(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'

Comments

[nunaunet]

Think it's startin', ayuh. Would've thought it would be round the full moon, but I've been feelin' things shift for days. Ain't the best timing, all in all, cos I don't want to be heah as a baby when bad things come. But it can't be delayed.

Pains started an hour or so back. Will need to tell Genny, but this usually goes on for a long spell, sometimes days, an' I don't want to disturb her, you ken? Let her get some rest befoah I get her doin' the priestess work I need.

Then the earth goes shaking, an' my skin prickles all ovah. Somethin' tells me to go out to the rivah, that she'll tell me what's wrong, so I go on out into a howling wind, an' see someone trying to swim it! I step down into the watah an' ask it to be calm, an' grab hold of the idiot an' pull them up -

"Wanda?"

[mistresswanda]

I am going to drown in the river. It's almost funny. I was going to drown us both here a lifetime ago, and now it seems the water will take me as I try to get her into my arms for the last time. But still; I struggle against the wild, choppy waves until I am just about done---

Then I am making headway and being pulled out. Nu looks shocked to see me, and I bark out a funny sort of laugh. "Nu... Funny. Rose was just---"

I can't talk anymore, it just comes out a low moan of pain. I run from her to the girl, my baby, lying on the bank. I don't look at the gash across her throat How would you have me do it? Across my throat or into my heart? just pull her onto my lap and begin sobbing in earnest.

"She's so beautiful... She would have broken hearts..." I whimper when I hear Nu come up behind me. "She knew. She knew and she wouldn't tell me." I am choking on my words as my heart shatters but still continues beating.

[nunaunet]

"Girl, what's goin' on?" I say, as Wanda gets a limp little teenage thing bundled up in her arms. "Is that - Rose?" Knew the girl was growing up fast, but this... I reach out an' touch her, an' I know it's Rose - I always know them I birthed. And she's dead.

"Wanda," I say. Lowah myelf onto the ground next to her, huffin' out a breath cos it hurts, ayuh. "What happened?"

[mistresswanda]

Nu manages in their condition to get down on the ground next to me, and asks me what happened. "Tonight? No idea, I put a little girl of no more than six to bed and now..." Does it even matter? It happened, and the world is ending and I am ready to end right along with it if Rose is

[mistresswanda]

Nu says we don't owe them anything. "Well, still..." I say as we make our way back to the carnival. "Rose chose well with whom to put her trust in."

Out of the darkness a figure comes running towards us, and I am relieved when I realize it is a friendly face.

"Think it's comin' along a bit fastah than I'd like. But we got time to do some of the rituals." Nu assures a breathless Genny, then gives me a once over. "You come along too, Befoah I do this, want to bless those babies, make suah they get delivered safe."

"Are you sure there's time? Surely it can wait until after you---"

"Babies?" A very shocked voice comes from the other side of Nu, and I look past them to Kent. He looks from Nu's face to mine... and I might be smiling a bit. "As in... babies? More than one?""There was one when we came out tonight... surprise." Laugh a little and hug Nu. "And Nu was able to take one, and make it two, giving Rose a place to go..." His eyes go wide and there is so much we need to say to one another, and there is still a grief

[nunaunet]

Kent gets the news he's gonna be a daddy, an' I snort

[genny_duvall]

Babies? Make it two?

It takes me a sec, but then I think I got it. Nu made it so that Miss Wanda's gonna have twins. I watch Miss Wanda hug Nu, and I watch Miss Wanda's poor confused fella figure it out too, and I'm grinnin' and huggin' Miss Wanda too. "Congratulations. I'm real happy for you."

"If the world don't end, this is gonna turn out to be a pretty good day for you, ayuh," It's sort of a joke, but it sort of ain't. I can feel that there's somethin' wrong right now, but I don't know what. And I can't think 'bout that right now, 'cause I gotta help Nu. I gottaWe walk through the carnival and over to Nu's trailer, and Nu tries to get Kent and everyone else to go away, then goes in

[mistresswanda]

We manage to get Nu back to their trailer. Figure now's my time to cut out, but instead they invite me to stay for the birth.

"Nice to have you heah, Wanda, cos you bein' pregnant'll amplify things. Kent, why don't you go on ovah to the bar? Tell them I sent you an' they'll give you a free drink. Bet aftah what you been through tonight you need one."

Kent looks at me, and rakes a hand thru his hair. "Maybe, in a bit... need to move her somewhere safe, first." I nod, and feel the tears well up again as he hugs me before heading back towards the riverbank. I swipe at my eyes and head into the trailer and Nu says something about not saying goodbyes as Genny directs everyone away