this here...and I tied a loop at the end of each piece...like this...see?" She showed him the tip of a long, narrow piece of fabric attached to another piece. "Then, I tied a knot using this special technique. It took me all day to learn this... but I managed it! And then..." Silvia paused as she looked at her brother to check if he was looking and smiled sweetly before continuing to explain. "Once I made enough knots... I took a bunch of tiny stones and..."

Aster lifted his gaze to meet her eyes, staring at her curiously, blinking several times slowly, listening patiently.

— "I was thinking about putting something else on it, but I'm not sure what," Silvia said thoughtfully, glancing down at the bracelet. She continued talking, "Something... special," she whispered. She pursed her lips together in concentration, considering what would go best on it.

After a while, Silvia smiled brightly as an idea came to her.— "Ah! I've got it! Thank you, Asty!" she exclaimed cheerfully, kissing her brother on his cheek before jumping up from their little nest. "Mommy is gonna love this!"

Aster stared up at her with those big, round eyes of his, his cheeks puffed out slightly in confusion.

— "I'll put in some of our hair! Just a tiny bit," She smiled broadly at her brother, her cheeks flushed pink as she explained her plan. "That way, whenever Mommy wears it, she'll be reminded of us!" she continued excitedly, her eyes sparkling as she gazed into his curious, golden eyes.

Aster tilted his head curiously, his mouth slightly open.

...

— "Okay, okay! Sorry about that, buddy!" Silvia chuckled softly as she ruffled her brother's soft hair lovingly. "But look at this!" she said enthusiastically as she showed him a tiny tuft of silvery hair in her hand. "This is perfect!"

Aster gazed at her, an awkward smile forming on his lips as he saw his hair in her hand.

— "First, I'll cut off this tiny piece, and..." Silvia narrated her actions as she began to work on the bracelet, explaining everything as she worked. When there was nothing else to explain, she hummed softly under her breath as she concentrated on the task.

Aster watched her closely. His attention focused entirely on her hands as if he understood everything she was doing.

— "Next, we gotta take some of my hair as well, like this..." She began cutting off bits of her silver locks, "And we place your hair and mine in this knot right here... And then..." she mumbled to herself as she continued. "Here...Almost there... just... one... more... thing..." She tied the last knot, securing everything neatly before raising her arm triumphantly in victory.

— "Tada!" she exclaimed enthusiastically, holding the bracelet up for her brother to admire. "What do you think, little brother? Mommy will love this!" Silvia grinned widely as she saw him react positively to her handiwork, even though it was simply a smile on his face. "I know, right?!" she agreed, nodding eagerly. "I am really good at making stuff like this, huh?" Silvia giggled while Aster stared at her.

She hummed happily while holding the bracelet close to her chest. "Thank you for helping me out today, little brother!" she thanked him sweetly.

...

Nivalis smiled amusedly before relenting,— "Alright, alright, five more minutes. Then we should start to get ready for the day, okay?"

The little girl nodded slowly, letting out a small moan in agreement before closing her eyes again, resting in complete comfort. Her smooth skin shone in the sun's rays as she breathed calmly and deeply, her chest rising and falling in rhythm with her steady breathing. "Love youuuuu..." she mumbled softly under her breath.

Nivalis chuckled and gently massaged the little girl's stomach with her fingertips.— "Love you too, baby girl," she murmured. She lay in bed, holding Silvia in a loose embrace while humming quietly.

"Oh! Oh! How could I forget?!" Silvia suddenly exclaimed as she bolted upright with wide eyes. She turned around, threw her arms around her mother, and hugged her as tightly as possible. "Happy birthday, Mommy!" she squeaked excitedly. Her legs kicked up, bouncing against the blankets for a brief moment before settling back down.

Nivalis smiled brightly at her daughter's energetic reaction, stroking her hair lovingly.— "Thank you, darling. That's very sweet of you," she replied warmly, her voice full of emotion. She pulled the girl closer to her face and planted kisses all over Silvia's face. Silvia beamed at the praise from her mother, giggling as Nivalis peppered her face with kisses, her cheeks warming at the affection.

"I have a gift for you, Mommy!" Silvia announced proudly, reaching her hands up to grasp Nivalis's shoulders, using them to hoist herself up in order to stand. "Close your eyes!"

