Date: Mon, 20 Aug 2001 12:04:26 -0400
From: Secret Dreamer <quillfairy4@hotmail.com>
Subject: Fall Down and Smile - 19
Quick Thank you to my sister for inspiring a big chunk of this chapter and
the chapters to come. Yay to her. She forced me to write on my vacation
*dramatic sigh*
Oh, and a forgotten thank you to Danny for helping w/ Chapter 18 :-D (and
your wrong about the fable - grrr)
Okay, I'm buying a domain. I'm sick of Envy.nu shutting down all the time
so I found a pretty nice host and I'm moving to my own domain. If any of
you have an idea for it, let me know. The one I wanted is taken.
Anyways, I hope you guys all like this chapter. I really like it. Lemme
know what you think of it. I eagerly await your responses. I enjoyed
Seattle immensely :)
e-mail : <quillfairy4@hotmail.com>
website : <http://envy.nu/poisonthorns>
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Chapter 19
"At Your Most Beautiful"
By Secret Dreamer <quillfairy4@hotmail.com>
awkward rhythms
It was a dark and stormy
Delete.
Tap. Tap. Tap tap tap.
The house on the hill was older than anyone knew. The stairs
creaked under invisible feet and the couch made a pass at the chair. The
curtains blew with a laugh as the footstool told a bad joke. The mantel
rolling it's bricks with a grimace.
"Ew."
Delete. Deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelete.
"Fuck."
Sigh.
The door slammed.
Triston sat in a high backed chair, staring at the picture in front
of him. A man and a woman, so happy and free had an underlying secret of
possible deceit.
The chair across from me moved.
He sloshed a goblet of wine in between his fingers, as the candles
were burning low. His eyes narrowed until he could barely see straight and
anger flashed behind his intense green gaze.
I felt something burning through my skull. I looked up and nearly
fell out of my chair. "For crying out loud. What are you doing home
early?" I managed to get out.
Dawn stared at me. Her hands were crossed in front of her on the
table, her previously French braided hair was now limp and frayed. "I hate
you," she growled, her eyes narrowing to slits.
I blinked at her. "Excuse me?"
Her face softened and tears began flowing down her cheeks. "I hate
you. Why'd you let me move here? Why'd you let me follow my dream?" She
sobbed.
I frowned. "Are you trying to be funny?"
She shook her head. "No. Why did you let me come here, Iya?"
I slapped my hand to my forehead as if I'd just been
enlightened. "Stupid me, I thought you wanted to come to California. I
thought you wanted to pursue your acting career. Man, am I insensitive or
what?"
She put her head on the table and cried.
I sighed and knelt next to her chair. "What happened?"
She sniffled. "Curran sent me home. I was horrible today. I
couldn't remember any of my lines. I can't fit into my wardrobe because of
my stomach. I look terrible. Iya my life is over."
"Is it act like a teenager day or is this going to be a regular
occurrence? Honey, we have bad days. You had yours. You're life isn't
over."
She sniffled again, got up from the table and ran up the stairs.
"Dawn!" I ran up after her and found her in the guestroom.
She ran her fingers along the white wall. She sat on the edge of
the bed and sighed. "I had such plans for this room," she sniffled. "I
wanted to give her and James everything," she laughed bitterly and wiped
her nose on the back of her hand.
I knelt down in front of her. "She's not gone, Dawn," I laid my
hand on her belly. "She's right here. Tali's not going to leave us,
never."
"I hate that name."
I blinked.
"Tali. I hate that name. I used to love it but to change it. I
can't stand it anymore."
I blinked again. "Um. Okay. I guess." Either this was a creepy
new development or just a mood swing. I was hoping it was just a mood
swing and she would change her mind.
Dawn sighed and placed a hand on my cheek, stroking me with her
thumb.
I leaned into that touch, savoured the feel of her skin, the gentle
nature of this woman in front of me.
"I love you."
I smiled and stared into her shimmering blue eyes. "I love you,
too."
She sighed again. "And then there's the trial. Fuck," a cynical
look appeared in her eyes. "Let's leave. Let's get in the car, get James,
and drive. They can't take her if they can't find us. We'll go to
Canada."
I smiled sadly, in pity almost. "No."
She sagged a little. "I know."
"Come with me to see Ian. We'll meet with the lawyers."
"I don't want to do this, Iya. I really don't," suddenly, she
looked tired and broken; defeated.
"I know. Me either but we can't let them win, Dawn. We have to
fight this."
She frowned, lines creasing her forehead. "I wish we'd never met
Andrew DuMont," a dangerous fire burned in her eyes. "I hate him."
