Children of Eternity Omnibus

by P. T. Dilloway

  David took a step towards Becky. “Maybe I ought to do the same to you,” he said. “I don’t see any need for you or Molly now that she’s out of the way.”

  Becky held up a vial of fountain water. “You could just as easily join her in the crib,” she said. “I think it’d be sweet. I could raise you as brother and sister.”

  David took a step back. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I got a little carried away. It won’t happen again.”

  She leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek. “Good, because I don’t want to change two sets of diapers. Go make sure everything else is ready, will you, Davy?”

  “Yeah, sure,” he said. Throughout their conversation, Samantha had been crawling along the bank towards the water. She could ride the current downstream into the forest. As her bloody hands splashed into the water, someone yanked her back by the hair.

  “Now Mommy you’re supposed to wait an hour after eating to swim,” Becky said. She hauled Samantha back to the shore, setting her against a rock. Samantha cried out as Becky opened the vial of fountain water. “You don’t like this, huh? I don’t blame you. But I’m not going to kill you yet.” She wet a piece of cloth with the water and then dabbed as Samantha’s wounds. The scraped skin turned from red to pink and then to the same rusty color as the rest of her. “All better now.”

  “What you want?” Samantha asked.

  “Revenge, plain and simple.”

  “Becky, pwease, I’m sowwy I tweated you wike a chiwd. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  Becky tore off Samantha’s nightgown, hurling the bloody rag into the stream. “This goes much farther back than that.” She took hold of the necklace Samantha wore around her neck, half a silver heart with the words, ‘Be Frie For’ on it. “It’s hard to believe someone would keep a cheap piece of costume jewelry bought from a drugstore for over forty years.”

  She reached underneath her collar, pulling out an almost identical necklace. Hers fit together with Samantha’s to spell out the words, ‘Best Friends Forever.’ Samantha’s eyes widened at this. “Where you find this?”

  “Find it? I’m the one who bought it for you on your eighth birthday. One of those stupid things little kids do for each other like friendship bracelets or pinkie swear promises.” Becky jerked the necklace free from Samantha’s neck. “You don’t deserve to have this, you backstabbing traitor.”

  “Becky—”

  “My name isn’t Becky. It’s Veronica. Becky died three years ago in that fountain and you never noticed. That’s the kind of friend you are.” She stuffed the necklace into a pocket and then hefted Samantha to her feet. “We better get you cleaned up before the party.”

  “What party?”

  “Why, your birthday party, of course. Everyone’s going to be there. We can’t have you showing up like this.” She dragged Samantha over to the stream, dunking her underwater until for the second time that morning Samantha thought she would suffocate. Veronica yanked her head back and then started to scrape at Samantha’s body with a bar of soap. “We’re going to get you all nice and clean and make you look nice. Can’t have the guest of honor smelling like piss and blood.”

  She pushed Samantha back down into the water, pulling her up to show her a bottle of yellow shampoo. “Look, it’s baby shampoo for my little baby. No more tears,” she said, squirting some of the gel into Samantha’s hair. Her fingernails tore at Samantha’s scalp until Samantha worried she’d draw blood. After another dunking, Veronica toweled Samantha off on the shore.

  Samantha stood trembling as Veronica reached into a burlap sack. “I brought something very special for you to wear to the party. It might be a little tight, but it should fit.”

  From the sack she produced the lacy pink dress Rebecca had taken from the cellar of Pryde’s hut seven years ago to wear. “You remember this, don’t you? I think it’ll look better on you than it did on Molly and I.”

  Samantha didn’t try to struggle as Veronica pulled the dress onto her, followed by white knee socks and saddle shoes. The dress clung to her gut, the seams ready to break every time she breathed while the shoes squeezed her feet like a pair of vises. She didn’t bother to complain, knowing it would do no good. “You look wonderful,” Veronica said. “But we’ve got to do something about your hair.”

  Samantha followed her meekly to a rock. Veronica combed the tangles from Samantha’s hair with such violence that Samantha imagined she would end up bald. She cried out with each stroke, which only prompted Veronica to comb harder. By the time she finished, the lace collar of Samantha’s dress was wet with tears. “Don’t worry, Mommy, we’re almost done.”

