“We’ll need some pitch or something to seal it,” Uncle Hector said.
Wendell considered this for a moment. “We should be able to use tree sap.”
“You want to seal my boat with maple syrup? We ain’t making pancakes, kid.”
“It might take some experimentation, but I think if we take sap from a few different trees we can make something thick enough.”
Uncle Hector shook his head. “You’re a real Einstein, kid.”
“Who?”
“Never mind. You get started on the sap. I’ll work on the engine. Lucy, that leaves you with the lever.”
“Sure. How long do you need it to be?”
Wendell gave Samantha his rough estimates for length and width. Rebecca volunteered to accompany her into the forest to look for a downed limb that might work. If they didn’t find anything, they would have to go back to town and try to salvage something.
They wandered through the forest for a while without finding anything or saying anything. Rebecca finally asked Samantha for a break. They sat down on a rock to catch their breath. Rebecca looked down at her feet and said, “Samantha, can I ask you something?”
“Of course you can. What is it?”
“Can we trust this Mr. Delgado? If he fixes his boat, will he really bring supplies back for us?”
“He will. I know it.” Samantha kicked a rock and then took a deep breath. “He won’t be going alone. I’ll be going with him. Maybe Prudence too. I’ll bet he’d let you come with us. Would you like to see the mainland?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“It’ll be great. You remember the books I read you when you were little? You can see all that great stuff: automobiles, airplanes, skyscrapers, and everything.”
“It sounds dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
“We’ve only known Mr. Delgado for a little over a day and you want us to sail off to some unknown place with him? That sounds pretty dangerous.”
Samantha tousled the little girl’s hair. “You’re such a little worrywart. It’ll be fun, like an adventure.”
“Great, an adventure.”
“You don’t have to go if you don’t want.”
“Are you sure Prudence will go?”
“I hope so.”
“She doesn’t seem like the adventurous type. She’s a worrywart like me.”
“Rebecca—”
“We should get going. There’s a lot to do.” Rebecca hopped off the rock and then trudged away. With a sigh, Samantha followed her.
***
They hadn’t found anything by the time they neared Mr. Pryde’s old house. Samantha figured they might as well stop to get Prudence some clothes. Beside her, Rebecca shivered. “That’s where he lived?”
“It probably looked better five years ago.”
“Uh-huh.”
The little girl plodded after Samantha into the hut. Right away Rebecca gagged. Samantha patted her back. “It’s all right. It’s better downstairs.”
She herded Rebecca into the cellar, stopping only to grab an old candle she hoped she could light. Rebecca took a few deep breaths and nodded. “It’s a little better.”
They had left the cellar door open to provide a little bit of light. Samantha found another book of matches so she could try to light the candle. Despite having sat upstairs, the candle lit right away. This provided enough light for them to see around the cellar.
“Oh my,” Rebecca said. “So many clothes.”
“I know. Most of them are too big even for Prudence.” To emphasize this, Samantha held up a huge blouse.
“You mean there are girls even bigger than her?”
“That’s right.” Samantha didn’t expect Rebecca to start crying. “What’s wrong?’
“It’s nothing. It’s stupid.”
“Rebecca, you can tell me. I’m your friend.”
“It’s just…I don’t want to get that big. But even though I don’t eat much, I seem to get fatter and fatter. Someday Prudence and I will be so big we’ll fit into those, won’t we?”
Samantha put an arm around Rebecca’s shoulders. “Don’t be silly. You don’t have to get fat. You can exercise more. Maybe take a swim every day. You like swimming, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Rebecca said. Rebecca had actually tried to teach Samantha, but Samantha was hopeless in the water, whereas Rebecca could glide around like a fish.
“So there you go. You’ll be skinny in no time.”
“Thank you.”
They resumed their search through the clothes, until Samantha found something she thought wouldn’t be too big for Prudence. In the candlelight it was hard to tell what color it was, but it looked like a light color. Samantha found another dress that was darker to give Prudence more of a choice.
She knew better than to take Rebecca into the other room, with all the bones Pryde had left of his victims. When Rebecca asked what had become of all the women to whom the clothes belonged, Samantha lied and said she didn’t know. “Come on, let’s go upstairs.”
In the light, Samantha saw the light dress was a pastel green while the darker dress was a burgundy. Both would look gorgeous on Prudence, or so she hoped. She desperately wanted her friend to cheer up, then Samantha could ask her to go to the mainland.
“Those are nice,” Rebecca said. “Do all women on the mainland dress like that?”
“Not all. A lot of them dress more like me.”
“Oh. I don’t think I’d like that.”
“You just need to get used to it,” Samantha said. Then they set out for home.
***
Prudence sat on the front steps of the church, one fist resting below her chin as if she were in deep thought. They still had not found a stick to work as Wendell’s lever, so they would have to search the rubble for something. First, Samantha hoped to surprise her friend with something pretty to wear.
She held the dresses behind her back as she walked up to the church. “Hi!” she called out. “Where’s everyone else?”
“Miss Brigham took them to get a bath.”
“I see. You didn’t go with them?”
“I took a bath last night.”