I stared at Dawn. She seemed like a different person. The sweet,
caring, loving and doted girlfriend I'd fallen in love with, was gone. A
different, haunted Dawn Reed sat in front of me. Her soul was on the brink
of being ripped out. This new Dawn was frightening to me. The way her
eyes kept darting from one side of the room to the other. The now rough
way she was stroking my cheek. And the nearly feral smile that kept
appearing.
I blinked and my Dawn was back. She sat in front of me, smiling so
lovingly and brightly. I felt my stomach churn at this swift shift in
character. I swallowed roughly, afraid to move. What if I moved and that
other Dawn appeared? Ready to storm out and create something. "Dawn?"
She smiled at me.
"Are you alright?"
For a minute, the vengeful Dawn came back before the real one
fought her down. "I'll be okay," she said and got up. She stretched her
back and rubbed her stomach. She smiled that beautiful smile that she
saved for important people.
I got up and watched her walk from the room into our own. She took
off the overalls she was wearing and pulled out a pale blue skirt that
hugged every inch of her legs and thighs until it ever so slightly flared
at the ankle. This was my favourite piece of clothing that she wore.
Almost everything else she owned hid the fact that she was pregnant. This
skirt hugged her belly like a second skin and screamed to the world 'I'm
pregnant and beautiful'. And she was.
She slipped the skirt over her body and pulled a tank top from the
drawer. It was white with thin straps and a low neckline. She pulled it
on and her swollen, full breasts protruded slightly to the top. She pulled
her loose hair from the braid and shook it out.
I took the brush from the top of the dresser and ran it through her
hair. It shimmered and flowed down past her shoulders.
She looked so beautiful. She turned to me and smiled. "What do
you think?"
I grinned and kissed her, placing my hands on her cheeks and
letting my fingers slid down to her neck. "You're beautiful."
*******
make you smile
Dawn swung our hands back and forth as we left Ian's office. "He's
nice."
I laughed and kissed her on the cheek, tucking a piece of hair
behind her ear. "Let's go out to lunch."
"Mmm. I could really go for a big ice cream sundae," she grinned
and made a gesture about its size. Her charm bracelet clinked on her wrist
and disappeared. Her face contorted in horror. "Where'd it go!?"
"Calm down, we'll find it," I assured her.
"We have to! Daddy gave me that bracelet," she was nearly in tears
as she leaned against the wall of the nearby building. She kept on
sniffling and snorting as I tried to find the charm bracelet.
I was nearly on my knees when a movement caught my eye. I stared
down into an alley and saw a little bobbing creature coming towards me.
A puppy came into the light and trotted past me with something
twinkling in his mouth. He set it down at Dawn's feet and smiled at her,
wagged his tail and let out a little woof.
She opened her eyes. "It's a puppy. And he found my bracelet!"
Dawn squealed and picked up the bracelet, slid it on, and scratched the
puppy behind the ear. "Thank you."
He licked her hand and rolled over onto his back, exposing his
tummy.
I grinned as she sat down and gave the puppy's tummy a good
rubbing.
He lapped at her face.
She giggled. "He's adorable," she continued to stroke his smokey
blue fur.
"He looks awfully thin," I stared down, wishing I had my camera
with me.
He propped himself up on her belly and licked her face and woofed
lightly. He looked to only be a few months old.
"Why would anyone get rid of a dog so sweet?" I wondered a loud.
Dawn frowned. "He looks sick. You can see his ribs. Maybe we
should take him home and feed him."
I nodded. "He could use a bath too. Do you see a collar?"
Dawn shook her head. "Nothing."
"How do you suppose we can get him to come home with us?"
She shrugged. "Carry him to the car?"
"We can try. He's really small. Should he be this small?"
"Well, we don't really know what he is. I guess we should take him
home, feed him, bathe him and take him to the vet."
The puppy licked Dawn's face before curling up in her lap.
I looked down at him. "I guess that answers that question," I
helped Dawn up as she carried the puppy in her arms.
"He's awfully cute."
"All puppies are."
Dawn snorted. "I've seen some pretty ugly puppies. Believe me,
they're not all this cute."
I shrugged. "Yes dear."
She opened the back door and I set him on the backseat. "Do you
think he'll be safe?"
"If I drive carefully, he should be alright, I think."
Dawn nodded. "I hope so," she shut the door and came around to the
other side of the car. As she climbed in, the puppy climbed on the coin
holder between the two seats and placed his nose on Dawn's shoulder.
I grinned and took her hand.
She smiled at me and started batting her eyelashes. "Mommy can we
keep him?"
I laughed. "Let's cross that bridge when we come to it. We need
to see if James and Peaches are okay with him."
"Yeah. I see your point," the puppy nuzzled her shoulder. "Iyyya.
He's being cute!"
I threw the car into drive. "Don't worry. Only 10 minutes until
we're home."
