When You Were Young

Once Samantha and Rebecca's boat faded over the horizon, the residents of Eternity made the slow trek back to their town. Prudence and Wendell lagged behind, the last to give up on waving to Samantha and Rebecca. "They're gone," Prudence said as if convincing herself.

"It's for the best, like you said," Wendell said.

"I know. I wish it wasn't. That's wrong of me, isn't it?"

"No, of course not. She was your best friend. Your sister. You'd be a lousy friend if you didn't miss her."

"I suppose you're right." She took his hand and followed him along the path towards town. As she went, she began to understand the price for her adulthood was letting go of childish things, including her dearest friend. She squeezed Wendell's hand to reassure herself that while she had lost a friend, she had gained something more in Wendell, something she hadn't possessed since Rodney's death.

Without Reverend Crane they couldn't marry formally, but in spirit she knew they had already wed in the cavern after being taken captive by the reverend. They had exposed their greatest secrets to each other there; they had come to understand each other completely. They had grown strong enough so that nothing could tear apart their love.

In town, they found everyone again milling about the square. "What do we do now?" Helena asked.

"For now we go on like normal," David said.

"Why should we listen to you?" John asked. "You betrayed us to that devil girl."

"She was a demon child," David said. "She bewitched me with her charms and her promises. I've learned from my mistakes now. I only ask for a second chance."

"A second chance to betray us," one of the boys scoffed.

"I think my John should be in charge," Helena said. Phyllis and a handful of the boys mumbled their agreement while others supported David.

"Him?" David said, pointing to his rival. "He's not even old enough to shave yet. You'd have him in charge of us?"

"Why don't I show you how to use a razor right now," John said. He reached to his belt for a knife, followed by David producing one of his own. The candidates circled each other, their supporters chanting their names.

Prudence watched all this in horror. She saw Rodney's dream slipping away so soon after coming within reach. I shouldn't have asked Samantha to go. We do need her after all.

Without realizing it, she slipped into the gap between the combatants. "Have you all gone mad?" she shouted, surprised by the sound of her own voice. "Samantha hasn't been gone an hour and you're already at each other's throats. If we settle our disputes this way we aren't any better than Reverend Crane or Veronica." She looked at the faces around her, meeting their eyes with her stern gaze. "It's time for us to start acting like adults and settling our problems with words instead of violence. We have a great opportunity here to build a community based on peace and civility. We can either seize this opportunity or become murdering savages like our old masters. The choice is in our hands now. What are you going to do?"