I woke up to the same tortured screams. It was Poland and I had no doubt that he was experiencing another nightmare. Two weeks had passed since the incident and yet the signs of my ability's side effects had yet to wane. Which was strange considering that Singapore was more or less fine. Traumatised but fine. He was finally speaking to me again–a relief–but tension still lingered.
"Nightmares again?" Singapore asked as I rushed towards Poland's room like I had been doing for the past few nights. Nodding, I entered Poland's room. He was thrashing about in his bed, screaming. Grabbing his shoulders, I shook him to wake him up. Gasping like a fish out of water, his eyes snapping open as they darted around frantically. Clawing at my sleeve, he blubbered, "It was so bad. TR was back and I...I..." Hesitantly, I patted his head and said soothing words. If it weren't for his current state, he would probably kill me if I tried to touch him. As he slowly calmed down, I began to sing a lullaby. It was a lullaby that Oma used to sing to me when I was growing up and I always fell asleep listening to it.
"Schlaf jetzt ein
Schlaf jetzt ein
Schlaf jetzt ein
Schlaf ein..."
I sighed softly when I finished the song. Poland had fallen asleep at some point and Singapore had taken to leaning against the door frame. His eyes were half-lidded as he yawned. Slowly getting off Poland's bed, I drew the blanket over his body. Turning to face Singapore, I told him, "You should go to bed. You're practically falling asleep."
"You're a good singer," Singapore commented.
I felt blood rushing up to my face and I was grateful for the red stripe on my face, "Thank you but I really think you should go to bed. We have a long day tomorrow."
"Do you think you could stop his nightmares?"
I looked at Singapore quizzically. "You could use your ability, no? I mean if it's what caused the nightmares in the first place, surely it can reverse the effects of it. All you need to do is get UN's permission," he continued. I shook my head violently and hissed, "My ability is a destructive one. There's no way I can reverse the effects. All I can do is try to calm Poland down after his nightmares." Singapore flinched and I felt a twinge of guilt. We stood in silence and my mind began to drift.
Should I really try using my ability? But what if it makes things worse. Worries flooded my head as I thought over all of the ways my ability caused further damage. But...on the other hand, it might just work. I mean...if a snake's own venom could be used to make an antivenom, couldn't the same work for me? You aren't a snake though. A flash of movement caught my eye and I saw Poland's brows furrow. Instinctively, my hand reached out as I patted his head. He made a soft sound before his expression ironed out again. Singapore eyed me, as I continued to pat Poland's head. It felt almost hypnotic–my actions–pat, pat, pat.
My movements became mechanical as I continued to pet Poland's head and I slowly sat back onto the edge of his bed. It felt good to watch him sleeping so peacefully. His mouth curved into a soft smile and in his sleep, he looked like an angel. (Of course, one who knew him for a long time–America for example–would know that he was not.) A distant part of me was aware Singapore was staring at me and I shifted slightly so I couldn't face him.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Hmm?"
"Who taught you that lullaby?"
I knew that Singapore was trying to make me trust him so that he could ask me about using my ability again. It was a tactic many royals used when communicating with their subjects or other royals. Despite knowing this, I decided to humour him for a bit. "My grandmother used to sing this to me when I was young," I answered softly, afraid that I would wake Poland up. I heard the soft rustle of fabric as Singapore sat on the ground next to me.
"My ayah would sing me and Malaysia a lullaby too when we were young. Especially when...during the war when...the soldiers would attack the kingdom."
"What was the lullaby like?"
Singapore smiled sadly as he murmured, "I don't remember it very well. Neither does Mal. But I think it went something like this..."
•
Kalau ada jarum patah
Jangan simpan di dalam peti
Kalau ada silap sepatah
Jangan disimpan di dalam hati
•
"It's basically about how we need to forgive and forget," Singapore explained. I nodded and complimented his singing. It was very soft and easy to listen to. Much like Oma's. In fact, when Singapore sang, if I were blindfolded, I would have thought that it was a lady singing. He blushed and thanked me. Looking at the clock on the bedside table, I realised that over an hour had passed.
