(Untitled)

[mistresswanda]

"Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned."

A heartbeat too late

The plate I was drying slips from my hands when I hear Rose in my head.

I'm sorry, Mama. I spin around, for it'

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[mistresswanda]

Nu confirms the suspicion that Rose may have thought to be reborn. "Oh my imp..." I breathe, but Nu finds a fault in it as a contraction hits them. I slip one arm from the girl in my arms to their shoulder. trying to be something helpful and not a soaked mess. "I think I understand, Rose was Rose before I knew she was there, why would this child be any different?" I say, I think more to myself. Rose was clever, and it was not a bad idea... but what of the child Kent and I created? Is it fair to them?

"But..."

Our eyes meet, and I can see the wheels spinning in Nu's head, just like they did in Rose's that day in the park. Again, the tiniest flare of hope leaps up in me.

"You can have twins, Think I can make that happen, ayuh. Split the cells, and guide Rose into one." Nu goes quiet again for a moment, and then nods. "I think I can do that."

"Only if such a thing can be done and not strain you in your condition," I say slowly. "and only if it won't hurt the other baby." I look down at the pale girl in my lap. "Clever, clever Rose."

[nunaunet]

Can see how hopeful Wanda is. Jus' hope I can pull this off, would hate to break her heart again...

"Won't hurt me," I say. "May not look it, but this is the most powahful I can be." Me in labour, that's even strongah than when my menstrual blood's flowin'. "An' I won't hurt youah othah baby. I can't." Strongest taboo of my life, that is. "Come into the watah with me, Wanda," I say, struggling to my feet. "Leave Rose theah. Hopin' she won't need that body no more. Don't worry, you won't drown. The rivah listens to me." An' she does, watah level droppin' so it comes up to my waist. I run a hand through the waves, caressin'. "You done good, Pontarlier. You help me out some tonight, ayuh, an' I'll be grateful."

[mistresswanda]

All I can do is nod and help Nu to their feet. It's hard, to leave what was once Rose alone on the bank, but I just keep telling myself it's a shell, it's just a shell, and she may be back with me soon.

I follow Nu into the river without question, and it calms for them. I look back to the girl on the bank, and I see Kent.

"It's taken care of." He calls down, and I can see him look from the body then back to us, confused. "Stay there, stay safe. I'll explain everything." I call back and wave and the rain comes down. I am a cold, wet mess, but I would do just about anything to get my baby back. And if it helps to stop this insanity, even better. I hope it does, otherwise... what's the point? Rose, oh Rose, I hope you knew what you were doing!

"What do I need to do?" I half shout over the thunder, pushing sodden hair from my face.

[nunaunet]

"Pull your shirt up, hon," I say, an' put my hands on her bare belly when she does. "Ayuh. Can feel the lil girl you already got in theah. Think she's got your eyes, this one." Look at Wanda. "Rose won't be the same this time, you ken? Don't know how she'll be different, but she will be. She'll be Rose, but she'll be someone new too, ayuh." Take a breath, let it go. "Keep singing, Wanda, since we know she can hear that, an' I'll get to work on this..."

Look inward, feel the little spark within her, feel it yearn towards me, all trustin'. Far too small for feelin' of the kind a person would recognise, but I can feel the potential in it, this lil life, an' it vibrates in recognition of me an' the powah I got.

"Don't you worry, hon," I murmur, "Nu won't hurt you... You'll just have a friend in theah with you, keep you from gettin' lonely." I concentrate, look at the cell an' into it, an' as a contraction passes through me I pull, feel the cell become two.

"Now, Rose," I say, hoarsely, an' catch onto that shimmah in the air. Know she wants to come, feel her move swiftly, an' the spark catches hold of that little cell an' grows brightah, brightah -

"Rose," I say, alarmed, "Rose, no, you got to let go of some of what you are, you'll kill your sistah," cos Wanda's womb ain't big enough for a god-child an' a regular baby, no. Theah's a flare of bright light I can see behind me eyes as I look inside Wanda, an' one word said very clear: Mama. Then I feel some of that light pass out through me, an' I cry out as a great cramp goes all through me, like a tear in the world -

Lightnin' dazzles bright, an' I can see the watah around me's gone red. My own watah broke, an' with it's come out some of Rose's magic, some of her daddy's magic too, along with mine. Moment to feel sad I wasn't on land to catch that watah, cos it's a powerful magic, but I look at it churnin' through the rivah that runs through the town an' I think: yeah, this is bettah. This will help us all, some.

"It's done," I say to Wanda, exhausted. "Help me out, girl, I'm fit to bust out this baby soon, an' I need to be back at the carnival for that."

