Chapter 22: The Sleeping Promise
Chapter 22: The Sleeping Promise
~~[735 Words]~~
The room was dark and silent—like the kind of night where everything feels settled and close.
A soft, somber light glowed from the tiny bulbs around the Santa Maria monument.
There was space everywhere. At the center, a broad table demanded attention—bare, no cloth, just smooth, expensive wood carved with these strange, beautiful patterns. The varnish almost made the surface glow. You didn’t need anyone to tell you: this wasn’t a table for just anyone. Ordinary people had no right even to think about sitting there.
Massive chairs hugged the table. Each one was tall and intimidating, but the one at the very end was enormous—almost like a throne. All of them matched, carved to perfection, each echoing the same intricate design. Seventeen chairs. Not one missing.
Behind that looks like disjointed chair on one end, a figure standing alone, it was Reina.
She stood there, body and eyes still as stone. In front of her, a huge glass chamber took up the space—so big you’d need the reach of seven people just to wrap your arms around it. Steel and concrete held it in place, floor to ceiling. Something glowed inside—a small body, curled up and floating gently in a liquid that seemed to shine like melted gold. No tubes, nothing mechanical. Just this soft, golden glow.
Reina couldn’t stop looking. She watched in that hush, not moving, barely breathing.
And then—creak! The gigantic door groaned open, the kind that could crush you under its weight.
Reina knew right away someone had come in. She turned, slowly, keeping herself composed.
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Her mother stepped inside. She wore a long skirt and a shawl with delicate flowers draped over one shoulder. The second Reina saw her face, her heart gave a jolt—caught off guard and uncertain. Her mother smiled—a warm, familiar smile—but there was something else there, a sadness dug in deep, impossible to cover up.
Reina felt it in her bones. She was a mother too—that kind of pain was impossible to miss.
The old woman walked with purpose. No hint of weakness, even with her years.
“Mother—”
“How beautiful he is, sleeping so well,” her mother said, her voice soft and cool. She barely broke her stride, heading towards the glass chamber, her smile tight and sad.
“He must be hungry by now. And cold, inside there.”
She climbed a short set of steps and laid her palm on the glass—a gentle, aching touch. The glass was thick and smooth. Every time her wrinkled hand moved, there was a mix of joy and loss in her eyes, like she was holding on to something already too far away. Whatever she saw inside that chamber wasn’t just precious—it was everything.
“My love slept so well, hmm? Wake up, my dear. There’s so much I want to show you. We’re all waiting—everyone wants to see you strong, see you smile. I finished sewing your clothes, you know. Everything is ready for you, so please…come back to us. Let us hold you again.”
The old woman started to sing. Her voice was soft, gentle, and trembling with love and pain:
“My soul magnifies
Magnifies the Lord.
My spirit rejoices.
In God my saviour…"
On and on, her words spilt out—longing mixed with faith. She’d sung this song so many times, and each time, nobody ever answered. Still, she kept going, voice shaking, never stopping.
For Reina, it was the first time she truly heard her mother sing—really heard her. The sadness running through her was deeper than anything she’d realized before.
With every touch against the glass, tears came, quiet and unchecked. Her song broke up and faltered. She lost the tune, her body trembling, her heart pushing her forward anyway—wanting, aching, and never letting go.
Reina walked over to her grieving mother and placed a hand on her shoulder—steady and gentle. She didn’t have to say anything. The gesture was enough: hope still lived as long as they did.
Her mother tried to keep herself together. She really did. In the end, it didn’t matter—she just wanted to stay there, besides the child she loved more than anything, to wait, to keep watch, for as long as it took.
But how long was that? When would it end?
A single tear dropped and disappeared into the floor.