Hello everyone. Allow me to be honest and let me tell you the truth that doesn't appear in fairy tales.

Forget the sublime image of birth, that sweet lie they call 'the miracle of life'!

What I experienced was not a miracle. It was hell!!

If you are about to go through this or if you are writing a romantic elegy about motherhood, stop now.

Because this is what no one will tell you: the gestation, as I experienced it, was an anomaly!

My body wasn't a sanctuary; it was a biological furnace on the verge of fracturing.

AND IT HURT A LOT!!

Aren't you exaggerating?

Dear reader... I assure you, I am not!!

I felt every atom of my being being drained, not to nourish life, but to fuel a reactor.

So think of the sharpest pain you've ever felt, now imagine that pain settling in the center of your chest, fused to the flesh, and starting to beat like an erratic war drum.

Have you imagined it?

PERFECT!!

Now, grasp the idea that every pulsation was confirmation that you were being devoured from the inside, and tell me... Do you think it doesn't hurt?!

And no, I couldn't scream. The real hell is having to silence your own agony. I bit my lips until I tasted iron mixed with putrefaction.

I squeezed my mouth so hard, my knuckles white, to stifle the spasms that made me vomit thick, black blood!

Why? For a single, pathetic reason: the facade. I couldn't let the others know. Self-control was the only rope tying me to sanity, even when madness threatened to devour me.

But despite all that, I held on without any problem! (TRAUMATIZED)

So the next time you hear the word "pregnancy," don't just think about the miracle of life, but also about the pain it took to create it!! (truly traumatized)

And when the pain finally breaks you, when you have no energy or will left, the release is not a gentle peace.

It's just pain!!

... But.

"Mom!"

Despite the pain that almost tore me apart, despite having emptied my body in an act of birth that contradicted all the laws of nature, despite the blood, the sweat, and the madness... it was worth it.

So, would you do it again...?

Well, if you ask me today, right now, if I would do it again, I would answer without hesitation...

Damn it, let me rest!!

Then I would slap you and run away from reality for a few months before being forced back into therapy to get over it before giving my answer with a... Yes.

"For what reason would you repeat such a hell?"

I mean, just look at her...

"Mom, Mom!"

There she was. Floating over the puddle of black blood that was all that remained of my agony! She wasn't big, she wasn't imposing; she was tiny, almost ethereal.

An adorable little creature of nature in her purest and cutest form!

Do you want to know what she looks like?

Well then, dear reader, I will explain!

Her hair was a vibrant green, as intense as the sap of an ancient tree. It was gathered in two small braids that rose from the nape of her neck and intertwined over her head.

With wings that, although small, fluttered with a subtle energy, leaving a trail of golden light in the dense air!

I mean, she's even flying around me in circles across the room, ignoring the mess and the smell of copper, with an expression of pure innocence and curiosity.

She is totally adorable!!

Watching her face, the way her tiny hands searched the air, and hearing that word repeated over and over, erased the memory of the swollen veins and stifled screams from my mind. (not entirely)

The hell had become a garden. (literally)

I mean, the little spirit... Or fairy in this case...?

Oblivious to the destruction that had preceded her, she fluttered close to the floor, and where her trail of light touched the wood, the putrefaction and blood vanished, being instantly converted into vibrant sprouts!

From the cracks in the walls, from between the floor joints, stems and leaves emerged, growing with miraculous speed. In the air, where the stench of agony was palpable, a fragrance of dew and fertile earth filtered through.

Which I really appreciate because this room needed ventilation!

Flowers bloomed everywhere: scarlet azaleas contrasting with the pale wood, white lilies rising majestically, and clusters of tiny purple wildflowers carpeting every surface. It was a flourishing so rapid and exuberant that the room transformed, in a matter of seconds, into a wild conservatory, with vines embracing the bedposts and soft moss covering the buckets that still overflowed with the reddish liquid.

Wait a second!! How do I know all that?!

Well, elementary, my dear reader, that's thanks to the gardening books I was reading while planting my garden to cope with the horrible pain of the last few weeks!

... Although, now that I think about it... didn't that garden grow too fast...?

"Haaaah... Well, it doesn't matter!"

... Yes, I know what you're going to say... "Aren't you being lazy...?" To which I will answer... I don't have the strength to think about those things right now!