She sighed and put the puppy in her lap. "What should me name you?
Charlie?"
I gagged. "No way."
*******
i know you're closed eyes watching me
"Jack."
"No."
"Orson."
"No!"
Dawn tapped her foot impatiently. "Than what?!"
I shrugged. "I think we should feed him and bathe him before we do
the naming thing."
"Bruno."
"Huh?"
"We're going to name him Bruno," Dawn stated firmly.
"Bruno," I tested the name on my tongue. "Bruno."
He looked up.
Dawn grinned. "I win."
I stuck my tongue out at her. "You're lucky I love you so much."
She smiled and kissed me.
Bruno trotted around the living room sniffing out some of Peaches
favorite spots and found her on the large armchair in the family room. He
propped himself up on the cushion and smiled at her.
Her ears flattened against her head.
He tried to nuzzle against her but a fierce paw came down and
snatched him across the nose.
I breathed a sigh of relief that we had gotten her tendons snipped
and picked up Bruno who was now cowering and whimpering at the stroke of
abuse. I couldn't really blame Peaches. A strange animal was entering her
domain and it wasn't one of her own species.
Dawn came in with the phone. "I'm going to call Dr. Morris' office
and see if she can get us in today or at least find out what to feed him."
I nodded. "Good idea. I'm going to get him a bath. The muddy
look really isn't doing it for him," I looked down at my soiled clothing.
"Or me."
She smiled and kissed me before going back into the kitchen and
dialed the number.
I took Bruno into our bathroom and set him on the floor. "You're
going to hate this," I assured him. "But I promise you, you aren't going
to be in any harm. It's just going to be a little frightening for you," I
stopped talking. "I'm talking to a dog." And now I'm talking to myself.
Dawn came in and sat down on the toilet seat. "Dr. Morris can see
us at 3:30. She said to bathe him and feed him some vegetables just to
settle his stomach and some corn and rice until she can see us."
"Great," I turned on the water and let it fill up a few inches just
to get his paws and a bit of his chest wet. I sighed. "You'll thank me
later," I picked him up and put him into the water.
He cried. He sat there and cried and cried and cried. He tried to
shake the water from his paws over and over but continued crying when it
didn't work.
Dawn sniffled and wiped her eyes. She burst into tears.
I sat in the middle of the bathroom floor completely dumbfounded,
frantically staring from the puppy crying in the bathtub to my girlfriend
crying on the toilet seat. I hugged Dawn and handed her a tissue. Told
her I loved her and began working soap into Bruno's fur.
He continued to cry and wail. Peaches came in and stared at the
howling puppy, cocked her head, crawled on Dawn's stomach and purred
loudly, nuzzling her cheek. I wasn't sure if she was trying to comfort
Dawn or if she was terrifically pleased that the puppy whom had entered her
domain was being tortured.
The water quickly became a thick brown soup. I pulled the plug and
turned on the faucet. Bruno scurried to the other side of the bathtub on
wet paws that, more or less, caused him to fall flat on his face and
continue howling. Each howl was like a knife in my heart. I was doing the
right thing, right?
Clear water soon replaced the brown and I was able to clean off all
the dirt, mud, and old fur. He promptly stopped howling when I shut off
the water. A very unhappy, soaking wet puppy blinked at me. I wrapped him
in a large towel and rubbed his fur dry. Well, I tried to. The first
moment he got, he leaned against me before wiggling free of the towel and
pressing himself against my chest. He smiled sweetly at me.
"I suppose I deserved that," I picked up the towel and wrapped him
up again. "Let's get you some food."
********
i thought i saw a smile
I set Bruno on the exam table, his black eyes darting around the
room and settling on James who was sitting on the chair in the corner. His
feet pranced back and forth because they didn't quite touch the ground.
His gaze was fixed on Bruno. Dawn plopped down next to James, one hand on
her belly, and grinning like mad.
The door clicked and snapped as Dr. Morris came into the room. "So
this is the new addition to the household," she stroked Bruno behind the
ear.
He leaned against her, his paws slid slowly on the metal tabletop
until he gracefully fell onto his side. He stared up at me and blinked,
not quite sure why he had fallen but accepted it very quickly and propped
himself back up, making sure not to lean as the Doctor continued to stroke
him.
"Smart little fellow," she commented.
We all sat in silence as she checked him over. Ears, rectum,
stomach, mouth, gums, teeth, paws, tail, nose, eyes, neck, chest, the whole
deal.
"He's extremely malnourished but I think he'll recover nicely.
He's got a little bruising on his neck but they aren't very recent. He's
only about 7 weeks old."
"7 weeks?" I looked at Dawn. "We thought he was nearly a few
months."
