The moment Lisa's trembling voice mentioned her mother, the entire atmosphere shifted.
All the female elves instantly crowded around the little girl, their worried faces pressing close, their soft voices overlapping in panic.
"What happened, Lisa?" One of them asked, crouching down and holding her shoulders gently.
"Can you tell us what happened to Esme, baby?" Another cried.
"Wasn't she stable?" Someone asked in disbelief. "Did her condition suddenly worsen?"
"Oh, I told you we should've kept someone stationed near her house in case something like this happened!"
Another lamented, wringing her hands.
"Oh, poor Lisa and poor Esme too. What will we do now?"
The concern in their eyes was genuine, but the way they crowded the frightened girl only made things worse.
Lisa, overwhelmed by so many anxious voices and faces hovering over her, began to tremble.
"I–I...I don't…" She stammered helplessly, trying to form words but choking on her own breath.
