[Video]

[coimiceoir]

[Within moments, it's clear that this is an accident. For one thing, the cameraman seems to be banging the camera on the ground outdoors. It then goes flying, giving a blurry view of a fair number of trees, smacks into something and tumbles down, accompanied by a shriek of laughter that sounds like a small child. The poor, abused camera can see a sideways view down a slope, out of the last few trees, the road down to the city. Tiny bare feet toddle into the frame, followed by teeny, pudgy hands. The camera lifts, and there's a white-haired little girl with bright green eyes and the rounded face of a one-year-old child laughing and making faces into it. There are a few sounds in there that might be some disconnected words in Gaelic, possibly. Then she throws it again, and it shuts off.]

Comments

[sunflowersister]

[ STARES AT VIDEO... briefly crosses self in the manner of one steeling themselves for the inevitable. ] O bozhe moj.

[Video]

[coimiceoir]

[Inquisitive frown. Shakes the thing.]

Mamaí?

[sunflowersister]

[ oops. ] Mama's not here right now, baby! Auntie Ukraine will come get you right away!!

[Video]

[coimiceoir]

[Why is there a lady in the rock? She turns it upside down to try and shake the lady out of it.]

Di duit? Helloooo?

[Video]

[sunflowersister]

Well, telling you to stay where you are isn't going to do any good, but at least you can't really get too far...

[ and on her end the video is shaking by itself, since she's hustling her way rather quickly to the forest. ]

[Video]

[coimiceoir]

[It's a good thing she's little and doesn't entirely understand what you're saying, or she'd take that as a challenge! As it is, she sits down to try and find a way to pry open the rock. Concentrated baby frowns and the occasional whacking of the rock on the ground ensues.]

[Video]

[sunflowersister]

Oh, no no no, no, if you break that I won't be able to tell where you are -- oh dear, um --

[ UKRAINE USES DISTRACTION -- and starts to sing into the microphone. ]

[Video]

[coimiceoir]

[The shaking and whacking instantly stop. At some point, the device got turned upside down, but that doesn't seem to bother the toddler at all. She raises it back up to her face so she can stare at the pretty lady. Singing. She tilts her head, fascinated. That's not a language she recognizes, and it's pretty, and it's different from what her Mum sings...]

[Video]

[sunflowersister]

[ whew, thank goodness. it's super effective. when she runs through that song she launches right in on another, eyeing the forest with not a little anxiety. finding a tiny baby in the whole forest... ah... ]

[Video]

[coimiceoir]

[The little thing flips the rock over, trying to find out where the sound comes from, and there's another look at the backside of the city. The Statue of Liberty is over there, so extrapolating, south-west corner of the city, on a small rise, just to the left of the path leading into the nature preserve. Sure. That sounds about right. Regardless, the small child has started to try and hum along with the tune of the latest song, swaying a little to the rhythm.]

[and then action]

[sunflowersister]

[ Ukraine doesn't even question it, just mutters a grateful prayer and turns her way in the right direction. after a few moments, she stops singing and listens hard. is that --? she's certain she hears the baby humming not from the speakers but from somewhere in front of her, and she hurries towards the sound, calling out, ] Aisling? Is that you, sweetheart?

[Action]

[coimiceoir]

[There's an inquisitive warble from the toddler, and she pushes herself up to her feet. Frowning a tiny baby frown, Aisling peers between the lady in the rock and the lady coming up the path. She heads for the lady on the path, moving faster and more evenly than you might expect from someone that age. She pads up to the lady and holds up the rock, pointing at the lady's twin.]