Lina flinched at her mother's sharp rebuke, her small shoulders tensing up abruptly.
She looked up at Martha, her clear eyes filled with confusion and terror.
She didn't understand.
She didn't understand why her mother had suddenly gotten angry with her.
She was being obedient.
She was trying to please the grown-up, just like her mother had taught her.
'But why did Mother yell at me?'
'Did... did I do something wrong?'
Lina's lips moved, but no words came out.
She wanted to cry, but her mother had just yelled "Don't you cry" at her.
She didn't dare to cry.
She wanted to smile, but she was too scared to manage one.
She could only stand frozen, her small hand still wanting to reach for the sash of her dress, but it wouldn't move an inch.
Tears welled in her eyes, but she didn't dare let them fall.
But the tears filling her eyes finally spilled over, one drop after another, splashing onto her skirt and spreading into small, dark stains.