  She put Samantha’s hair into bouncy curls just as Becky had used to do for Molly, a skill Samantha never mastered. When Veronica finished, she studied Samantha for a moment. “Something’s missing. Oh, I know.” From the burlap sack she took out a bow the same color as the dress. She tied it onto the back of Samantha’s head and nodded. “Perfect.”

  Then she held up a mirror. For the first time Samantha saw her face, with the apple cheeks and head of black curls. She patted the bow that stretched the length of her head.

  She really was a baby now. Nothing she could do would change that. Even if Joseph saw her, he would just think she was another toddler, not the woman he loved and who loved him. By the time she was old enough to date boys again, Joseph would be in his thirties. He would probably have a family by then, another woman he’d fallen in love with.

  Her life on Seabrooke was over. Everything that had happened, all the things she’d done, they had been erased in seconds by the Fountain of Youth—by Veronica. Now, trapped in this tiny body, in these adorable clothes, what could she do? Nothing. I’m three years old, she thought. Today I’m three years old.

  She wiped the tears from her fat cheeks and smiled to expose a pair of dimples. “I wook so pretty. I wuv you, Mama Vewonica,” she said. She hugged Veronica, who kissed her on the forehead.

  “Come on, everyone’s in town waiting for us.”

  “Oh boy,” Samantha said. She took Veronica’s hand and skipped towards town. Today I’m three years old. I’m a big girl now, she thought.

  Chapter 7: Many Happy Returns

  Samantha stopped in disbelief as she and Mama Veronica emerged from the forest. Everywhere she saw balloons and streamers the same pink and white as her pretty dress. Stretched between the rows of shops was a pink banner with something written on it in white paint. “What’s it say?” she asked Mama Veronica.

  “It says, ‘Happy Birthday Samantha.’”

  “Weawwy? You mean aw this is for me?”

  “Of course. It’s your big day.” Mama Veronica picked Samantha up, lifting her high enough to touch the banner. This is all for me, Samantha thought. All for her first big girl birthday. Mama Veronica must really love her to go to so much effort for the party.

  “I wike a pwincess,” she said.

  “You are a princess. You’re Mama’s little princess.” Mama Veronica lowered Samantha enough to kiss her on the forehead. Samantha giggled at this. Mama Veronica was so silly.

  They turned the corner and Samantha squealed with both surprise and delight. “Happy Birthday Samantha!” shouted a crowd of children. Mama Veronica echoed them.

  Right away Samantha noticed all the children in the crowd were bigger than her. They all looked five or six at least. “Mama, why’s everyone bigger than me?” she asked.

  “That’s because you’re our baby. Our special baby.”

  “I don’t wanna be the baby! It no fair.”

  “I know, sweetie, but you’re much more important than anyone else in the whole town because you’re my baby.” Samantha kissed the top of Mama Veronica’s head, feeling better now. She might be the littlest, but Mama Veronica didn’t care about anyone else like her. She was special.

  Mama Veronica carried Samantha into the crowd, who all reached out to touch Samantha as though she really were a princess. Some pinched her cheeks or patted her on the head o
r tugged on her dress. She waved to them as Mama Veronica carried her through the crowd to a table piled high with gifts. “Ow these aw for me?” she asked.

  “Of course they are,” Mama Veronica said.

  Samantha reached out to take one from the pile, but Mama Veronica slapped at her hand. “Now, sweetie, it’s rude to open your gifts before we serve the cake and ice cream.”

  “Cake and ice cweam?” Samantha rubbed her hands together, forgetting all about the gifts for the moment. Balloons, streamers, signs, gifts, cake, ice cream, and the whole town here to greet her; no one else ever had a birthday like this.

  A thin, blonde girl and chubby, dark-haired girl wheeled in a cake taller than Samantha and Mama Veronica put together. Three sparklers topped the cake, showering the pink frosting with sparks. In white icing was text that looked similar to the banner over the street. “This for me?” she asked.