[mistresswanda]

Nu does... whatever it is they do as I sing a old lullaby my grandmother used to sing to me, and I in turn sang to Rose. Whatever Nu is doing, it seems to be working. Not that it hurts, but I can definitely feel something inside me, responding and changing to their will.

"Now, Rose," I keep singing as my mind calls to her, praying she can hear me, praying this will work. I sing, and the air about us thrums and...

It's her! Familiar and as bright as the stars, My Rose is back in my head trying to convey so much and it's almost too much and my heart could burst with it! "Rose!" I half gasp as I feel her inside me again, but Nu looks worried.

"Rose, no, you got to let go of some of what you are, you'll kill your sistah,"

The brightness that is my daughter fills me, fills both Nu and I, I think. She'll be Rose, always, but...

"Let go, my love. You're back home now. It's alright, I've got you now, my clever imp." I whisper, touching our minds one last time. A thousand images and memories rush in like a flood, swirling about me like the river. The light behind my eyes grows and then---

Mama

The taste of ozone and a thrum of power, the night becomes as bright as the day and Nu's bent in half as what was part of Rose flows from me to them. I grab at Nu's arms to help steady them.

"It's done," And it is. She's not in my mind anymore, not like she used to be, but there is a awareness there, just the tiniest little spark where there was nothing. Doubly so. "Oh my god..." I breathe, and touch my hand to my abdomen. "It worked, it's worked..." I am both laughing and crying.

"Help me out, girl, I'm fit to bust out this baby soon, an' I need to be back at the carnival for that." Get my arm around their waist and help guide us back to the river bank. Kent comes down and he helps Nu out and up the bank. He looks to me, and he and I will have much to talk about, and do, but for this moment---

Hug Nu, as much as I can without hurting them, and I may be crying on them, but I don't think I could stop weeping with gratitude now if I wanted to. "'Thank you' does not even begin to cover it." I say with a voice choked with emotion. "We are in your debt, always. What can we do for you? Where do you need to get to?"

[genny_duvall]

Thought it was the thunder that woke me up.

Always hated it when I was little. I'd go runnin' to Momma, and she'd cuddle me and help me cover my ears so's I wouldn't hear the loud noises. I 'member Zann loved thunder and lightnin' 'cause it was electric, and she'd love anythin' electric, but I'd run away from it.

So when I woke up in the middle of the storm I thought it was the thunder that done it. But then I started to feel like there was somethin' electric runnin' through me, and the sound kept goin' in my head even though there wasn't no thunder. Not the sound that I hear when I dream 'bout Tez. This one's like a river crashin' over a waterfall.

Then there's a knock on my door, and I hear Sadie callin' out. "Genny? Genny, are you awake? There's a fella here that says that Nu needs you real bad."

Tain't the thunder that's makin' me feel all electric. It's Nu.

Nu's gonna have the baby. It's been comin' for weeks - I could see Nu gettin' all big'n round, and Nu told me it was comin' soon. I gotta be there. I gotta. I promised I'd be there to help Nu like I done before, and I gotta keep those promises. You don't break promises to gods'n goddesses. Not to friends, neither.

I know it means that Nu's gonna go away, and I been cryin' about that ever since Nu told me that there was gonna be a baby-Nu comin', but I gotta do this.

"I'll be right there," I yell to Sadie. I throw on clothes and go off runnin'. Sadie's leadin' me, but I don't need to follow. All's I need to do is listen to that waterfall sound in the back of my head, and I know 'zactly where I'm s'posed to go.

I run down the road, followin' the sound that I hear in my head. There's real thunder'n lightnin' too, makin' the world go bright and then dark, all black-and-white silhouettes of trees against the sky. Then I see 'em - Nu's bein' held up by Miss Wanda and her new fella, and I'm real glad that Nu ain't alone right now.

"Nu!" I pant, runnin' up to them. "I'm here, honey."

[nunaunet]

"We are in your debt, always. What can we do for you? Where do you need to get to?"

"Jus' back to the carnival. Been trainin' Genny up in what needs to be done," I say. Think about that little baby I delivered, back in that strange world that existed for a few days, an' feel a little pang. Nevah gonna have that again. But I'm ready to be done with this life an' start ovah. Least as long as the world don't end. "An' you don't owe me. Would say I was jus' doin' my job but it was a bit moah than I've done befoah... But I'm glad I could do it."

We staggah along down the rainy track and theah's my Genny.

"Hey, girl," I say. "Think it's comin' along a bit fastah than I'd like. But we got time to do some of the rituals." Glance at Wanda. "You come along too," I say to her. "Befoah I do this, want to bless those babies, make suah they get delivered safe." Cos I won't be heah to do it, though Wanda don't know that.