Adelaida felt no pain in her chest. All she felt was an intense relaxation flowing out from her chest to the hips of her fingers and toes. She opened her eyes. There were clouds like banners stretched across an azure sky of early morning. She even noticed one or two stars persisting in the blue.
She felt his presence before she saw him. Batuk sat on the ground among the many other sleeping forms surrounding them. He didn’t sleep, but made no move to turn to her.
She reached out and touched his shoulder. Then she noticed the quiver. His entire body was shaking softly.
“Batuk, what is it?” she asked, getting up to sit cross-legged behind him, her hand still on his shoulder.
He sniffed loudly, then turned around. It was much like a boulder trying to move, she noticed with a smile.
Then s