"No. He's only about 7, maybe 8 weeks old. He needs to be a good
10 lb. though I'd say. He's a mutt. Wolf, German shepherd, he's going to
be huge. 120 lb. tops."
"120 lb.!"
She nodded. "Do you think you can handle that?"
"Of course!" Dawn and James voiced together.
She grinned. "Great. I'll test him for any transmitted diseases
and get him caught up on his shots. I'll be right back."
*******
i've found a way
Bruno's tests came back negative and he squirmed through every shot
but didn't cry out too much. It was my guess that all his wails had been
used in the tub earlier that afternoon.
When we got home, he trotted into the house and I carried a large
bag of puppy food in my arms. Dawn came trailing behind with a dog carrier
and James was happily cradling Bruno's dog dishes.
I set down the bag with a huff and James eagerly filled one of the
bowls with water and set it in front of Bruno who eagerly lapped it up and
whined at the screen door to be let out.
James opened the door and followed him out.
"Should he be on a leash?"
"We'll get a leash tomorrow."
We followed the boys out the door and watched James throw rocks for
Bruno to fetch. The puppy skidded to a stop in front of the rock and ran
back to James, slobbering all over the object and setting it in his hand.
James giggled and squealed with joy and cuddled the puppy to him
with every retrieved throw.
I sighed and placed my chin on Dawn's shoulder. "Bruno's going to
be a nice addition."
She nodded and leaned against me. "I hope Peaches doesn't mind."
We watched the sun set as James and Bruno continued to play.
"We should go out."
"All of us?"
Dawn shook her head. "Just you and me. Like a date."
It hit me. "We've never had a date before."
"Hmm?"
"We never had our first date."
She was silent for a second. "You're right. We haven't."
"Should we?"
"That would be nice."
"I'll call Jonathan and see if he wants to baby-sit tonight."
*******
whisper i love you
Dawn stood in front of the mirror, brushing out her hair.
"You know, you aren't as large as you think you are," I told her as
I poked the earrings through my ears.
"What are you talking about? I'm a freakin' whale!"
I laughed. "Oh honey. Let me show you something," I pulled a box
from the bed side table and opened its tin lid. "This is what I looked
like when I was pregnant."
Dawn took the picture, stared at it, stared at me, stared at the
picture, stared at herself, and then stared at the picture again. "Golly.
You win."
I giggled and kissed her cheek. "I love you, though. You're
beautiful."
She smiled and bumped shoulders with me. "I suppose your right."
James came into the room, Bruno bumbling behind him. "When is
Uncle Jonathan coming?"
"In a few minutes honey. Are you excited?"
He nodded wildly. "Can Bruno come too?"
I sat on the side of the bed and hefted him onto my lap. "Bruno
needs to stay here, tonight. He needs to know that this is his home."
James nodded sadly. "Okay. You'll pick me up tomorrow?"
"Absolutely. Don't stay up too late, okay?"
"Okay," he leaned against my shoulder and sighed contently. He
looked at Dawn. "You look pretty," he whispered shyly.
She kissed his cheek. "Thank you, James."
He grinned and buried his head in my shoulder.
I chuckled and stroked his hair.
The front door closed. "Hello?"
"Up here, Jono!"
James shot up. "Uncle Jonathan!"
"Hello there, kiddo," he swept him up. "Uncle Adam is waiting in
the car, are you ready?"
He nodded wildly. "Bye Mama! Bye Dawn!"
We waved as Jonathan carried him down the stairs. "Bye honey!" we
called together.
Dawn giggled in spite of herself and got up. "Shall we go?"
I nodded and took her hand. "After you, my dear."
"Thank you, love."
*******
you always listen carefully
I helped Dawn out of the car in front of the Garden Strip.
She smiled and sighed. "Where we met. Oh Iya, it's perfect," she
threw her arms around me.
I handed my keys to the valet and escorted Dawn inside.
"Reservation for Moon-Reed."
The waiter smiled and grabbed two menus. "Follow me, please,
ladies."
We were seated at a nice little table with a candle burning in the
center of it and two roses in a glass vase.
"Your waiter will be with you shortly. Would you like any wine
this evening?"
"No, thank you."
He looked at Dawn and noticed her stomach. "Oh, madam, I'm so
sorry I did not notice the little bundle. Would you care for some
Sparkling Cider or Mineral Water?"
Dawn smiled. "Sparkling Cider would be wonderful."
"For you, too, Madam?"
I nodded. "Yes, please."
He bowed slightly at the waist and went to retrieve our drinks.
"This is fun," Dawn giggled and opened her menu.
I followed suit and looked over the many dishes available.
Everything looked so nice I could barely decide. From the looks of it,
Dawn was having the same predicament.
"What are you getting?"
"I have no clue."