“That’s true.” Finally Samantha couldn’t contain herself anymore. She thrust the dresses towards her friend. “Look at these! Aren’t they beautiful?”
Prudence reeled back as if the dresses were poisonous serpents. “Those are…colored.”
“Of course they are. Don’t you think they’re pretty?”
“I…I don’t know.”
“Prudence, please. The reverend is dead. So is the Way. You can wear pretty clothes now.” She shoved the dresses at her friend again. “Why don’t you at least try them on?”
Prudence reached out to touch the burgundy dress, her body still tensed as if the dress would bite her. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try them on.”
“They’re better than that old robe.”
“Yes, I suppose.”
Samantha knew better than to follow Prudence inside the church. Her friend had to make up her own mind about whether to violate Reverend Crane’s strict dress code or not. While she waited, Samantha went over to the dormitory, where Rebecca was sifting through the rubble.
“One of these rafters might work,” Rebecca said. Then she frowned. “They’re awful heavy-looking.”
“If we can find some rope we should be able to drag it.”
“Just the two of us?”
“Make that three,” Prudence said. She had opted for the burgundy dress. It was a size or two big on her, the skirt going down to her ankles and the bosom drooping. “Do you like it?”
“You look gorgeous!” Samantha gushed.
“It needs a little alteration. If I had my needle and thread—”
“We can dig for that later. Right now we need to get some rope so we can drag the rafter back to Uncle Hector.”
“Couldn’t we use that net over there?” Prudence asked. She pointed to the net lying b
y the front steps, the one Samantha had used for Uncle Hector’s stretcher.
“That might work.” Samantha patted her friend’s shoulder. “Good thinking.”
“Thank you,” Prudence said and blushed. Then they set to work.
***
It took a long time for them to drag the rafter. They had draped the net around the rafter and then used a smaller bit of rope in order to close part of the net. They left enough open for them to use to drag the board.
While they walked, Samantha filled Prudence in on their plan. “If this all works, then we can get Uncle Hector’s boat working again and go to the mainland.”
“So you can bring supplies back?”
“I suppose, for anyone who wants to stay.”
“Why wouldn’t we stay?” Prudence asked. Rebecca gave Samantha a knowing look.
“Well, I’m just saying if anyone wants to, they could go live on the mainland.”
“You mean like you and your uncle?”
“I suppose, yes.”
Prudence dropped her section of the net. “I knew it,” she mumbled. “I knew you were still going to leave me behind.”
“Prudence, no. I don’t want to leave you behind. I want you to come along. Uncle Hector says it will be fine. We’ll make up a story about how we were both kidnapped by Reverend Crane and how we escaped and then you can stay with us. We’ll be like sisters!”
“Can’t we be like sisters here?”
“Prudence—”
“Eternity is my home. It’s the only place I’ve ever known.” She gestured to the rafter. “And everything is in such a shambles. I can’t leave now. Who will look after the children?”
“Miss Brigham can. And Rebecca.”
Prudence turned her gaze to Rebecca. “You’re staying? I would have thought you’d go with Samantha.”
“I like it here. And you’re right: there’s work that needs done to rebuild.”
“You two aren’t any fun at all. Don’t you want to see all the exciting things on the mainland?”
“I don’t know. Maybe someday. When I’m older,” Prudence said.
“Older? You’re eleven now. You’ll be a woman soon.”
“Let’s discuss this later,” Rebecca said. “After we have time to think about it.”
“Fine,” Samantha said, “but you two are making a big mistake.”
They said nothing the rest of the way to the beach. As they neared the Lady Jane, Wendell came trotting over to them. “That looks about right,” he said. He motioned to a rock on the beach. “We have the fulcrum already.”
“Fulcrum?”
“That’s what it’s called.”
“How do you know that?”
“Your uncle said so.”
“The kid is pretty smart,” Uncle Hector said from on the deck of the boat. “I’m not sure if this goo of his will work or not. We’ll have to give it a trial.”
“What about the motor?”
“I think I can coax her into working. There’s not much gas left, but should be enough to get her to shore and maybe to get her back out.”
“That’s good,” Samantha said. “Then we can get out of here. Some of us.”
She looked at Prudence and Rebecca, but they said nothing. They only began to unwrap the netting from the rafter. With the help of Wendell, Uncle Hector, and the other younger boys, they managed to get the rafter propped beneath the front of the ship.
“Now, we have to do this all at once,” Wendell said. “Once it gets loose, then Mr. Delgado can turn on the motor.”
Uncle Hector nodded. He waded back into the water so he could climb aboard the boat again. Once he was on board, he waved to them. “Let’s do it, kids.”
“On the count of three,” Samantha said. She and the other children took up positions along both sides of the rafter. “One…two…three!”
As one they leaned against the rafter, all of them groaning from the effort. The lever began to move. “Keep going!” Samantha shouted.
“Almost there, kids!”
With one final groan, Samantha and the others pushed the rafter all the way down to the ground. As Wendell had predicted, the bow of the boat had lifted enough to free it from the rocks. It didn’t take long for the tide to carry it back out to sea. Wendell and Uncle Hector had prepared for this by tying a rope from the bow to an outcropping of rock. That would keep the boat tethered enough so it wouldn’t float away.
