As soon as that thought dawned upon her, the image vanished. It was replaced with complete darkness, and the deafening screams started. But once again, the sound drowned out everything except for those strange squabbling voices.

What did I tell you?! She’s awake now!
How would you know that?
You can’t ignore it. She’s not dead, and she will remember soon.
Not true. You’re wrong! Wrong!

None of that had any meaning to her, so she paid no attention to it. All she could think about was her precious daughter, and how she might be in trouble. She kept worrying, fighting to keep the young girl’s face fresh in her memory. Her whole body was aching as she realized she knew nothing else about her. She felt a mixture of shock, hopelessness, frustration, and anxiety.

Hushh. Husshhh dear. My sweet, sweet…

This sing-songy voice was one she hadn’t heard before. It was soothing and very cheerful, and for some reason, very familiar.