Our Father Who Art a Mystery Part Three
Being a generally happy person, it always hit Songstress hard when others had problems. Oh, she’d be the first to admit that she didn’t always make everyone happy-her stories could be dark, as anyone’s could, and when the little ones cried, she knew that she had done her job well-but she usually wanted others to be happy in their lives outside of the stories.
So when Songstress heard that Zelda would be gone soon, she didn’t bother herself with inconsequential questions about her birth. If their mother wanted them to know, she would tell them, and since she hadn’t, Songstress had concluded that it wasn’t terribly important, and on the rare occasions in the past when someone had alluded to asking, Songstress could tell that it upset Zelda. She didn’t know why , and she didn’t ask.
So she went up the stairs with no thought to personal gain and thought only of her poor mother as she knocked on the door. Even if Zelda didn’t sound unhappy when she called for her to enter, Songstress knew she couldn’t be ecstatic about leaving them.
“Hello, Songstress,” Zelda said calmly.
“Oh, Mother,” Songstress said. “What can we do to help you?”
Zelda looked at her fondly. “Always thinking of the rest of us,” she said. “You’re a good girl, Songstress. But you can’t do anything for me now. I have to go and no one can stop it. What you can do is remember me, and tell your stories, and love each other. And I’ll know, and that will make me happy.”
“But…”
“Less of it, love. You’ve been so good to me and to the younger ones. I’m not asking you to do anything more when there is nothing more to be done.”
“I don’t want you to be sad.”
“And I’m not. Trust me.”
Songstress nodded. “I’m glad.” She turned and went downstairs, half smiling, half crying. She sat down next to Kay and listened to the end of Knight’s story.
X. Gone Rampant
It was difficult, being one of only three boys in the entire family. Well, one of three who still came around. Rampant felt sure there were more, but he hadn’t met them, and his sisters all delighted in teasing and tormenting him. It had been that way ever since he had been born and given over into Diskette’s care. Diskette had meant well, but she definitely wasn’t old enough to take care of him, and had Dragon not intervened, Rampant would have been put through the washer. That pattern had held ever since.
Rampant reluctantly admitted that the fact that he was so high-strung may have been part of it, though that didn’t excuse the fact that he had almost been eaten by lions at the zoo once, and would definitely not be here if Linkara hadn’t jumped in to rescue him. His sisters had laughed for the longest time about that, even though Zelda grounded all of them. In fact, it was a miracle that Rampant had survived at all, between the teasing and the weird adventures and the constant talk about using him as troll bait.
And Zelda took just as much delight in teasing Rampant as the girls ever did. It really was unfair.
That was why Rampant was so interested in knowing who his father was. He hoped that a father, a man, would sympathize with his plight and maybe, when revealed, get the girls to stop their teasing.
Rampant wasn’t going to leave without getting an answer. That was why he knocked on the door with more force than intended.
Not that Zelda minded. She simply called for him to come in. And he did, and before she could speak, Rampant asked the question. “Who is our father?”
Zelda didn’t even blink. “Rampant, why do you always ask?”
“I need to know. I live in this house with all these girls and…”
“I know that. And you will know when the time comes.”
“Mom…”
“You will know. He’s coming soon.”
Rampant stared at her, then nodded. It was the best he could hope for.
He went back downstairs and was about to sit down when the doorbell rang.
XI. Interlude One
Rampant hurried to answer the door, hoping that the answers were behind it. His sisters looked at him in confusion as he threw it open…
“Wow, Rampant,” Mori commented. “I’ve never seen you so enthusiastic.”
Rampant sighed as he looked at the four siblings who had just arrived. “Come on in.”
They went to the living room. The others greeted them as cheerfully as they could.
“What took you so long?” Songstress asked.
“The trolls,” Astra answered, holding up her bloody blade. “Almost caught the little ones. Lucky Toby and I were passing through.”
The others nodded sympathetically and Amy went to get the papers while Fuzzy fetched the bandages.
“So what’s going on?” Mori asked as Fuzzy started patching her and Brill up.
“Mom’s leaving,” Knight said.
“What?” the new arrivals all gasped.
“Did she say when? Or why?” Brill asked, hugging one of her ever-present plushies.
