Children of Eternity Omnibus

by P. T. Dilloway

Copyright 2012 P.T. Dilloway

  Chapter 1: Sleepwalking

  It was still dark outside when Samantha Young crawled out of bed. She went over to the door of her room and put her ear to the wood. She couldn’t hear much of anything over the sound of Prudence’s snoring, which was even louder than the growling of Mr. Pryde’s pack of dogs had been. Samantha opened the door slowly so the hinges wouldn’t squeak.

  To her relief she saw the other girls all still asleep. Prudence was on the pallet of straw closest to Samantha, her snoring even louder without the door to muffle it. As Prudence stopped snoring, Samantha paused, her heart starting to thump loudly. Her friend rolled onto her left side with a piggish snort and then resumed her snoring.

  Samantha crept past the line of beds, the girls in the beds getting younger the closer she got to the door. As she reached for the door, Samantha sniffed the air. Someone’s pallet would need fresh straw later. With any luck it would only be one. Five years ago she and Prudence had been forced to change almost every pallet each morning. Now that they no longer had any babies and very few toddlers that chore was much simpler.

  At last Samantha made it outside. She breathed a sigh of relief upon emerging into the air that still had the crispness of spring. Real summer lasted only a month or two on Eternity, while the winters seemed to never end. Did the summers last longer on the mainland? She had wondered about that for the last five years, but still didn’t have an answer.

  The rest of the village was silent as she passed through it. Five years ago she never could have walked this freely through town at this hour, or else Pryde’s dogs would have torn her to pieces. The dogs and their owner were gone now, though every now and then a howl could be heard from the forest.

  Samantha quickened her pace as she reached the edge of the forest. She wanted to hug herself to ward off the cold, but she couldn’t. Whenever she did, she felt the things on her chest. She broke into a quick trot instead; the activity would keep her warm against the chill.

  When she reached the stream, Samantha paused to listen again. She didn’t hear anything rustling in the bushes or the trees. She didn’t hear anyone on the path either. For a few minutes she could be alone.

  Samantha had grown used to the coldness of the stream. Even at the height of Eternity’s short summer the water never got anywhere near room temperature. She had learned the best way to face it was to just plunge in. She bit down on her lip to keep herself from gasping at the coldness of the water. She waded in until the water covered her up to her neck. She planted her feet into the muddy bottom of stream so she wouldn’t fall. Despite Rebecca’s patient teachings, Samantha still couldn’t swim.

  She gave herself a moment to acclimate to the cold. As she did, she closed her eyes, allowing herself to indulge in the fantasy that her body had not betrayed her, that she was the same as she had been. That moment ended far too quickly. Then she took out the bar of soap and set to work on scrubbing this strange new body.

  It had all started shortly before her twelfth birthday. Prudence had asked her to come into her shop to have her try on a new dress to wear for the party. Ordinarily Prudence’s dresses fit without needing alterations. This time when Samantha tried on the dress, something was wrong. The dress felt tight around her chest, as if someone were squeezing her there. That was when she really noticed the two new bulges on her chest.

  In the last two months, she had noticed other changes as well. She grew at least four inches seemingly overnight. Even the shape of her body seemed to be changing, her hips widening and waist narrowing. And there was hair where she hadn’t had any before.

  At that point she stopped bathing with the other girls. She didn’t want them to see her monstrous new body without clothes to disguise it. When Prudence or Rebecca asked about it, Samantha said only she couldn’t sleep. They accepted this, at least for the moment. She didn’t know how long she could keep fooling them.

  As if reading her thoughts, Prudence called out, “Samantha?”

  Samantha ducked back into the water, keeping only her face above water. Prudence stood on the edge of the shore, still wearing her nightgown. Her body had changed as well in the last five years, getting ever pudgier. Her fat cheeks were still bright red from the walk and despite the chilliness, sweat plastered red hair to her forehead.

  “What are you doing here?” Samantha asked.

  “I woke up and you were gone.”