"It's late."
"Yea."
"We should go to bed."
Singapore didn't reply as he furrowed his brows. "Why are you so nice to a country who hates you?" he asked as I got off Poland's bed. I looked at him confused. Why bring this up now? "It's just...I don't get why you are nice to him. Is it guilt? Is it conscience? You know, you didn't have to help calm him down. I just...I just don't get it," he seemed to read my mind. A soft sigh escaped my lips as they curved upwards into a reluctant smile.
"I guess I'm just trying to make up for what I did to Poland," my gaze drifted to the country in question as I patted his hair again. He murmured something in his sleep and turned away from me. Immediately I stopped patting as the reality struck. Right, we are still enemies. I laughed bitterly under my breath. How could I forget? Maybe I shouldn't even have bothered helping. It's not like he appreciates the help anyways.
Singapore looked at me as he muttered, "I know it's a lot to ask but if you really want to make it up to Poland, you need to stop his nightmares. Maybe then..."
"Maybe then what?" I turned to face Singapore but he was already gone.
Looking at Poland, I sighed again. I had overstayed my welcome and it was time for me to leave. Yet, I couldn't bring myself to leave. Adjusting the blanket that had somehow fallen off Poland's upper body, I began to hum the lullaby unconsciously. A pair of arms circled my waist and I looked down in surprise to see Poland cuddling me.
"Stay...stay with me..." he mumbled sleepily.
You idiot. You don't even know who you are hugging. I could almost laugh yet... It felt nice. I hadn't been hugged by anyone in quite a while aside from Oma. He's only doing this because he doesn't know that it's you. He'd throw you to the side the second he knew it were you. East's voice reverberated around my head, snapping me out of my daydream. My smile vanished and my face returned back to its stony expression. Prying his fingers off my waist, I quickly stood up and left the room. But before I left, I turned around and took one last look at Poland.
Could I really help him?
Translations:
Ayah--Dad
Song lyrics translation:
Kalau ada jarum patah
Jangan simpan di dalam peti
Kalau ada silap sepatah
Jangan disimpan di dalam hati
If there is a broken needle
Don't keep it in the wooden chest;
If there is a wound caused by words,
Don't let it fester in your heart
A/N: Yay, another chapter finished!!! And I did it before my Monday deadline :). (I take back my words from my previous Announcement post) This was a pretty "chill" chapter and it is one of the chapters that will lead up to the conclusion of Act 1 in this book. Also, I'm not sure if Singaporeans (or even Southeast Asian people) will recognise the lullaby Singapore sang considering the name of the song isn't in the lyrics I put in but what are your guesses?
If you guessed 'Di Tanjong Katong', you are CORRECT!!! To be honest, it's more of a folk song rather than a lullaby but ermmmmm we won't talk about that. ;) Song below.
Side note: When I was searching up Singaporean lullabies [to which, I did not find any. I probably wasn't searching the proper terms but never mind that--], I found this song written by Zubir Said (Said is pronounced as 'Sai-id' [I think that's how it's supposed to be pronounced]) who was the composer of the Singapore National Anthem (Majulah Singapura). It's called Semoga Bahagia (May you achieve happiness). Song below.
And yes, I got this from the Singapore government Youtube Channel. Anyways, QUESTION TIME KIDS!
Question time!!!
1) Not for the book per say but what do you think of the sudden "affection" Germany shows towards Poland? Do you find it inappropriate (considering in real life Germany was a complete a-hole towards Poland) or is it okay? I really want a response so I can better structure Poland and Germany's interections.
2) Why did I put that specific part of Di Tanjong Katong? (Hint: Look at the english lyrics) How does that relate to Singapore's character?
3) Do you want to the cover to be changed?
Aight, that's all for today. See you soon and stay safe! (Somedays I wonder how obvious I am with my country of origin.)