When You Were Young

At last Samantha pushed aside a set of branches and almost fell over with fright. A pale, freckle-faced girl not much older than Jackie had caught her waist-length red hair in the brush just as little Prudence had eight years ago. "Please help me," the girl said. "I'm all tangled up in these stupid branches. Mama is going to kill me when she finds out."

"Don't worry, honey, I'll get you out," Samantha said.

"I didn't mean to go into the forest," the girl said. "I was walking along the path and then I saw a bunny alongside the road and I got to following it. Next thing you know I got all caught up like this. Mama's going to cut all my hair off for sure. She threatened to do it before and now she will."

"I'm sure your mother wouldn't cut off your hair," Samantha said. She unsnarled one curly tress at a time, the girl whimpering or yelping on occasion. After a few minutes, Samantha freed the girl and pulled her from the brush.

"Thank you so much," the girl said. "I might have been stuck there all night if you hadn't come along. I don't remember seeing you around here before. Are you a visitor?"

"You could say that. I used to live here along time ago, before you were born. My name is Samantha. What's yours?"

"Molly," she said. Samantha almost fainted at this. This couldn't be Molly Brigham. She had died. Unless someone had figured out how to revive the Fountain of Youth. Molly solved Samantha's confusion when she said, "Molly Palmer. My parents live just up the road."

"Are your parents named Prudence and Wendell?"

"Yes. They're my mommy and daddy. How did you know?"

"I'm a friend of your mother."

"Oh, you're Aunt Samantha. Mommy said you were coming." Molly squinted at Samantha and then shook her head. "From the stories Mommy's told me I didn't think you'd be so fat."

Samantha took Molly's pale little hand, placing it on her bulging stomach. "There's a baby inside there," Samantha said.

"Mama is fat like that too," Molly said.

"She is?" Molly nodded. "Can you show me where Mama lives?" Molly took Samantha's hand, leading her back through the forest to the road. Jackie waited in the same place Samantha had left her, tears forming behind her glasses.

Samantha picked up her daughter, stroking the girl's hair to soothe her. "It's all right, Mommy is back now. I made a new friend. This is your cousin Molly. Can you say hello?"

"Hello," Jackie bit out.

"You have glasses like Daddy," Molly said. "His are a bit thicker though. Mama says it's because he spends too much time looking into microscopes and things."