Cocooned

Alma's Little Project.

After lunch had finished, the adults cleaned up and headed back into Casita. It was past high noon now, only 2 o clock. Alma saw the others having fun playing with the children, and smiled. Once she saw one of the babies yawn, she realized this was an opportunity to head into town.

"niños?" She said, walking up to them. They all turned around, each holding a child, Bruno holding Mirabel and Antonio.

"Si mamá?" Julieta said softly.

"I see that the little ones are getting tired. Why don't you all put them down for a nap and take a break," Alma chuckled. "I know you all love spending time with them, as do I, but I must admit, you all look a bit tired, children included."

The other adults sighed or laughed softly, agreeing with her. While they were always happy to be with their children and play, they couldn't deny the facts: This whole "children coming back" situation had taken a lot of energy out of them. Even after resting all night and eating a first full plate of food in weeks, they were all still a bit drained. And 6 babies to look after was no easy task. The babies themselves were looking awfully tired, and each of the adults could go for a nap themselves.

"We'll do that mamá," Julieta spoke up, nodding. "But what about you? Are you going to sleep?"

Alma shook her head, gesturing to the front doors. "I'm not particularly tired. I was going to head into town to pick up some more sewing supplies and fabrics. I may even grab some yarn and needles."

"I could go with you, I-" Bruno was cut off by Alma gently raising her hand, effectively silencing him.

"Brunito, as much as I want you to come, you need some rest. I don't want you going back to staying up late and getting no sleep, it worries me. Especially after such a long day? No. I want you to rest as well," Alma said sternly, yet softly.

Bruno puffed his chest out a bit and opened his mouth to speak, but after looking at the two babies in his arms and seeing them yawn, he had to admit, a nap did sound nice. "S-Si mamá. I'll try to get some rest,"

Alma nodded in understanding. Casita rumbled its tiles, bringing a woven basket to Alma's feet. Picking it up, she made her way towards the front door. The others went upstairs, children in arms. "I'll see you all later. Make sure you get some rest!" Alma said, waving them goodbye. The 5 adults waved her goodbye, saying see you later and nodding.

After making sure they all went to the nursery, she left Casita, giving the house its own little adios. Walking down the path to town, she overlooked the hill. She could see the village was bustling as usual. It was the middle of the week, so she wasn't surprised to see how busy it was.

She walked down into the town, looking around before walking over to the stalls.

"O-Oh! Senora Alma, it's nice to see you so soon. How are you today?" The stall owner said.

"I'm doing quite alright these days, thank you. These little trinkets, are they for sale?" Alma said, pointing to what was on display.

"Of course! Buy 3, and the next 3 you buy are half off," the stall owner said. "Take your time picking."

Alma looked through the little small decorations. They came in several shapes and sizes, and many colors. But she was looking for specific ones. She wants to put some decorations around the baby's cribs, not only so it'll differentiate who's crib is who's. but it'll look cute as well. Alma finally picked out the six she wanted. A deep blue may lily, an indigo dumbbell with a heart in the center, a teal butterfly, a treble clef, an orange chameleon, and a yellow jaguar. She picked them out and examined them, smiling.

"Senor? I've finished," Alma said.

The stall owner came over and looked at her selection. "Oh, nice choices. You know, I actually made those specific ones for-" He seemed to hesitate, his smile faltering slightly and his brow furrowed.