(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

[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

[genny_duvall]

We go down to the river, all three of us. I gotta hold tight to Nu and Miss Wanda both, 'cause the wind's blowin' so hard it feels like we're all gonna get swept away. My head starts poundin', too - as soon as we get outside I feel all the powerful stuff that's goin' on. Big magic, bigger'n any I ever felt before, all around us, all over Excolo

[mistresswanda]

I can see people gathering in clumps, not knowing why, but knowing they must. Can hear it running through them, and I can hear the magic twisting through the air, and I can hear His anger, and something screaming---

and I hear the baby behind me gurgling. Watch Genny bless the god-child with the water of the river, and my song changes to one I must have heard Nu singing once. I sing of the Nile and green growing things and birth and re-birth as Genny drips the water Nu blessed onto the head of the baby.

And then the blessing is done. I keep singing, but wade back to the bank and help Genny back out. I only pause in the song long enough to kiss her on the cheek and the baby on the head. "Go on, get them somewhere safe, and warm, and fed. Being born is hungry work."