  “That’s right,” Mama Veronica said. The two girls left, returning a minute later with buckets of ice cream—chocolate, vanilla, fudge swirl, and mint chocolate chip. The chubby girl tried to lick some of the melted vanilla ice cream dripping down the side of the container, but Mama Veronica slapped her hand as she’d done to Samantha. “Phyllis, you can have some later if our guests leave any.”

  “But—”

  “You and Helena wait in the kitchen until it’s time to clean up,” Mama Veronica said. The girls stalked off towards the shops. Samantha wanted to ask why the girls couldn’t stay like everyone else; they looked so sad. Before she could ask, Mama Veronica held her up to reach the top of the cake. “Make a wish and blow out the candles.”

  Samantha closed her eyes, thinking hard about her wish. She already had everything she wanted in the whole wide world. Except for maybe one thing: friends her own age to play with. Being special was good, but she didn’t want to be lonely. Please God, give me some friends to share this with.

  She blew out the candles all in one breath. This meant her wish had to come true. Mama Veronica set her back down at the table and smiled at her. “I have a very special surprise for you, sweetie,” she said.

  What could be more surprising than all this? Samantha wondered. A pony? A kitty? A puppy? She hoped for the pony. She would name it Princess and they would go everywhere together. They would have such exciting adventures.

  A scary-looking man dressed in black came forward. Samantha cringed at the sight of him, which seemed to make him smile. What a meanie, she thought. He couldn’t be the surprise, could he?

  But no, he lifted up a hatch in the top of the birthday cake, reached inside, and pulled out a little girl. She wasn’t much bigger than Samantha, but much skinnier, so that her green dress hung off her as if it were on a hanger. Copper hair hung in waves down to her waist. It must be heavier than her, Samantha thought. How can she stand up? The little girl had freckles on her nose and cheeks that almost touched when she smiled, as she did now. “Hello. My name is Prudence. How are you? It’s so stuffy in that cake. I didn’t think I would ever get out of there. Oh, look at that, you have a bow just like mine only mine is white. Isn’t that interesting? And your hair is so pretty.” Prudence hugged Samantha before continuing, “I know we’re going to be bestest friends. My birthday was yesterday. I turned four years old. It’s really not any different from three so far.”

  “It nice to meet you,” Samantha managed to get in. Her wish had come true! A best friend almost her own age to play with. She hugged Mama Veronica. “I wuv you.”

  “We’re not done yet, sweetie.” The man in black reached into the cake and this time pulled out a boy with shoulder-length hair the same color as Prudence’s and even more freckles.

  “This is my dopey twin brother, Wendell,” Prudence said.

  “Hi,” Wendell said in a small voice. He cowered behind his sister, nibbling at his fingers. He was shorter than her by at least six inches, shorter than even Samantha. He was also thinner than his sister to the point Samantha thought she could see his ribs against his shirt.

  “And I think we have one more,” Mama Veronica said. The man reached into the cake; Samantha crossed her fingers for another girl like Prudence. Instead it was an older boy with a thick nest of brown hair that stuck up. His nose was running and he wiped it before offering a hand for Samantha to shake.

  “Gwoss!” she said.

  Mama Veronica took a napkin off the table, using it to wipe the boy’s nose. “Now sweetie, be polite. This is Joey.”

  “Hi,” Samantha said, dismissing him with a nod. She didn’t want a stinkyhead like him around. His eyes started to water behind his glasses. At first she thought he was crying, but then he started to sneeze.

  “Must be all the dust in there,” he said, his voice nasal and shrill. Yuck. Couldn’t Mama Veronica send him off with Helena and Phyllis to the kitchen? He was going to ruin the party with his germs.

  An older girl with red hair curled like Samantha’s came forward to put an arm around Joey. “I’ll take him back to the cottage,” she said. She took Joey away, the sound of his sneezes receding into the distance. The older girl flashed a worried look to Samantha, who stuck out her tongue in response.

  Mama Veronica clapped her hands. “Now then, let’s get this party started.” She let Samantha cut the first piece, a great big lopsided hunk off the top for herself. “Wait until everyone else gets theirs before you start eating.” She served the rest of the pieces, giving Prudence and Wendell pieces almost as big as Samantha’s while everyone else got smaller ones. On each plate she dropped a scoop of ice cream, picking a flavor at random. “What kind do you want?”