We giggled nervously as the waiter came up with the bottle of
Sparkling Cider in a bucket of ice and two wine glasses. He poured for us.
"Can I get you ladies anything?"
I bit my lip. "What would you recommend?"
He glanced at the menu. "The linguini with clams is excellent this
evening. Also the fettuccini with grilled chicken in a nice Alfredo sauce.
I would recommend the garden salad to start with a little vinegar and oil."
"That sounds nice," Dawn nodded. "The clams for me and the chicken
for my girlfriend."
The waiter smiled and bowed. "I'll be right back with your salad."
I held up my glass of Sparkling Cider. "A toast to Ta-."
"-the baby," Dawn cut me off, lifting her own glass and clinking it
with mine.
"You're still set on naming her something else?"
She nodded. "I know you love that name, Iya but I just can't stand
it. It doesn't have any real meaning to me, I guess."
I sighed and nodded. "Alright. It would be nice to have a name we
both agree on."
"Thank you for understanding."
"Of course."
*******
just to hear your voice
We were enjoying our pasta over our second bottle of Sparkling
Cider when our evening turned for the worst.
Dawn was telling me about Lexy's marriage arrangements and Ethan,
the man she was marrying, when two large looking men came into the
restaurant and were seated two tables from us.
They seemed nice enough until they began a rude conversation that
could be heard through the whole room.
"Where is the wedding?" I asked to try and forget about the new
customers.
"In England. I'm hoping I'll be able to go. I might not be able
to fly and I can't ask her to interrupt her wedding to move it here."
"But she's your sister..."
She sighed. "I know but I want her to be happy and she wants to be
married in England, as close to Stone Henge as she can get."
"Maybe she'll change her mind."
"I hope."
"Hey! Hey!" One of the men from the other table yelled at us.
We both ignored them and continued to try and enjoy our evening.
"HEY!" He yelled again. "Hey, cute girls!"
I groaned. "Should we answer them?"
She sighed. "I guess they're going to keep yelling if we don't."
I gave her hand a squeeze and turned to them. "Would you please
stop shouting, we're trying to enjoy a nice evening." Or I'll freaking yank
off your balls.
"Sorry, we're just trying to settle a bet. Are you two girls free
tonight to go out with two studs like us?"
I groaned. "No." And turned back to Dawn and rolled my eyes at
her.
She giggled into her napkin and sipped her Sparkling Cider.
"Aw come on. We're nice guys."
"We aren't interested."
"Why not? Not good enough for you?"
"We're taken."
"Who are they? We'll beat'm up."
Dawn coughed. "I do believe that's a challenge, Iya."
The two got up and brought their chairs with them. They set
themselves on either side of the table. "You could hook up with us and
your boys would never know."
I glared at them. "Leave. Us. Alone."
The waiter came scurrying up. "Is there a problem here?"
"Yes!"
He frowned at the two men. "I need to ask you to leave this
facility. Disturbing other customers is not permitted in this restaurant."
"All we want is for these two fine chicks to hook up with us."
"Gentlemen!" the waiter fumed. "If you don't leave, the police
will be called and you will be properly escorted to a jail cell."
That got them moving. They were out of the restaurant so quick
there were skid marks behind them.
"I'm so sorry, ladies. You're dinner will be credited and free
this evening."
We nodded our thank yous and finished eating in an uncomfortable
silence.
*******
secretly
We left the car at the restaurant and had decided to walk around a
bit, just enjoying the evening, fingers twined together as we tried to
forget the incident that evening.
Dawn stopped in front of a coffee shop called 'Jillian's'. There
was a rainbow flag hanging on the door. "Hey, there's a story teller,
let's go inside. I could use a cup of tea."
The scent of coffee was strong as we entered the house. We found a
free table and sat down.
"What can I get for you ladies?" a waitress asked, snapping a
piece of gum.
"Herbal tea, please."
"Nothing for me, thanks," I said, holding Dawn's hand and rubbing
her palm.
The waitress smiled at us and placed the order.
"This is nice," I remarked.
"I feel overdressed," Dawn giggled as the lights dimmed and most of
the conversation died down. A candle was burning in the middle of the room
with a stool and microphone.
The manager of the coffee house came up to the microphone.
"Tonight's guest would like to be introduced as a grandmother of two and a
step-grandmother of one. She likes to bake cookies and read poetry."
Every patron clapped as the 50 some woman stood up in front and sat
down on the stool. She adjusted the microphone giving all of us the
opportunity to stare at her unique features. Her white-blonde hair was
shorn nearly to her scalp, the remaining few inches were spiked and tipped
red. A chain was connecting a nose stud to the dangling ring at her ear.
She introduced herself as Queenie.
Dawn leaned over to me and whispered. "Do you think she has any
tattoos?"