“No,” Xena said. “She hasn’t.”
“Did she say who…?” Toby began.
“No,” Rampant answered, sitting down with his giant dog pillow. “She said we’d find out when the time is right, and that he’s coming soon.”
“Anyway,” Amy said. “She said we each get to ask her one question, so each of you draw a number and you’ll go after Dodger.”
They nodded and took a number.
“Right,” Amy said. “Who was next?”
“Me,” Dragon said, and she went up the stairs as the others sat down to listen to Dodger’s story.
XII. Dragon in a Jar
She was always laughing. Always seeing the humor in every situation. She loved it when her siblings told silly stories or made jokes, even at each other’s expense. Sure, they got snippy. Sure, they snarked at everything and got angry when she forgot things, but there was always something for Dragon to laugh at.
Not this time, though. Dragon couldn’t find anything funny about this other than the fact that it had been denied for so long. But she thought she knew the answer. She felt certain of it.
After all, who was the only man her mother ever seemed to blush around? The one who made her eyes light up, the one who remembered her stories? The one who tried to prove to her how desirable he was?
More than that, Dragon felt it in her heart. She felt certain that he was the one, that Zelda’s bluster about being his enemy and never liking him one bit was all pretense.
Well, she was going to find out. Confront her mother directly with what she knew and get a straight answer for a change. After all, this was the end. There was no point in hiding anymore, for any of them. Dragon knocked on the door with purpose, with conviction, and with a secret smile.
“Come in,” Zelda called, and Dragon swept into the room with confidence.
“Mother,” Dragon said. “What is your relationship with Sage?”
Zelda stared at her for a long moment before answering. “It’s… complicated,” she finally said. “We were together for a little while… then he read my stories to the trolls… so we broke up and he’s spent all these years trying to win me back.” She looked seriously at her daughter. “I know what you’re thinking, Dragon, and I know you like him and want it to be true. But cast those thoughts aside. He isn’t the man you seek, and you wouldn’t want him to be your father.”
“You still love him,” Dragon said. It was not a question.
Zelda smiled slightly. “Only a little,” she said, and Dragon knew that was all she would get.
“Thank you,” Dragon said, and she went back downstairs.
“Anything?” Astra asked.
“Only who it isn’t,” Dragon replied, and she said no more.
So when Songstress heard that Zelda would be gone soon, she didn’t bother herself with inconsequential questions about her birth. If their mother wanted them to know, she would tell them, and since she hadn’t, Songstress had concluded that it wasn’t terribly important, and on the rare occasions in the past when someone had alluded to asking, Songstress could tell that it upset Zelda. She didn’t know why , and she didn’t ask.
So she went up the stairs with no thought to personal gain and thought only of her poor mother as she knocked on the door. Even if Zelda didn’t sound unhappy when she called for her to enter, Songstress knew she couldn’t be ecstatic about leaving them.
“Hello, Songstress,” Zelda said calmly.
“Oh, Mother,” Songstress said. “What can we do to help you?”
Zelda looked at her fondly. “Always thinking of the rest of us,” she said. “You’re a good girl, Songstress. But you can’t do anything for me now. I have to go and no one can stop it. What you can do is remember me, and tell your stories, and love each other. And I’ll know, and that will make me happy.”
“But…”
“Less of it, love. You’ve been so good to me and to the younger ones. I’m not asking you to do anything more when there is nothing more to be done.”
“I don’t want you to be sad.”
“And I’m not. Trust me.”
Songstress nodded. “I’m glad.” She turned and went downstairs, half smiling, half crying. She sat down next to Kay and listened to the end of Knight’s story.
X. Gone Rampant
It was difficult, being one of only three boys in the entire family. Well, one of three who still came around. Rampant felt sure there were more, but he hadn’t met them, and his sisters all delighted in teasing and tormenting him. It had been that way ever since he had been born and given over into Diskette’s care. Diskette had meant well, but she definitely wasn’t old enough to take care of him, and had Dragon not intervened, Rampant would have been put through the washer. That pattern had held ever since.
