When You Were Young

"We didn't have any, sweetie. There was a very nice woman named Molly who helped take of us when we were little. Later on we took care of ourselves."

Jackie blew her nose into the handkerchief. "Was it scary?" she asked.

"Sometimes. Most of the time it was fun." She thought of running through the meadow with Prudence, playing a game of tag on a golden summer day. A tear came to her eye at the thought those days were truly gone forever now. She bit down on her lip to keep the emotion at bay in front of Jackie.

As the boat skimmed ever closer towards Eternity, Jackie grew less apprehensive of the water. The green faded from her skin. She even managed to laugh when Samantha told her a story about her first day on the island when she fell into the stream and Prudence had to fish her out.

"Mommy, look!" Jackie said, pointing to land on the horizon. "Is that it?"

"That's it, sweetie." As they drew nearer the island, Samantha's stomach fluttered and not because of the baby. She and Prudence had exchanged brief letters over the last eight years, but neither of them were very good at expressing their feelings on paper. Samantha didn't know what to expect when they met again.

Her first surprise came when she found the Primrose tied to a floating dock composed of rusty oil drums, halved car tires, and wooden planks. She tied her little boat to the other side of the dock and then helped Jackie up onto the walkway. "This feels funny," Jackie said. "Is it safe?"

"It's safe," Samantha said, taking her daughter's hand. The dock led to a path of crushed seashells and stones along the beach. The path continued into the forest, ropes and netting along the edges to keep the way clear. Samantha knew this to be Wendell's work; he had once suggested this to her, but at the time they didn't have the resources for the project.

Jackie pressed close to Samantha, her eyes searching the forest for signs of danger. "There's nothing to worry about, sweetie. Nothing in the trees will hurt us," Samantha said.

Not a second after the words came out of her mouth, she heard a small voice call for help from in the forest. "Someone help me please!" the voice squeaked.

"Stay here, sweetie. I'll see what's the matter."

"Mommy, I'm scared."

"I know, but you have to be brave for Mommy. Can you do that?" Jackie nodded. "That's my girl. I'll be right back. Don't you go anywhere."

Samantha stepped over the fencing into the forest. The trees seemed much smaller and lower now than she remembered as a child. The voice calling for help grew closer and more plaintive with each moment.