The Village Girl

Chapter Seventeen - [Seetha]

"Maadu!" I called.

Aaryan quickly grabbed her by the horn, causing her to rear back.

"No!" I nearly shouted, quickly. "You'll hurt her!"

He let go immediately, surprised that I was raising my voice.

Maadu ran off towards the barn, letting herself in. I lifted the skirt of my sari and ran after her. When I got there, I saw her looking uncomfortable as she sat herself down.

Then she got back up, strutted around and sat back down.

She did this a couple times as Aaryan and I watched in confusion.

Finally, I gasped. "Look!"

I could see it.

I could see the baby.

"She's giving birth!" When I looked at Aaryan, I saw the shock on his face. His eyes were wide and his lips slightly parted.

I was certain that he had never seen anything like this before.

Maadu then got down, sitting as the baby began to make its way out.

I was getting frantic, running around, grabbing water and beginning to warm it up with a fire. And when I returned to the barn, Aaryan was still standing there, shocked. "Do we do anything?"

I shook my head. "Not now," I said. "My brother said to leave her be until the baby's bottom is out."

And so we watched.

We stared in amazement as my Maadu brought a new life into this world. I could see that it was a dark brown little baby. I couldn't tell if it was a girl or a boy but I watched in wonder.

"I can't believe this..." Aaryan said, his voice soft.

I chuckled. When I looked at him, I couldn't tell if he was amazed or disgusted.

But nonetheless, he looked shocked.

Soon, the bottom of the baby slipped out."Come now!" I said, "give me a hand!"

He looked at me.

"The baby will be too heavy for me to hold!"

He hesitated. "You want me to..."

I rushed over to Maadu, holding her face in my hands, "good girl!"

"What do you want me to do?" Aaryan asked in disbelief.

"Pull the rest of the baby out!" I said, walking around Maadu and sitting on the floor next to the baby. I touched the face of the baby. It's eyes were closed and the hay and dirt on the floor covered it's face. "it's legs are still in her!" I began to wipe its face clean with my fingers, pushing the dirt and hay away from its nostrils.

"But-"

"Aaryan!"

He took a breath, looking up as if praying to god, before coming over to us. He sat on the floor cross legged, grabbed the baby and pulled.

"Slowly!"

He listened, pulling the little calf out completely from Maadu. The head of the baby now rested on his knee, fluids and a little bit of blood covering his trousers.

I cleaned the baby's wet face as Maadu jumped up. She turned around, almost immediately beginning to lick her baby.

She kept licking it, over and over again as worry filled me. It wasn't moving.

Aaryan began stroking the little calf. "What's wrong with it?" He asked.

"I don't know," I said in a worried whisper. Panic filled me... I didn't know what to do.