  “Aw of them,” Samantha said. Mama Veronica dropped a spoonful of each onto Samantha’s plate. As Samantha ate, Prudence talked and talked, her ice cream melting into a puddle on the plate.

  “Are you still hungry? I couldn’t eat another bite,” Prudence said. She pushed the plate towards Samantha, who accepted with a nod. Prudence continued to talk while Samantha ate. Next to her, Wendell nibbled at his, wiping his mouth with a napkin after each bite.

  After everyone finished the cake and ice cream—there would be no leftovers for poor Helena and Phyllis—Mama Veronica shouted for everyone’s attention. “Before we start opening the gifts, I would just like to say how pleased I am everyone could be here today to celebrate this moment.” She put an arm around Samantha’s shoulders. “Today my Samantha has become a big girl. Before you know it, she’ll be all grown up.” She kissed Samantha on a cheek stained with frosting. The other children, especially Prudence, cheered for her.

  Tears came to Samantha’s eyes. She couldn’t imagine anyone ever having such a wonderful birthday.

  Chapter 8: High and Low

  After Samantha opened all her gifts, Mama Veronica sent for Helena and Phyllis to carry the many toys, dresses, and other gifts to the cottage. Of everything she got, Samantha liked the princess costume the best. The costume came with a shiny white dress, a pair of white slippers, a gold scepter, and a jeweled tiara. “Can I put it on now, Mama?” she asked.

  “All right, sweetie, but try not to get it dirty.” Mama Veronica took her over to the bakery where she worked so that Samantha could change. The dress fit as though made especially for Samantha and the tiara rested comfortably in her hair. Mama Veronica smiled at her and bowed. “My little princess. Why don’t you play with your friends in the meadow, Your Highness?”

  “Thank you, Mama,” Samantha said. She kissed Mama Veronica on the cheek before running outside, where the twins waited.

  “Wow, that looks really great,” Prudence said.

  “It’s pretty,” Wendell said from behind his sister.

  “Mama said we can pway in the meadow,” Samantha said.

  “What should we play?” Prudence asked as they skipped down the forest path towards the meadow.

  Samantha looked around at the dark forest and shivered. She wished Mama Veronica had come with them. At any moment she expected a big scary monster to jump out of the forest at them. “W
et’s pwetend I’m a pwincess, and Pwoodance is a duchess and Wendeww is the scary monster twying to eat us,” she said.

  “I don’t want to be a monster,” he said.

  “Shut up. You have to be the monster,” Prudence said.

  “Why?”

  “Because you can’t be a princess or a duchess.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you’re a boy, idiot.”

  “Oh.” He broke off a stick and started waving it around like a sword. “What’s a monster do?”

  “You chase after us and go like this—” Prudence growled like some kind of animal, the sound chilling Samantha. “Then we’ll run away and you have to catch us.”

  “That’s stupid,” Wendell said.

  “You’re stupid.” Prudence shoved Wendell, who maintained his balance by leaning on the broken stick. Samantha liked Prudence, but she wished her new friend wouldn’t be so bossy. This game was Samantha’s idea and it was her birthday after all.

  Wendell’s eyes watered and his face turned red. “I don’t want to play,” he said. “I’m going home.”

  “Oh come on, stop being a baby,” Prudence said.

  “We can pway something else,” Samantha said. She no longer cared about the game so much as getting out of this forest.

  “Fine, be that way,” Prudence said to Wendell. She glowered at him for a moment, but then in the next started chattering merrily about a bird she saw.

  They emerged from the dark forest into the bright meadow. “It’s so pretty up here,” Prudence said. “Look down there, I can see fields and barns and there’s a cow.”

  “That’s not a cow. It’s a horse,” Wendell said.

  “It is so a cow. It’s too wide for a horse.”

  Samantha thought the animal down below looked more like a horse than a cow, but she knew better than to say anything. She squinted into the distance and thought she saw the ocean. The majestic view gave her an idea. “Wet’s pway castle,” she said.