Dilloway/Forever YoungPage 1
Forever Young
by
Pat Dilloway
Chapter 1: Awakening
A wave deposited the girl’s body onto the wet sand. She lifted her head enough to spew salty water into the sand. Long after the last drop came out, she continued coughing, the ache in her chest reminding her, “I’m alive.”
With this thought she rolled onto her back to stare at the moonless sky. The stars overhead whirled in her vision, smearing together into solid white lines of pain. She cried out, but then choked the whimper. She couldn’t let them find her. She had to escape.
But she could not move her numb limbs. In the distance, she heard a dog howl. She tried again to get up. Her body did not respond. The white lines crisscrossing her vision dimmed to gray and then black.
The howling became louder, closing in on her. They were going to catch her…
“No!” she shouted, bolting upright. A hand reached out to touch her shoulder, but she batted it away. She had to get out of here. She had to escape.
She tried to get to her feet, but something heavy fell onto her chest, pressing her down into the straw pallet. She clawed at the air around her, trying to free herself. “Get away from me!” she said.
A pair of hands cupped her jaw. She tried to swat the hands away, but they kept hold of her. “Easy now, dear. You’re safe,” a woman said. “No one is going to hurt you. Prudence, dear, get off her.”
The weight lifted from her chest. The woman lit a candle to reveal a pale face with emerald eyes that seemed familiar somehow. The room around her was made of rough wooden planks. She sat on a straw pallet with a white sheet thrown over it. A stool rested next to the bed with a clay mug half-filled with clear liquid. She reached out for the mug; the water tasted warm and sour. The woman sat on another stool, the candlelight bringing out the red of her hair. She squinted, trying to remember where she had seen this woman before.
“Where am I?” she asked.
“You’re in Eternity, dear.”
“Eternity? Am I dead?”
“No, dear, I guarantee you are quite alive. Mr. Pryde found you on the beach three nights ago. Do you remember how you got here?”
“No.” She put a hand to her head, trying to remember. When she closed her eyes, she saw nothing but darkness. “I don’t remember anything,” she said.
“Nothing at all? Not even your name?”
“No.”
“Oh dear. We shall have to give you a name then until you can think of your own.” The woman thought for a moment. “We’ll call you Samantha. Samantha Young.”
“Samantha Young?”
“If you don’t like it, we can change it to something else.”
“No, it’s fine, I guess.”
“Good. A child should have a name she likes.” The woman smiled at the newly-christened Samantha Young. “My name is Miss Brigham. I look after the children here. I’m going to take care of you.”
Miss Brigham ran a hand up the side of Samantha’s head to rest on her forehead. “You feel much cooler. When Mr. Pryde found you, I thought you would burn up. You’re very lucky he got you here in time for the reverend to cure you.”
“Cure me? But I’m not cured,” Samantha said. “Why can’t I remember? What’s wrong with me?”
“I’m not sure, dear. In time it will all come back to you. Until then you’re welcome to stay with us.” Miss Brigham sniffed the air and then put a hand on Samantha’s bed. “Oh my, you wet the bed. We’ll have to clean you up before the morning service. We can’t have you meeting the reverend smelling like that. And you’ll need clothes. When Mr. Pryde brought you in, you were naked as a plucked chicken. Prudence, be a dear and get Samantha some clothes. She looks about Helena’s size.”
Miss Brigham glanced over at the doorway, where a fat girl cowered, her hands kneading her white apron. She wore the same gray dress as Miss Brigham and had her auburn hair pulled back into a similar bun. “Go on, dear, don’t stand there gaping.”
Prudence left the room, leaving Samantha alone with Miss Brigham, who dried Samantha’s tears with the hem of her apron. “Thank you,” Samantha said. She sniffled and then wiped her nose with the back of an unfamiliar bronze-skinned hand. She flexed the long fingers of the hand, trying to remember where she might have seen them before. Nothing came to her. “I’m sorry to make a mess.”
“Don’t worry a hair on your pretty head about it. We’ll get everything cleaned up good as new. Prudence will take you down to the stream for a bath.” Prudence stood frozen in the doorway, clutching a stack of clothes in trembling fingers. “Prudence is a little shy. Come here, dear, she won’t bite.”
Prudence took one cautious step forward after another until she came to stand beside the bed. She helped Samantha stand up, supporting her when her legs buckled. “Put one foot in front of the other. Nice and easy now. There you go,” Miss Brigham encouraged Samantha as she took a step on her own.
Prudence kept an arm on Samantha as they went through a door into a room with fifteen pallets identical to her own. The girls sitting on the pallets all wore a nightgown identical to hers. Miss Brigham clapped her hands twice, every head turning to face her. “Children, I want you to meet someone. This is Samantha Young. She is staying with us for a while.”
“She smells like pee,” said a blonde girl sitting on a nearby bed. The other girls laughed; Samantha bit down on her lip to keep from crying.