  “So?”

  “I thought maybe you were feeling ill.”

  “No, I just couldn’t sleep.”

  “I was thinking, perhaps we could go pray in the church. That always helps me when I can’t sleep.”

  “No thanks.”

  “Oh, I see.” Prudence looked down at her feet. “I suppose while I’m here, I might as well take my bath as well.”

  Prudence started to take off her nightgown until Samantha snapped, “Can’t you give me a few minutes alone? Why can’t I ever have any privacy around here?”

  Prudence’s face reddened, though this time not from exercise. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I thought we were friends.”

  “We are, but that doesn’t mean I need you around me every second of the day.”

  “I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

  “It’s all right.” Samantha waited a moment for Prudence to take the hint. Finally she said, “Could you go away please? I’ll be done in five minutes.”

  “Oh, yes. I’m sorry.” Prudence finally turned and then started up the path.

  Samantha waited until her friend was out of sight before she stood up in the water to finish bathing.

  Chapter 2: Lessons

  Samantha didn’t see Prudence in the dining room for breakfast. That meant her friend must have gone to her shop to brood. She would have to come out eventually and then Samantha could smooth things over with her. For the moment, Samantha had to help get the other girls ready for the day.

  The older girls like Rebecca didn’t need much help anymore. The younger girls—only five or six years old—still needed some help to make sure they put their dresses on the right way and to get their shoes on the right feet. This had all become so routine that most didn’t make much of a fuss.

  Except for Helena. Though she was eight years old, she still whined like a sullen toddler every morning. Every morning she would at least once stamp her feet and cry. She would then bawl, “You’re combing too hard!” or “These pigtails are lopsided!” or “I wanted it braided!” She would carry on until Samantha fixed her with a stern look and said, “Helena, stop it. Act like a big girl.”

  Once the girls were ready, Samantha went over to the boy’s dormitory. They were even more difficult than Helena. Every morning Samantha would have to break up at least one fight. This morning she found David wrestling with Mark on the floor. David had the clear advantage in height and weight, which he was putting to good use.

  “Come on, say it,” he snarled.

  “Uncle,” Mark said.

  “Louder.”

  “Uncle!” he wailed.

  “You two knock it off,” Samantha said. She gave David the same stern look as Helena. He got to his feet, sauntering off with a victor’s swagger. Samantha offered a hand to Mark and then pulled him up to his feet. “The rest of you get ready for services.”

  She waited in the adjoining room while they changed, keeping one ear to the door in case hostilities resumed. After a few minutes she called out, “Are you ready?”

  “We’re ready,” David answered for the rest of the boys.

  Only then did Samantha come out of the room. She verified the boys were all properly dressed, their shirts buttoned and vests facing the right direction. “Let’s go, then,” she said.

  As it had been under Reverend Crane, the boys sat on one side of the church while the girls sat on the other. Samantha took her seat in the front row, noting Prudence was not there. She would probably sneak in the back once she was certain everyone else was here.

  M
iss Brigham came in through a side door, the reverend’s Bible tucked under one arm. She set the book down on the podium and then opened it. While she flipped the pages, she said, “Good morning, children. Let us all thank the Lord for another beautiful day in Eternity.”

  “Thank you, Lord,” the children said in unison.

  “Now let us bow our heads and pray silently.”

  While the others prayed, Samantha heard the front doors of the church open. As expected, Prudence slipped into the last row of seats. Samantha flashed her a smile, but her friend gave no sign of recognition. So she was still upset; this would be harder than Samantha had thought.

  After the prayer, Miss Brigham began her sermon. As always, it quickly devolved into a rambling, disjointed speech punctuated with frustrated sighs. She finished by saying, “Well then, I’m sure you all know what I mean. In any case, let us finish by saying the Lord’s Prayer.”