— "Mmm, okay," Nivalis nodded with a soft laugh and did as she was instructed.

Her bare, little feet shuffled softly against the ground as Silvia moved about their room, searching for something. And just a moment later, she finally found it. Silvia grasped the small bracelet tightly in her tiny hand. She turned around and looked at her mother. Nivalis had her eyes shut firmly as requested. With a smile, Silvia hurried over to her. "You can open your eyes now, Mommy."

Nivalis blinked and focused her eyes on Silvia's face. Her daughter stood before her, smiling widely and holding a small, crudely assembled bracelet of stone beads and threads tied together, dangling from her delicate hand.

"Here, Mommy! Happy birthday!" Silvia exclaimed brightly. "This is for you!" she added, her cheeks turning rosy pink. She reached out and placed the gift around her mother's wrist, securing it in place by tying the ends together with a knot. "Taa-daa!" she exclaimed joyously, a wide smile on her face as she proudly showed off her creation.

Nivalis looked at the present with amazement. After a moment of silence, she finally said, "Thank you, Silvia, sweetheart. Thank you very much." Her voice was genuine and sincere, as she appeared to be genuinely moved by her daughter's gift.

"Oh, the best part is here!" Silvia announced enthusiastically while pointing to a small area near the middle of the bracelet, where she had carefully placed a few strands of her silver hair and her brother's, entangling them between the rest of the materials. "It's my hair!" she stated excitedly. "And Asty's, too!" She smiled brightly.

Nivalis inspected the gift thoroughly, a look of surprise still evident on her face. Finally, she smiled warmly and hugged her daughter gently.— "I love it very much. It's absolutely wonderful," Nivalis whispered.

"Really?" Silvia gasped excitedly, her eyes shining happily, "Yay!!" she squealed with delight. "I'm glad you like it, Mommy! I spent a long time working on it, you know!"

— "Yes, dear, thank you," Nivalis replied, tenderly kissing the top of her head. "You did great."

"Hehe." Silvia giggled happily at the praise.

— "Thank you, sweetheart," Nivalis said gratefully before embracing Silvia, kissing the top of her head, and rubbing her back affectionately. She ran her fingers through Silvia's silky silver hair and tickled the tips of her ears. "This means the world to me."

Silvia laughed aloud as she enjoyed the comforting sensation of her mother's touches, basking in the warm affection. "You're welcome!"

Then, out of nowhere, Nivalis noticed Aster crawling towards her with his chubby little hands and feet dragging against the blankets. He attempted to climb onto her lap, his golden eyes blinking slowly, his rosy lips parted slightly as if he were trying to say something.

"Mmm!" he squeaked out softly, his tiny fists clenched tightly by his side in determination. Nivalis's eyes widened as she realized he was attempting to form his first words. Silvia quickly turned her head toward her brother's direction.

Both girls were perfectly still, waiting patiently and carefully as Aster opened and closed his mouth several times without uttering a sound. Then, after a few failed attempts, little Aster succeeded. It was a small, barely audible sound. "Ma!" he squeaked out, his voice high-pitched and sweet. "Ma! Ma! Ma!" Aster repeated the word over and over, his voice growing louder and stronger with each iteration. Nivalis gasped with joy, her eyes glistening with tears, as she gathered him into her arms and pulled him close to her chest.

"That's right, little one! Yes, I'm your Mama. Oh my god!" Nivalis cried happily while holding the little boy tightly in her embrace. She rocked him gently, brushing his soft hair with her finger as she whispered, "You spoke, my love! You actually spoke!" Her eyes watered with emotion as she kissed him repeatedly, pressing her lips to his forehead.

Silvia's eyes widened, her mouth opening wide in surprise as she stared at her baby brother in awe. "Did you hear that?!" she asked excitedly. "He said his first word. I can't believe it!" Silvia exclaimed, clapping her hands together excitedly while bouncing up and down on her knees. "That was so cool! My baby brother said his first word!" she exclaimed happily.

"Yes, yes! He did," Nivalis confirmed with a grin, looking into Silvia's bright eyes.

Tears of happiness poured from Nivalis's eyes, streaming down her cheeks as she hugged her daughter and son in one loving embrace. This is the perfect birthday any mother could possibly ask for, "I love you all," she whispered, her voice quivering heavily from the emotions within her. "I love you all so, so much..."