Walking the Tree Read Online Free

propped her up with the cushions and pillows stuffed with sand.
      Magnolia said, "Dad?" Myrist squeezed her hand. "This is when you want your own family. But we are here. We will care for you."
      Pittos knelt onto the bed and one-handedly arranged Magnolia until her breasts were exposed. He put two pillows on Magnolia's lap then lay the baby down. The baby began to whimper as he sniffed milk close by.
      "Lift the baby up. Put both arms under the pillows and raise him," the Birthman said. He pulled back Magnolia's shoulders then grasped one aureole between two fingers.
      "Okay. Let's hope he's a natural," he said. "Lift him so his face is close to the breast."
      Logan, his face still, determined, raised his son. The baby snuffled at the nipple then opened his mouth wide.
      "Put him on! That's it. Hang on." Pittos made a gentle flick at the baby's lips then settled back.
      "That's okay," he said.
      Magnolia winced, flinched, as the baby began to suckle.
      Logan bent forward. "He's hurting her. This can't be right."
      "It's all right, Logan," Magnolia said. Her eyes flicked open as the baby began to suck. Her other breast dripped a thin yellowish fluid.
      "Lovely stuff. Perfect. That's so good for baby," Pittos said.
      The very act of breastfeeding sent a signal to Magnolia's body, and she groaned suddenly as another contraction took her.
      "Twin?" Logan said, confused. "Is she having another one?"
      Pittos shook his head. "It's the placenta. This is perfect, exactly how it should be." Pittos held his hand up for silence and he helped Magnolia deliver the placenta, which he handed carefully to Myrist. "She's lost a lot of blood. We'll feed her half of this, save the rest for the Treeroots." The baby fed.
    Magnolia was pale.
      "This can't be helping her," Lillah said. The baby pulled his head off the breast and wailed.
      "Quiet!" Pittos snapped. "You are disturbing him."
      "Sorry," Lillah said.
      The Birthman shook his head. "He's still hungry. Other side." They shifted him to feed on the other side. Lillah could see the depleted breast like an empty sac against Magnolia's chest.
      The baby sucked until his eyelids closed and he fell asleep with his mouth still full of nipple. Magnolia sat up in bed, holding her baby, her eyes darting from side to side as if catching odd movement, which frightened her.
      "We're lucky. It's rarely that easy," Pittos said.
      Myrist nodded. "Neither of you took to it so easily. Both too headstrong. Your mother struggled and struggled to feed you. She was headstrong too."
      "Are you saying my nephew is weak-willed?" Lillah asked.
      Logan nodded. "It's started already. In my day, things were like this ," he said. His voice was not quite up to the joke.
      Pittos leaned over and popped the baby off the breast with a flick of his little finger.
      "Hopefully he'll sleep now so we can deal with his mother. I've sent Tax out for spiderwebs but I thought he'd be back by now."
      Logan laughed. "Tax. He's probably picking flowers for her as well. He's certain she really wanted to choose him for a husband."
      "We need webs."
      "I'll go," Lillah said. She ran away into the undergrowth around the Tree. She knew where the biggest spiders lived. They liked the darkest places, where Limbs grew low and roots grew high. The children didn't like these spots. Too dark and cold. They told each other the ghosts came out of the Tree here and stood watching the living. Lillah had seen this once, as a young girl. It still gave her the shivers to think about it. She had been playing with a pile of wood scraps, building a house for spiders, when she felt a soft breeze over her shoulder.
      Standing there, breathing heavily, was a pale, tall man. He was naked, hairless. Lillah screamed, backed away, knocking over her spider house. "GHOST!" she screamed. He scurried back into the cave before anyone could reach her.
      Lillah was always careful