It was a peaceful night in the village, the kind of quiet that only exists when the world seems to pause. Stars dotted the sky like specks of silver, and most families had already turned off their lights, slipping into dreams. But in one small house near the rice fields, a restless little figure stirred. His name was Cutis—a clever, sensitive, and deeply loving little boy.
Cutis was only six, but his mind was sharp, and his heart even sharper. Ever since he learned that his mother was expecting a baby, he had been unusually protective of her. Every kick of the baby in her belly filled him with joy and curiosity. He would talk to the baby, sing lullabies, and ask his mom a hundred questions every day. But that night, something felt different. Something didn’t sit right in his tiny heart.
Around 11:30 PM, Cutis woke up sweating. He had a strange dream—he saw his mother walking through the dark fields, holding her stomach and calling out for help. In the dream, she was crying, and her voice echoed like a whisper in the wind. He sat up in bed, clutching his little pillow, heart pounding.
He tiptoed toward his parents’ bedroom to check on his mother. But when he pushed open the door, his heart dropped.
She wasn’t there.
His father wasn’t there either.
Panic surged through Cutis’s tiny body. “Mom? Dad?” he called softly, but there was no answer. He darted to the kitchen, the living room, even the bathroom. Nothing. The house was empty.
Cutis’s eyes welled up with tears. He felt his throat tighten, but he didn’t scream. He didn’t wake the neighbors. Instead, he did the only thing his heart told him to do—go find her.
He grabbed a tiny flashlight and put on his worn sandals. The front door creaked open, and Cutis stepped into the darkness. The wind had picked up, and the sound of crickets grew louder in the silence of the night.
His little legs trembled as he walked through the muddy paths between the rice fields. He didn’t know where his mom was, but he believed she needed him. His imagination ran wild. What if she had gone into labor and couldn’t reach Dad? What if something had happened, and she was all alone? The thought made him cry harder.
“Mom!” he called out through the darkness, his voice shaking. “Mom, where are you?!”
He walked past the mango trees where they used to pick fruit together. He passed the little wooden bridge where she once told him bedtime stories under the stars. Each familiar place brought fresh memories—and more tears.
After 20 minutes of walking, Cutis reached the small clinic at the edge of the village. The light inside was dim, but it was the only building with any sign of life. He ran to the door and knocked.
A nurse opened the door and was shocked to see the small boy, drenched in sweat and tears, standing barefoot in the dark.
“Cutis?” she said gently. “What are you doing here, honey?”
“My mom… she’s not home. I dreamed she was in pain. I came to find her,” he sobbed.
The nurse knelt beside him and gave him a tight hug. “Sweetheart, your mom is here. She’s okay. She just came in with your dad a little while ago. She had some cramps and needed to be checked.”
“Can I see her?” he whispered, his voice barely audible.
The nurse led him down the hallway, and as they opened the curtain to one of the clinic rooms, there she was—his mother, lying on a small bed with a gentle smile, tired but safe. His dad sat beside her, holding her hand.
“CUTIS!” his mom exclaimed when she saw him. “My baby, what are you doing here?”
He ran into her arms, crying uncontrollably.
“I thought… I thought something bad happened,” he sobbed. “You were gone, and I didn’t know… I just wanted to find you.”
She held him close, tears falling from her eyes too. “Oh sweetheart, I’m okay. The baby’s okay. We just didn’t want to wake you. I didn’t think you’d notice…”
“But I did,” he sniffled. “I felt it. In my heart.”
His dad knelt beside them and gently kissed his forehead. “You’re a brave boy, Cutis. You followed your heart, and it brought you right to us.”
The doctor checked the baby’s heartbeat again, and everything seemed fine. His mom had just
experienced some false labor pains. Nothing serious, but the parents wanted to be safe.
The family spent the night at the clinic. The staff gave Cutis a small blanket and pillow so he could sleep on a bench next to his mom. But he didn’t sleep right away. He kept holding her hand, making sure she was real and still there.
That night, something changed in the heart of everyone who heard the story. The clinic staff told the neighbors. The villagers told their friends. Everyone was touched by the bravery and deep love of a little boy who couldn’t bear the thought of his mother being in pain alone
When they returned home the next morning, villagers came out of their houses to greet them. One woman brought warm porridge. Another brought fresh eggs. A group of kids waited by the gate to hug Cutis and tell him how amazing he was.
His mother couldn’t stop smiling. “You are going to be the best big brother,” she whispered to him that night as they sat on the porch.
Cutis smiled back, proud and relieved. He didn’t understand why the dream came or how he knew something was wrong. But he knew one thing for sure—his mom and the baby were safe, and love had led him through the dark.
And that, perhaps, is the most powerful kind of love there is.
The End
