SHE WHO ASCENDS

The storm raged outside, with huge drops of rain pouring down in torrents, the sky flashing in magnificent streaks of light, as if nature itself was holding its breath tight. Inside the hospital, the air was thick with the tension of a momentous event. In one room, a woman lay, sweat glistening on her forehead as she gripped the sides of the bed. Her breath came in sharp, matching the rhythm of the thunderstorm outside. She was in labor, but not just with one child—two tiny lives were about to enter this heinous world. The doctor, calm in the midst of the storm, worked alongside nurses who moved like clockwork, their faces illuminated by the occasional flash of lightning. And then, with a suddenness that mirrored the lightning strikes outside, the first baby entered the world—screaming fiercely, a tiny figure wrapped in blankets. Moments later, the second child followed suit, born into the world of roaring thunder and unrelenting rain. As the newborns cried, the storm began to recede, the rain slowing, the thunder softening, as if the universe itself had settled, finally at peace with the new lives it had just witnessed coming into the world. The nurses, doctors, and mother all breathed in a collective sigh of relief. The father was overwhelmed with glee, his face sparkles as if he won a battle. The sun broke through the clouds the next morning, casting golden light across the wet pavement. Inside the hospital lobby, the new parents stood side by side, each carrying a baby carrier, their faces lit with pride and joy. The mother, still a bit tender in her steps, walked carefully, her eyes never straying far from the tiny face bundled in pink beside her. The father held the other carrier, wrapped in blue, his smile wide and unshakable. Nurses and doctors waved them off with warm smiles and quiet congratulations as they were leaving the hospital. The parents paused at the sliding glass doors, exchanging a glance— they had entered this place as two, and now they left as four. As they stepped outside, smelling the fresh air and new beginnings, the father opened the car door gently and they entered. A breeze stirred the mother's hair as she whispered, “We made it.” Two proud parents with two tiny miracles drove away with hearts full and future unknown but beautiful, ahead of them. As they reached their sweet home, trees danced to welcome them. Entered the house, the mother, with a thoughtful face. Father asked "What are thinking of queen?" She answered in a muted tone "What should we name them honey?". A tender wind rushed past them as both of their face becomes thoughtful now.