I shrugged. "Hell's Grandmother's, maybe? Aged Against the
Machine?"
She chortled and elbowed me lightly in the ribs. "That's awful.
Awfully funny, though."
I grinned and took her hand, kissing the back of it. It was
delightfully wonderful to be able to hold her hand in public and have
others just smile at us and coo.
"Since tonight's theme is "sisterhood is powerful", I thought I'd
tell you the story of Kate Crackernuts," began Queenie. "I hope that those
of you who have heard it before don't mind hearing it again. Those of you
who haven't, well, it begins a long time ago, in a place far far away,
where magic was as common as crooked politicians...
"A man had a wife, and the wife had a baby, and that child was
beautiful from the very first day she was born to the day her momma died,
some years later. Well, this man loved his daughter, and thought she needed
a woman around the place to help her grow up right, so he found himself a
widow woman who had a daughter near enough in age to his own that people
assumed they were twins. The man's daughter was fair and beautiful, and the
woman's daughter-that's our Kate-well, she was dark and handsome, but
couldn't hold a candle to her step-sister in the looks department. Still,
they were so fond of each other that you would never have guessed they
weren't blood related, though they looked so very different.
"But the widow woman, for all that she was beautiful herself, had
an ugly heart, and was jealous that her own daughter might get passed by,
as everyone was oggling the gentleman's girl. So she got a wicked idea into
her head, and found the local witch. Now, this wasn't a good witch like
Glinda. No fairy wings for this gal. She was as mean as she was ugly and as
ugly as she was mean-darn ugly.
"The widow woman said to the witch, 'How do I make my step-daughter
ugly, for I mean my own child to be the prettiest in the family?'"
"Now the witch understood the ways of man, and the ways of woman,
and some of the ways of the other things that live in our world though not
of it, so she knew just the thing. 'Tell that girl to come visit me, and
I'll take care of everything. You just see that she doesn't eat anything
before she arrives, or the spell won't stick.'
"The widow thought that was an easy enough trick, thanked the old
witch, and hurried on home before she was missed. The next morning she told
her step-daughter to go on over to the old witch's house, to pick up
something the widow had been promised. 'No dawdling, child. This must be
done immediately.'
"She was an obedient girl-but as she went through the kitchen she
snagged a crust of bread to gnaw on as she went, for not having had
breakfast she was very hungry.
"When she arrived at the old witch's house, something stank to high
heaven, and whatever it was bubbled in the cauldron over the fire. She
wasn't too happy when the witch told her to just stick her head over the
edge, but she did. Yup, it smelled awful, but when she lifted her pretty
little head-and it still was her own pretty little head-the witch sent her
home without the package she had been expecting, just a terse message that
the woman had not upheld her end of the bargain, and would have to try
again.
"Boy was that widow woman mad-but she couldn't tell anyone, just
bided her time. Next morning she escorted that step-daughter of hers to the
porch before telling her to get going, and she was going good-but the
flowers smelled so nice, and a friendly gardener was just picking some
fresh new peas, and he gave her a handful to munch on her way. Well, she
made good time, and there was the old witch and the nasty brew-and her
pretty little head was still just as pretty as the day she was born, and
again she was sent home with nothing but a queer little message about
disobedient children.
"Next morning, the widow woman walked the girl to the end of their
property, told her not to speak to anyone and go the quickest route to the
old biddy's house, or there'd be hell to pay. The girl was so hungry, but
she did what her mama told her, and made it to the witch's house in record
time. Again she obediently smelled that stinky pot, and this time, who
woulda believed it, off popped her own head into the pot, and out of the
pot jumped a sheep's head and stuck on so tight to the girl's shoulders
that she couldn't pull or shake it off no matter how she shook and
cried. Without waiting for any more queer messages from the witch, she ran
home bawling-that's all she could do, because sheep can't talk and neither
could she. The widow woman was mighty satisfied with the witch's work, and
called her own dear Kate to see what her fine Mama had done. But Kate was
not impressed. 'I did it for you!' cried the woman. 'But this is not what I
wanted. I want my own sweet sister back,' and she took her sister's hand in
hers, and walked out of the house.
"They walked for miles, far from the old witch's sway-but the
sheep's head stayed on. They walked into another kingdom, where Kate found
work as a scullery maid at the castle and a corner in the kitchen to keep
her poor sister. They hadn't been there very long, either, when the castle
fell into some turmoil. The eldest son, heir to all he surveyed, was
ill. He would eat nothing, nor drink nothing, and every day he was more
pale and weak than the day before. Despite the most learned doctors and
most pious priests, no one could figure out what the problem was. Even his
younger brother could gain no insight into his troubles.