“Helena, that’s a terrible thing to say. Samantha is our guest and you will all treat her with respect or else you’ll have to explain your sinful behavior to the reverend. Is that understood?”
“Yes Miss Brigham,” the girls said in unison.
“Very good. Now, I want you all to make your beds and get ready for morning service.”
The girls grumbled as they got off their beds and began tidying up. Meanwhile, Samantha followed Prudence down the line of beds, keeping her eyes on the floor out of embarrassment. She hoped she got her memory back soon; she didn’t want to stay in Eternity a moment longer than necessary.
Chapter 2: Prudence
Eternity wasn’t much of a town. The village consisted of ten low cottages with rough, wood-shingled roofs, each with the same whitewashed finish. Samantha peeked through the windows of a couple, but saw no one inside. “Doesn’t anyone else live here?” she asked.
“Just Reverend Crane, Mr. Pryde, and the boys,” Prudence said, her voice as low as a whisper.
“The boys?”
“You’ll see them later. They live in the other dormitory.”
“There are only three adults?”
“Yes.”
In the center of the cottages stood a square building made from blocks of granite. From the steeple with a cross on top, Samantha knew this must be a church. “Is that where the reverend lives?”
“No, Reverend Crane’s house is near the caves.” Prudence took Samantha’s arm to steer her away from the church. Samantha followed Prudence obediently down a dirt path leading into a forest of ancient pine trees so tall they blocked out the sun. The shadowy forestreminded Samantha of the dark beach and the dogs howling. When a breeze rattled the tree branches, Samantha dug her fingers into Prudence’s arm hard enough to make her yelp with pain.
“I’m sorry,” Samantha said.
“It’s fine. We’re almost there.” After a fork in the road, the trees thinned to reveal a wide, swift stream. Samantha took a step back at the sight of the water.
“Is it safe?” she asked.
“We all bathe in here.” Prudence set Samantha’s new clothes—a gray dress and white apron like Prudence’s—on a rock. “Do you want any help?”
“No, I can handle it,” Samantha said, although she couldn’t remember ever taking a bath before. She took a bar of soap from Prudence, her nose wrinkling at the strong lye odor. At the edge of the water, she stuck a toe in. A second later she jumped back. “It’s cold!”
“If you’re quick it won’t be so bad.”
Samantha reached for the hem of her nightgown. “You aren’t going to peek, are you?”
“No, I’ll wait for you over there.” Prudence pointed to a cluster of boulders near the trees.
Samantha removed her nightgown and soiled underwear, leaving them in a heap at the water’s edge. She took a deep breath and then dashed into the water. The frigid water stung her like a million wasps; she put a hand to her mouth to keep from crying out.
Then something cold and scaly touched her leg. She jumped back as a school of silver fish swam past. Her feet dug into the sandy bottom, but couldn’t find purchase. With a cry, she tumbled into the water. The swift current took hold, carrying her downstream. She tried to swim towards the shore, but her frenzied paddling did nothing but tire her muscles out. She managed to keep her head above water long enough to scream.
Darkness presses all around her. A stench like that of a rotting corpse fills her nostrils, cutting off air to her lungs. She gags on the foul air as she tries to take in enough oxygen to scream for help. A sour taste muffles the sound that comes from her throat. No one can hear her. No one can help her.
A hand took hold of Samantha’s hair, yanking her back to the surface in a blaze of pain. Prudence grabbed Samantha around the neck and then dragged her towards the shore. Samantha squirmed against Prudence’s chokehold, but couldn’t break free. She finally stopped trying, letting Prudence haul her onto the beach. While Prudence dried her with a towel, Samantha looked down at the ground at her gigantic feet. No matter how hard she bit down on her lip, she couldn’t keep from crying. “Are you hurt?” Prudence asked.
Samantha shook her head violently. “It’s not that. I’m ugly, I can’t remember anything, and everyone hates me.”
“Everyone doesn’t hate you.”
“What makes you so sure about that?”
“I don’t hate you. I don’t think you’re ugly either.”
“You’re just saying that.”
“Well, look at me. I’m fat.” She patted the stomach bulging against her apron for emphasis.
“You’re not that fat.”
“I’m the fattest person in Eternity.”
“Haven’t you tried to lose weight?”
“I do.” Prudence stopped drying Samantha. “I skipped meals for a week and didn’t lose an ounce. I’d give anything to be skinny like you. Then no one would call me names anymore.” Prudence blushed and then cleared her throat. “We better get you dressed.” Prudence handed the pile of clothes to Samantha.
“Why does everyone wear the same thing?”
“Everyone is treated equally in Eternity.”
“Why aren’t there more adults?”
“There used to be, but they disappeared. No one knows where they went, so the reverend takes care of us.”
“Everyone’s parents disappeared?”
“I can’t remember mine. They left when I was a baby.”
“How old are you?”
“Nine, I think.”
“How do you know that?”
“I don’t know. I just do.”
