Epilogue
Standing behind the children, with the late morning sun blocked by a mostly cloudy sky, Mrs. Hoffman looked as drab and as plain as a tree without leaves. Her eyes, filled with sympathy and consolation, seemed to overtake all the other features of her face. Her lips were tucked in against each other, and her skin looked as though it had been drawn tighter than usual by a swollen skull within. The small blue veins in her temples were emphatic little highways of blood. She looked back over the tombstones toward her car because she longed to drive away from this place, to leave it and the memory behind as quickly as possible.
A large crow descending from the tops of the tall trees in the forest that surrounded the old cemetery caught her interest. It appeared to be falling toward them. It swooped down close enough for her to see its curled claws, the skin of which looked wrinkled with age. She was taken with the size of its head and the terrified look she thought she saw in its eyes.
It turned upward when it looked like it was only a few feet from the children, but none of them noticed or cared.
The ceremony at the gravesites had ended and all of the other mourners had begun to leave, but the children gave no indication of turning away. They stood staring fixedly at the grave diggers who worked methodically at filling the graves.
Mrs. Hoffman’s heart went out to them. They all stood so silently, and so close to one another. Richard had his arm around Carl and Elizabeth held little Donald close to her. Mrs. Hoffman thought their affection and concern for one another was remarkable. It brought tears to her eyes and she reached into her pocketbook for a handkerchief. If she had to describe one thing that Alex and Sharon Gold had given to these foster children who had suffered so already during their lives, she would describe their capacity for compassion.
All during the horrible aftermath when the fire trucks had come and the bodies had been found, the children were comforting one another. Everyone remarked about it. They had just been through one of the most terrible experiences children could go through, and yet all they could think about was how they could help one another and be of aid to the people who were working.
Of course, the manor was completely destroyed. It was impossible to save any of it because the fire had spread so quickly. A large crowd from the village had come up to watch. The flames and the smoke could be seen for miles. The children were first discovered huddled together at the foot of the long driveway. They were practically in shock. They needed some first aid, but by the time Mrs. Hoffman arrived at the scene, they had been given something to drink and they were talkative.
They described how quickly the fire had started, how they had all been caught unaware, but how Alex Gold had sacrificed his life so that they would be safe. Then Richard described their attempts to get into the house to rouse Sharon. The fire and the smoke had driven them back. They had shouted and shouted until they were hoarse, but it had been to no avail.
Mrs. Hoffman broke one of her own rules and took the children back to her house to spend the rest of the night. She had promised them she would take them to the funeral, and now as she stood there waiting for them, she wondered how she would get herself to tell them the truth—that it was going to be difficult to keep them together much longer. It was hard enough to find adequate housing and qualified people to take one or two of them, but all four?
Richard anticipated her. When they all got into her car to leave, he brought it up.
“We know you’re going to have trouble finding us a family like the Golds and a place like the Echo Lake Manor, but we’re willing to wait at the temporary house for as long as it takes if it means we might be able to stay together,” he said.
“I realize that,” she said, “but lots of times these things are not decided by me and by what I want.”
“You do want us to stay together though, don’t you, Mrs. Hoffman?” Elizabeth asked.
“Yes, I do, dear,” Mrs. Hoffman said, “and I will certainly do all that I can.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Hoffman,” Elizabeth said.
“Thank you,” Richard said.
“Thank you, Mrs. Hoffman,” Carl said.
“Thank you,” little Donald added in his tiny voice. She turned and looked at him beside her. She couldn’t help it. Tears came into her eyes, and she swore to herself that she would try, she would do her best to keep these wonderful children together so the legacy of Alex and Sharon Gold would not be lost.
The children seemed to sense it. Their sad, soft faces became quiet, angelic. They were silent in a spiritual way. And in a spiritual way, the silence drew them closer to one another. Richard and Carl, sitting in the back, turned to each other and smiled. Elizabeth, sitting in the front with Donald, took his small hand into hers.
Then they all looked ahead. They refused to look back. They wouldn’t look at anything but the future. After all, Alex had shown them the way.
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Child's Play Page 24