Rampant reluctantly admitted that the fact that he was so high-strung may have been part of it, though that didn’t excuse the fact that he had almost been eaten by lions at the zoo once, and would definitely not be here if Linkara hadn’t jumped in to rescue him. His sisters had laughed for the longest time about that, even though Zelda grounded all of them. In fact, it was a miracle that Rampant had survived at all, between the teasing and the weird adventures and the constant talk about using him as troll bait.
And Zelda took just as much delight in teasing Rampant as the girls ever did. It really was unfair.
That was why Rampant was so interested in knowing who his father was. He hoped that a father, a man, would sympathize with his plight and maybe, when revealed, get the girls to stop their teasing.
Rampant wasn’t going to leave without getting an answer. That was why he knocked on the door with more force than intended.
Not that Zelda minded. She simply called for him to come in. And he did, and before she could speak, Rampant asked the question. “Who is our father?”
Zelda didn’t even blink. “Rampant, why do you always ask?”
“I need to know. I live in this house with all these girls and…”
“I know that. And you will know when the time comes.”
“Mom…”
“You will know. He’s coming soon.”
Rampant stared at her, then nodded. It was the best he could hope for.
He went back downstairs and was about to sit down when the doorbell rang.
XI. Interlude One
Rampant hurried to answer the door, hoping that the answers were behind it. His sisters looked at him in confusion as he threw it open…
“Wow, Rampant,” Mori commented. “I’ve never seen you so enthusiastic.”
Rampant sighed as he looked at the four siblings who had just arrived. “Come on in.”
They went to the living room. The others greeted them as cheerfully as they could.
“What took you so long?” Songstress asked.
“The trolls,” Astra answered, holding up her bloody blade. “Almost caught the little ones. Lucky Toby and I were passing through.”
The others nodded sympathetically and Amy went to get the papers while Fuzzy fetched the bandages.
“So what’s going on?” Mori asked as Fuzzy started patching her and Brill up.
“Mom’s leaving,” Knight said.
“What?” the new arrivals all gasped.
“Did she say when? Or why?” Brill asked, hugging one of her ever-present plushies.
“No,” Xena said. “She hasn’t.”
“Did she say who…?” Toby began.
“No,” Rampant answered, sitting down with his giant dog pillow. “She said we’d find out when the time is right, and that he’s coming soon.”
“Anyway,” Amy said. “She said we each get to ask her one question, so each of you draw a number and you’ll go after Dodger.”
They nodded and took a number.
“Right,” Amy said. “Who was next?”
“Me,” Dragon said, and she went up the stairs as the others sat down to listen to Dodger’s story.
XII. Dragon in a Jar
She was always laughing. Always seeing the humor in every situation. She loved it when her siblings told silly stories or made jokes, even at each other’s expense. Sure, they got snippy. Sure, they snarked at everything and got angry when she forgot things, but there was always something for Dragon to laugh at.
Not this time, though. Dragon couldn’t find anything funny about this other than the fact that it had been denied for so long. But she thought she knew the answer. She felt certain of it.
After all, who was the only man her mother ever seemed to blush around? The one who made her eyes light up, the one who remembered her stories? The one who tried to prove to her how desirable he was?
More than that, Dragon felt it in her heart. She felt certain that he was the one, that Zelda’s bluster about being his enemy and never liking him one bit was all pretense.
Well, she was going to find out. Confront her mother directly with what she knew and get a straight answer for a change. After all, this was the end. There was no point in hiding anymore, for any of them. Dragon knocked on the door with purpose, with conviction, and with a secret smile.
“Come in,” Zelda called, and Dragon swept into the room with confidence.
“Mother,” Dragon said. “What is your relationship with Sage?”
Zelda stared at her for a long moment before answering. “It’s… complicated,” she finally said. “We were together for a little while… then he read my stories to the trolls… so we broke up and he’s spent all these years trying to win me back.” She looked seriously at her daughter. “I know what you’re thinking, Dragon, and I know you like him and want it to be true. But cast those thoughts aside. He isn’t the man you seek, and you wouldn’t want him to be your father.”
“You still love him,” Dragon said. It was not a question.
Zelda smiled slightly. “Only a little,” she said, and Dragon knew that was all she would get.
“Thank you,” Dragon said, and she went back downstairs.
“Anything?” Astra asked.
“Only who it isn’t,” Dragon replied, and she said no more.