Uncle Hector had disappeared from view so he could get the motor started. Samantha held her breath as she watched the Lady Jane float farther away, until it strained against its tether. “Come on, Uncle Hector,” she whispered. If this didn’t work, their only hope of reaching the mainland might be gone, not to mention Uncle Hector might be swept out to sea and drown. “Please, God, let this work.”
The Lord heard her prayer. A few seconds later, Samantha heard a roar many times louder than Pryde’s dogs. A cloud of black smoke accompanied this. Slowly the boat began to move. At first it went sideways, but then it began to chug back towards the beach.
Samantha couldn’t help cheering as she watched the Lady Jane’s bow slash into the sand, probably much easier than it had last time. The boat ground forward a few feet and then the roar stopped. For a few moments the only sound came from the waves.
Then the other children took up Samantha’s cheer—all except Prudence and Rebecca.
Chapter 23: Betrayal
Uncle Hector decreed everyone take the rest of the day off, except for Wendell. He would be testing the solution he had concocted from the sap of various trees to make sure it would hold water. As they left the beach, Uncle Hector put his arm around Samantha’s shoulder. “You did really good, kid.”
“The others did a lot too.”
“But you’re the leader. To think a girl your age is running an island like this. Your parents would be so proud.”
“You think so?”
“I know so. After all, I’m damned proud of you, so they would be even more so.”
“Thanks.”
“Now that I’m up and around, how about showing me your domain, Queen Lucinda?”
She giggled at this. “Sure, Prince Hector.”
She let Prudence and Rebecca take the other children back to the church to rest. By now David and his hunters should have found something for them to eat. That was if he hadn’t gone off to sulk for the rest of the day. Boys, she grumbled to herself.
At least Uncle Hector wasn’t like them. But then he wasn’t a boy; he was a man. She squeezed his hand as they walked along the path that wound down towards the barns and fields. “It looks like we’ll be going alone,” she said.
“Why’s that? Your friends don’t want to come?”
“They’re scared. Eternity is all they know.”
“They don’t remember anything from where they came from?”
“No. Reverend Crane had some kind of potion to wipe their memories. Plus at times he would make most of them into infants. When they’re too small they can’t hold on to the old memories.”
“Is that potion what he used on you?”
“I think so, but it didn’t work right. I can still remember some things.” She looked down at her feet as they reached the fields. “Sometimes my body will do things on its own. It’s like who I used to be—Lucinda—will just take over and make me do things.”
“What sort of things?”
“Fighting, mostly. Did I fight a lot on the mainland?”
“You got into your scrapes. Not everyone in Maine is so accepting of a little Hispanic girl.”
“Hispanic?”
“It means you’re of Spanish ancestry. Spain is a country that’s very far away.”
“Was my mother Spanish?”
“No. She was American, just like me. Your grandparents, they came to America from Cuba a long time ago.” Before she could ask, he elaborated, “Cuba is an island, a bit bigger than this one. It’s over a thousand miles south of here.”
�
��Why did they leave Cuba?”
“Some bad people took over. So they left and went to Miami. That’s in America. It’s a long way from Maine, but someday we’ll go there so you can see where your mom and I grew up.”
“That sounds great.” Samantha sighed. “I guess it’ll just be the two of us going there.”
“Give your friends time. They’ll come around.”
“I doubt it. Prudence is still a big believer in the Way. Even though she knows the reverend was evil and a lot of his rules lies, she thinks it’s the only way she can get to Heaven.”
“Oh, I see. And that Way keeps her here?”
Samantha nodded. “Reverend Crane never wanted anyone to leave. They were his flock. The only way they could ever be saved was to do what he said.”
“The guy sounds pretty crazy.”
“I guess he was.”
“But Prudence doesn’t think so?”
“I think deep down she might. She’s just too scared to admit it.”
She showed him around the fields, which had not taken too much damage from the storm. He seemed impressed that a group of children could manage such a large farm. “We have to. It’s how we stay alive,” she said.
“That’s true. But you won’t have to worry about that once we get to the mainland.”
“I know.”
They went into the barns so Samantha could introduce him to her animals. Uncle Hector shied away from the pens, his back almost to the wall. Samantha reached into the pen to scratch behind Sarah’s ear. “She won’t hurt you. She’s a good cow. Aren’t you?”
“I can see she’s a good cow from here.”
“Don’t you like animals?”
“Small animals I like: cats, dogs, and of course fish. These monsters? Not so much.”
“Sarah isn’t a monster. She’s my friend. Aren’t you, girl?” The cow’s head bobbed in response. “See?”
“That’s great. You’re a regular Dr. Doolittle.”
“Who?”
“It’s an old story about a doctor who can talk to animals.”
“Oh.”
Uncle Hector backed away even more at the sight of the chickens. Samantha couldn’t blame him too much with the way the chickens treated her. She hurried him along to the horses. “Aren’t they beautiful?”
Children of Eternity Omnibus Page 28