"Kate decided that she was as good as anyone and suggested that she
be allowed access to his chambers. The King and Queen were at their wits'
end, so were even willing to listen to a scullery maid. They agreed to give
her leave to spend three days and nights with the boy, the two of them
alone with no interference. She had a little pot to make nourishing soups
for them both, and to keep herself busy and awake during her watch, Kate
filled her apron with nuts to crack. The king himself wished her good luck
and locked the chamber doors behind them.
"That first day the prince listlessly lay in bed, barely
registering Kate's presence, despite the racket her nuts made. She cracked
the nuts, and the prince lay still, until the clocks struck midnight. Then
he slowly rose from the bed. Kate tied her apron up, and followed behind
him. She soon realised that she could make whatever noise she liked, as he
took no notice of her.
"He dressed in his finest garb, and opened the chamber doors with a
key from around his neck. Then he went to the stables, called his hounds
and leapt onto his horse. Kate climbed onto the horse behind him,
determined to keep her watch. They rode right up to a nearby cliff face,
knocked three times upon it, and the prince spoke, 'Let the lord of the
castle in, with his horse and his hounds-
"And Kate, with her wits about her, called, 'and his lady behind
him.' The rock opened, and the prince entered. Kate quickly dismounted and
hid in the shadows to see what might happen next. Beautiful beings-Kate
realized they were fairies-helped him down, took his horse and hounds away
to be cared for, and ushered him to the dance that was well under way.
"Kate moved to a place behind a curtain in the great hall to watch
the beautiful dancers, and cracked her nuts. She soon noticed that not all
the fairies were dancing. There were a few old fairies playing with a baby
in the corner, and gossiping amongst themselves. She started listening to
their animated conversation. One old woman asked, 'What news from above
have you, then?' 'No news,' said another. 'Just that Kate and her
sister-the one with a sheep's head-have moved into the castle.'
"'Ah,' said the first, 'if only Kate knew that all she had to do
was tap the wand our baby plays with on her sister's sheep head, and she'd
be restored better than new.'
"And then they spoke of other things, but Kate fixed on the
baby. It was true, the child had a strange little wand it was waving around
like a rattle. Kate knew if she grabbed the wand away the babe would cry
and then her place behind the curtains might be found. If only she could
distract the child... her hands slowly reached into her apron, digging
around for an unshelled nut. She found several, and rolled them towards the
baby. It dropped that boring old wand pretty quick and crawled after the
noisy little nuts. Before it could touch the ground, Kate had the wand and
tucked it into her apron.
"The dancing seemed like it would never end, but suddenly the
prince was leaving the hall and she had to be quick to get on his horse
before they left. The horse galloped hard, and got the prince and Kate back
to the castle before sunrise. The prince collapsed into bed, his face
whiter than white. She made him some nourishing broth, but he could not sip
at it, and she feared that unless she could get him out of the fairy's
thrall, he would die within a few days.
"She spent the day trying to remember anything she knew about
enchantments, but the fairy wand did no good for the prince's illness, and
she only hoped it would heal her sister.
"That night, Kate was not surprised when the prince, pale and
terribly thin though he was, climbed out of bed and put on his dancing
clothes. She followed him to the stables, climbed behind him on the horse,
and when he reached the cliff face and called out, 'Let the lord of the
castle in, with his horse and his hounds-' Kate added, 'and his lady behind
him.'
"Again she lost him in the complexity of the dance, but she watched
and listened from her place behind the curtain. When the two old fairies
sat down near her, with a baby at their feet, she strained to hear every
word.
"What news from above, then?' asked one crone to the other. 'No
news,' she replied, 'except that no one knows what ails our fair
princeling, or how they may heal him.'
"Oh that,' sniffed the first. 'It would only take three bites of
that birdie our babe plays with to make him hale and hearty. Let's talk of
other things, then.'
"Kate looked hard at the baby. Sure enough, it had a little yellow
bird on a string. And despite her quiet coaxing, it didn't seem to want to
let go. She rolled out a few nuts. The baby eyed them, but stayed put. She
rolled out a few more, and it lunged but held onto the birdie
tightly. Finally Kate rolled all the nuts she had left at the baby and it
giggled and let go of the bird. Kate grabbed its tether and put the bird in
her apron, then settled down behind her curtain, hoping no one had noticed.
"The prince made a sudden exit, and if Kate had not been keeping
careful watch she might have missed him. She jumped on the horse behind him
and they rode pell mell to the castle, beating the cock's crow by nothing
more than a heartbeat. The prince sagged into bed and Kate knew she had
little time to spare if she wanted to save his life. She stewed the bird in
her little pot and made a rich broth of it. She brought it over to the
prince, and for the first time in days, he spoke. 'Oh,' he said, 'If I
could only have a bite of that birdie.'