  Samantha hoped to get Prudence alone after services, but Miss Brigham took her arm before she could leave. “Could you lead the children’s lesson today, dear? I’m feeling a bit out of sorts today. I don’t think that stew last night sat well with me. We really shouldn’t let an eight-year-old do our cooking for us. Not that I’m saying Phyllis is a bad cook—”

  “I know what you mean,” Samantha said. “I can handle the lessons.”

  “Thank you, dear. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  Samantha cleared her throat. “Actually, that’s something we need to talk about.”

  “Oh, I see. I suppose I know what this is about.” Miss Brigham motioned for Samantha to sit down next to her on the front pew. “I suppose you want to go to the mainland to look for your family. I can’t say as I blame you. They are your family, after all. I should think if I still had a family I would want to go look for them. Oh how surprised they would be when they saw me! I would hug and kiss them until they begged me to stop.”

  “So you understand then?”

  “Of course I do, dear. But are you sure now is the right time?”

  “Yes. The children are old enough now. And you’ve got Prudence and Rebecca and David to help you manage them. You don’t need me anymore.”

  “That may be, but no one is better than you at managing the children. They look up to you. They admire you, and so do I.”

  “Thank you, but I’m sure you can get by without me.”

  “Perhaps we can, but I would hate to lose you. And crossing the sea is so dangerous.”

  “Mr. Pryde did it. If he can, then so can I.”

  “Mr. Pryde was a mean old man. You’re still a little girl. The sea is no place for a little girl all by herself.”

  “Couldn’t you come with me? It wouldn’t be so dangerous then, would it?”

  “Perhaps, but then I would have to leave the children alone.”

  “Prudence and Rebecca can look after them.”

  “They are both very responsible girls, but they’re still so young. If something happened to me—”

  “You just don’t want me to go. You want me to stay here forever!”

  “Samantha, please, that’s not what I meant—”

  “Is too! You’re just like Reverend Crane. You want to keep us all here forever!” Samantha launched herself from the pew and then stomped out of the church.

  Along the way to the meadow, she wiped at the tears in her eyes. It wasn’t fair. For five years she had put off looking for her family to help take care of the children on Eternity. It had made sense since she was still a child herself; as Miss Brigham had said, the sea was no place for a little girl by herself. But Samantha wasn’t a little girl anymore. Maybe she wasn’t a grown-up either yet, but she was close enough. She didn’t want to put it off any longer. Her real family was out there, waiting for her. By now they might have given up hope of ever seeing her again. She couldn’t wait anymore. If Miss Brigham wouldn’t let her go, then she would have to do it on her own.

  The children had gathered in the meadow for lessons as they did when it was warm enough to do so. The sky had turned gray, the dark clouds reflecting Samantha’s mood, but it hadn’t started to rain yet. She supposed they would have to hurry today’s lesson so they could get the chores done before it did rain.

  “All right children, settle down,” Samantha said. “Miss Brigham is ill today, so I’ll be conducting the lesson today. Now yesterday Miss Brigham talked about some words beginning with ‘A,’ so today we’ll be talking about words beginning with ‘B’ and try to spell them. Who wants to start?”

  Rebecca raised her hand. Samantha nodded to her. “Bible.”

  “How is that spelled?”

  “B-I-B-L-E.”

  “Very good. What else?”

  One of the youngest children, Annie, raised her hand. “Bee,” she said. “B-E-E.”

  “That’s good. And what sound do bees make?”

  “Buzz, buzz, buzz!” Annie shouted and giggled.

  “How would you spell that?” When Annie only shrugged, Samantha looked around at the other children. “Who can spell it? Prudence?”

  “B-U-Z-Z,” Prudence said in almost a whisper.

  “That’s good. Who else has one?”

  Samantha heard Helena giggle. She whispered something into Phyllis’s ear, which prompted her to laugh as well. “Helena, do you have something to add?”

  “I was just telling Phyllis I know another word that starts with ‘B.’”

  “What is it?”

