The Knitting Midwife
A midwife sits in a dark room. She has a shawl wrapped around her shoulders. A candle flickers on the table. She is knitting. From another room, you hear the soft moan of a woman. The midwife continues knitting. The woman in the other room becomes silent again. The midwife continues knitting. After a few minutes, you hear the moan from the other room again and the midwife smiles to herself while she continues to knit. Some time goes by and the midwife gets up and leaves the room. She goes to the kitchen. You hear her switch on the kettle. The labouring woman continues to moan and groan – the pains seem to be intensifying. The midwife comes back with a steaming cup of tea and a plate of biscuits. She dips her biscuits and sips her tea. The labouring woman continues to moan softly in the next room. The midwife is sitting on a rocking chair and now she rocks herself quietly while the woman in labour continues with her noises. The midwife falls asleep. The midwife sleeps for a while… the mother’s noises intensify. The mother begins to shriek. She feels that the pain is too much. She is afraid that she is going to die. The midwife opens her eyes and quietly listens. She slowly gets up (her bones creak a little) and she shuffles out of the room towards the sounds of the labouring woman. Quietly, like a cat, the midwife slips into the room where the mother is. The mother is grunting and screaming and the baby is born. The baby is crying. The midwife comes out of the room. The mother is cooing to her baby. The midwife shuffles back to her chair, sits down, smiles softly to herself and continues to...
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