Samantha put on the clothes Prudence had brought and frowned. The dress was too loose and too short and the shoes pinched her feet so she couldn’t take a step without wincing. She started to take off the stockings, but Prudence grabbed her arm.
“You can’t do that!”
“Why not?”
“It’s forbidden by The Way.”
“What’s ‘The Way?’”
“It’s a set of rules the reverend composed to make sure we all get into Heaven. You’ll hear more about it during morning services. Until then, no bare legs. No unbound hair either.”
“Are you going to cut my hair off?”
“No, but we have to pull it back. Here, sit down.” Samantha sat on a rock and Prudence took a wire brush from her apron. At the first swipe of the brush, Samantha yelped with pain; it felt worse than Prudence yanking her to the water’s surface by the hair. “Sorry. It’s really tangled.”
“Can’t we leave it? My hair won’t do anything bad.”
“I told you, it’s forbidden. Try to sit still.” Samantha bit down on her lip until it bled while Prudence continued to tear the brush through the wet tangles of Samantha’s black hair. I won’t cry, Samantha told herself. I’ve cried enough already.
At last Prudence finished tormenting her. From the apron, she took out a pair of white ribbons and hastily tied a pigtail on either side of Samantha’s head. “I wish Miss Brigham were here. She knows how to do braids,” Prudence said.
“It’s fine,” Samantha said, although she resolved to yank out the stupid ribbons the first chance she got. At the sound of a bell, Prudence’s body went rigid. “What is it?”
“It’s the bell for morning services. We’re going to be late!” Prudence took Samantha’s hand, dragging her back onto the path towards town. A pain worse than that of Prudence’s brushing stabbed Samantha’s feet with every step. She wanted to stop and rest, but the way Prudence’s fingernails dug into her skin told her there was no time to rest. Samantha sucked in a breath and ran faster.
Chapter 3: The Way
By the time they reached the front doors of the church, everyone else had already gone inside. The girls sat on wooden benches to the right and the boys to the left. Every boy wore the same gray trousers and vests with white shirts. The mischievous gleam in their eyes as they sized up Samantha like a cat about to pounce on a mouse made her want to bolt for the exit. The girls whispered as she passed, some stifling a laugh by putting a hand to their mouths.
With nowhere else to sit, Prudence led Samantha to the front pew, occupied only by Miss Brigham. “Oh, you look lovely,” Miss Brigham whispered.
“Thanks,” Samantha said. With her feet still throbbing, she felt anything but lovely.
All whispering and giggling stopped the moment a side door opened. From what Prudence and Miss Brigham had said about the reverend, she expected a stern old man. Instead, Reverend Francis Crane’s face had smooth, tanned skin and a thick head of sandy hair. Beneath his black suit she could tell he had a lean, firm body. She blushed at those thoughts and looked away as Reverend Crane ascended the steps to the podium.
“Blessed be thee, my children,” the reverend began. “The Lord has brought us another beautiful morning to praise His name. We begin today by reciting the Lord’s Prayer.”
Samantha did her best to follow along, trying to mimic Prudence as she recited the prayer. The other kids spoke the words in a rote deadpan, as if they’d been saying them their whole lives. From what Prudence had said earlier, Samantha figured they must have been saying them their whole lives.
When the prayer finished, the reverend began his sermon. He leaned forward on the podium as he spoke, his eyes burning with passion. Prudence kept her eyes on the floor while Samantha met the reverend’s gaze and thought she saw a hint of a smile pull at one corner of his mouth.
“My children, there are many temptations in this world. Many of them are not obvious to us. Satan couches his evil words in the sweet and loving voice of an angel to make sins seem harmless. He starts us down the dark path by suggesting we are only telling one small lie. When we give in to this temptation, he sends us farther down his dark road until at last we become lost from God’s way.”
“This is why we must at all times adhere to The Way for it alone will lead us to salvation.” The reverend continued speaking about the importance of The Way, but Samantha could not pay attention. In the pew behind her, she heard a rustling and sensed trouble a moment before something dry and rough touched her neck.
She turned around to see a black snake looking back at her. She screamed and jumped off the bench, stumbling backwards to trip over a step and crash next to the reverend’s podium. The entire church erupted into laughter, except for Reverend Crane, who glared down at her. “What is the meaning of this?” he said.
“I saw a snake,” Samantha said. “A black one. It touched me on the neck.”
“A serpent? How could a serpent get into God’s house?”
“I don’t know. Someone must have brought it in.”
“Indeed.” The reverend looked over the other children as Samantha staggered back to her bench. Prudence continued looking down at the floor as she had for the entire service, but her leg tapped against Samantha’s as a sign of support. “One of you children has sinned in the Lord’s house. Out with it now. Which one of you has transported the demonic beast into God’s sanctuary?” When no one answered, he turned to Miss Brigham. “I want everyone to empty his or her pockets. We will find the culprit and dole out appropriate punishment.”