  “Boobies!” The older children, especially the boys, snickered at this while the younger children only stared with confusion. Prudence and Rebecca said nothing, but their faces turned bright red in unison. Samantha felt her own face turning warm. She bit down on her lip to keep the tears at bay.

  “That is not a nice word,” Samantha said.

  “Why not?”

  “It just isn’t.”

  “But—”

  “Shut up! Or else I’ll send you down to the woodshed.”

  Helena met Samantha’s glare for a moment, as if daring Samantha to punish her. Then she looked down at the ground. “I’m sorry.”

  “Good. Now, let’s get back to the lesson.” Samantha managed to get through the rest of the lesson without crying. After dismissing the children, she hurried into the forest, finding a thicket in which to be alone. There she let the tears flow at last.

  Chapter 3: Skirmishes

  When Samantha had first come to Eternity, Reverend Crane had tried her in a couple of jobs. She had first tried helping Prudence in her shop, but Samantha soon found she didn’t have the skill or patience for sewing. Then, since she was the only child who could read, Samantha had worked with Miss Brigham. That ended once the reverend erased Miss Brigham’s memory and used water from the Fountain of Youth to make Miss Brigham a scatter-brained teenager.

  After the Reverend’s death, Samantha had been forced by necessity to perform a variety of tasks. With most of the children of Eternity reduced to babies or toddlers, Samantha, Prudence, and the older children who had remained had been forced to do everything, including jobs previously relegated solely to the boys.

  Samantha found she enjoyed the chores of the boys far more than those of the girls. Cooking, cleaning, and sewing held little interest to her. She preferred to work with her hands out in the fields or around the barns. When she was seven she had helped one of the cows give birth by reaching inside the womb to turn the calf around. Not even the boys had wanted to do that, but when the newborn calf licked Samantha’s face, she found it worthwhile.

  Now that most of the children were older, Samantha had taken on more of a supervisory role. She spent most of the day making rounds from the fields to the barns to the stream and then into the village in order to make sure no one was loafing. Once she finished crying over the lesson in the meadow, she forced herself to get back to business as usual.

  She started in the fields, where she found the crops growing on schedule. In another two months the corn would be taller than her—
unless she had another growth spurt. The wheat was still green, but by harvest time it would be golden brown, ripe for milling into flour that would help see them through another long winter.

  She made her inspection at a brisk pace, not wanting anyone to pay any attention to her. Still, she thought she heard the boys snickering in her wake. Though she couldn’t be certain, she thought one of them had said, “There goes Boobies.” She walked faster.

  Next she inspected the livestock. She had helped deliver many of the animals herself and thus had always felt a kinship with them. She usually enjoyed spending a few minutes petting the horses and cows and even scratching the heads of the sheep. The chickens she stayed away from; they pecked at her as if they thought she were made of corn.

  Today she didn’t find much comfort in visiting the animals. The horses tossed their heads when she tried to pet them, as if they didn’t recognize her. The cows similarly shied away from her. Sarah, the first calf she had delivered, lowed at her but wouldn’t come close. “What’s wrong, girl? It’s me. It’s Samantha.”

  Sarah only lowed at her again. She glanced down at her feet. Then she knew why the animals shied from her: they didn’t recognize her anymore. She had changed so much they thought she was a stranger. “It’s not fair,” she muttered.

  When she had first come to the island she had been an outcast. Her bronze skin had marked her as different from everyone else. Since Reverend Crane and Pryde had died, she had thought she was making progress. That had been an illusion. Now that she was more different than ever from them, they laughed at her all over again.

  She watched one of Sarah’s calves nuzzle her and had to bite down on her lip to keep from crying. She imagined herself as the calf, nuzzling against her mother once they were reunited. If only she could leave this place, then they could be together again. As she often did, she tried to imagine what her parents looked like. She always pictured her mother as tall and strong, with bronze skin and glossy black hair like her. Her father she always thought of as a little shorter and heavier, his dark hair receding. Sometimes she imagined brothers and sisters, a whole gaggle of them, some older and some younger.