"Kate was more than happy to oblige, and spooned a big mouthful
into him.
"'Oh,' he cried out again, and this time he raised himself on his
own elbows, 'If only I could have another bite of that birdie!'
"Kate spooned another big mouthful into him, and he licked his lips
and looked at her as if he actually saw her. 'Oh,' he said, 'If only I
could have one more bite of that birdie.'
"Kate spooned the last of the bird into his mouth, and he sat up in
bed, clear eyed and rosy-cheeked.
"He spoke as if he had just woken from a dream and asked her what
she was doing there. She told him of his illness, how she had sat there and
gone to the fairy world with him and brought him from out of their
power. He was ever so grateful, and they found themselves chatting quite
amiably about all sorts of things, until his father the king finally opened
the door to see if the scullery maid had actually been able to work a
miracle.
"The king was so overjoyed, and the queen right behind him, that
when the prince said it was his intention to marry the girl, neither
protested in the slightest. But before anyone could congratulate the happy
couple, Kate ran over to her sister's corner and tapped her on the head
with the fairy wand. Off popped the sheep's head and rolled away. In its
place was the girl's own head, and the prince's younger brother, when he
saw that she was as gentle as she was pretty, decided that it ought to be a
double wedding.
"So Kate got her man, and one for her sister besides, because she
loved her step-sister more than most children love their blood
relations. Sisterhood is powerful, my friends. It releases prisoners and
makes love blossom," Queenie stood up and curtsied.
Dawn leaned over to me. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Whose her stylist?"
She giggled. "No. Let's name her Kate."
I smiled and laid my hand on her stomach. "Hey Squirt, what do you
think of that?"
There was an appreciative kick.
"I think that's a 'yes'," Dawn grinned.
I leaned over and kissed her long and sweetly. "I love you."
She grinned and grabbed my hand. "Let's go talk to her."
I was pulled to the other side of the coffee house where Queenie
was sitting, ordering a cup of hot cocoa.
"Excuse me," Dawn whispered.
She looked up and smiled. "What can I do for you?"
"We were wondering where you'd heard the story?"
Queenie smiled. "Sit down, girls."
I helped Dawn get situated. "Do you need any water? Tea, maybe?"
She shook her head and took my hand in hers.
I smiled and sat down next to her, bringing our chairs quite close.
Queenie smiled at us. "Clever Gretchen and the Forgotten
Fairytales."
"Pardon?"
"Clever Gretchen and the Forgotten Fairytales is a book of
fairytales featuring strong women and strong female protagonists."
"Like Kate Crackernuts."
She nodded. "Just like Kate Crackernuts."
I smiled at Dawn. "Perfect."
"So what are you two girls doing here looking like royalty?"
Dawn sighed. "We wanted to have a quiet evening out at a nice
restaurant and everything was going great until these two knuckleheads
decided to intrude."
"Where did you go?"
"The Garden Strip. It's where we first met."
Queenie frowned. "That's a nice little restaurant. I'm sorry it
was ruined."
I shrugged. "Your story made up for it, though."
"I'm glad I could help you out," she smiled at Dawn. "When's the
babe due?"
She grinned wildly and stroked her stomach. "About 4 and a half
months."
"Congratulations. Boy or girl?"
"Girl."
"Oh," she cooed. "How wonderful. Any names picked out yet?"
We smiled at each other.
"Kate," I said, kissing the back of Dawn's hand. "We've decided to
name her Kate."
Queenie laughed. "Wonderful, absolutely wonderful."
Our conversation with Queenie seemed to fly by until Jillian's
starting to close at 11 o'clock.
She yawned loudly. "Oh my. I need to be getting home."
Dawn yawned with her and nodded. "It's later than I thought."
"It was nice talking to you girls. I hope everything works out
with the babe."
"Thank you, Queenie," I smiled.
Dawn grinned sheepishly. "Would it be too forward of me to ask you
for a hug?"
Queenie laughed. "Not at all, darlin'."
Dawn smiled and hugged the old woman tightly.
She looked up at me. "Join in, if you like."
I grinned and wrapped my arms around both of them.
"You two girls get home to your new pup."
We nodded as if complying with our own grandmothers.
"G'nite Queenie."
"G'nite Girls."
We left the coffee house as the sign on Jillian's switched to
'closed'.
i read bad poetry into your machine. i save your messages just to hear you
voice. you always listen carefully to awkward rhymes. you always say your
name, like i wouldn't know it's you, at your most beautiful.
--
*whew* it's finally done. Okay. Yeah. I can't think of anything to say.
I'm tired and gitty and I'm going to go listen to R.E.M. now.
Don't forget to smile,
Secret Dreamer <quillfairy4@hotmail.com>