So, inhaling a deep breath of clean air to fill my lungs, feeling my body still sore from the residual pressure, and with a monumental effort, I propped myself up on my elbows and then staggering, I stood up!

"I see you have finally woken up."

"Echidna...? Wait... What do I mean I finally woke up?!"

"Exactly what I said. After all, you have been unconscious for the last 24 hours, just like everyone else."

"Everyone else?!"

Upon hearing those words, my thoughts immediately turned to the condition of my "babies"!

"What happened to Silver, Goldie, and the others?! Who attacked them?!"

"In simple terms, it was you."

"Huh...?"

Me?! What...! How... Why?!

"Stay calm, you are not in a condition to receive a slap to snap out of it."

"What do you mean?!"

"Listen calmly. You released a powerful scream charged with madness that sent every conscious being within an eighty-kilometer radius into a state of unconsciousness. However, knowing Silver and the others, it probably only knocked them out momentarily."

"....."

Is that... is that a good thing...?

"You're probably wondering if that's a good thing, aren't you?"

"Stop reading my mind!!"

"You should know I can't read your mind."

"Then stop predicting?!"

"Haaa... Relax, and regarding the condition of Silver, Goldie, Brownie, and the other straw dolls... The reality is that they just need a little push to get back into action."

"A push...?"

"Indeed, just like this..."

How strange... I wonder why it is... That I suddenly feel a shiver run down my spine...

"You can come in now!!"

(KRAKK!!)

"?!"

And immediately after Echidna's words, a dry, violent sound resonated, drowning out the delicate buzzing of the little Spirit as the inn door, which I had hermetically sealed, was kicked down from outside with tremendous force.

(CRACK-WHUM!!)

("Mom!!")

("Mom...")

("Clink, clanck!!")

(Mom!)

(Mom, Mom!)

(Mom!)

(Mom, Mom, Mom!)

And instantly, the room-garden was invaded by a chaotic tide. At the head of the mob, with expressions of panic and extreme relief, Silver, Goldie, and Brownie lunged forward, while right behind them, an unstoppable flood of hundreds of straw dolls poured into the room, each emitting a sharp, worried sound.

(PLUMMM!! WHOOSH-THUD!!)

The effect was immediate when an avalanche of bodies crashed into me before I could blink.

"I can't breathe!!"

The combined force of the charge knocked me down, throwing me backward onto the now soft floor covered with moss and lilies.

"Hkk!"

In an instant, I was completely buried under a blanket of arms, legs, and straw.

Honestly, this would be touching... If it weren't for the fact that I'm dying!!

"Mom...?!"

Meanwhile, the little Spirit, who had been floating silently, now looked on with curiosity and a slight start.

But somebody help me?!

(we are experiencing technical problems we sincerely regret the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding)

"Haaaa... Haaa... Haa... I'm... Alive..."

Finally, after escaping and gasping for air, I was able to take a moment to inspect my current condition.

And how did I escape...?

Well, thanks to Echidna who calmed everyone down!

But getting back to the topic, I ran my fingers over the sternum area, where the core had been embedded. The swollen and pulsating veins had completely disappeared, and the flesh that had been stretched and cracked now felt surprisingly smooth. Moreover, the physical wound had healed completely! Although it seems to have left a small X-shaped scar in its place, but that is acceptable!

However, continuing the analysis, my skin still looks terribly pale, and the exhaustion accumulated over weeks of brutal insomnia is hitting me hard.

Yep... I'm not doing well at all...

"I'm... I'm fine."

But raising my eyes to see Silver, Goldie, Brownie, and the straw dolls looking on with expressions of extreme anxiety only leaves me with one answer to give!

"But I need to rest. I need a group nap. Now."

But before allowing myself to collapse into bed, there was one job to do!

"But before that..."

So, looking at the little spirit or fairy who was fluttering curiously among the azaleas.

"You need a name."

"Mmm...?"

Then, with her gaze fixed on me and looking at the vibrant garden that had miraculously sprouted from her presence, the choice was obvious and simple!

"We will call you... Flora."

"Flora?"

Thus, the little fairy stopped her flight, tilted her head for an instant, and then, with an explosion of joy.

"Flora! Flora, Mom!"

She repeated her name full of energy.

"Well, with all that said... It's time to sleep!!"

Finally, I can rest!

Although... I wonder why it is... Do I feel like I'm forgetting something...?