Rebecca heard a hiss and then an orange flame lit up the darkness around her. Prudence had found the matches. She used the match to light the candle Samantha had left behind from last time. "You did it!" Rebecca shouted, knowing Prudence needed the encouragement.
"It wasn't that hard." Prudence waved the candle around. "Oh my, look at all those clothes!"
"There might be some to fit you better."
"Maybe."
While Prudence went through the clothes, oohing and ahing at each garment, Rebecca collapsed onto a pile. After all the walking and excitement of the last few hours, she wanted nothing more than to curl up and sleep. Molly had already fallen asleep again, likewise spent from the journey.
"Are there any baby clothes in there?"
"I don't see anything. Most of it is grown-up clothes."
"Oh."
"If only I had a needle and thread. I could alter some of these."
"Maybe we can find one later."
"Maybe." Prudence stopped rummaging a couple of minutes later. She pulled something from a pile. It was a dress much too small for Prudence, but perhaps the right size for Rebecca. The dress looked very different from the drab garments the children on Eternity wore; it had puffy sleeves, lace on the front, and a skirt that bulged outward. It was much too impractical to be worn around the island for day-to-day chores. But it was better than the saggy tent she now wore.
Rebecca set Molly on the pile of clothes gently so as not to disturb her. She went off to a dark corner so she could strip off her old dress and then put the new one on. The new dress was a bit snug, especially around her belly, and the skirt seemed much too short. Most of her back was exposed in the dress and something cold and metal touched her skin. She toddled out of the darkness, over to Prudence. She did a little turn so Prudence could see her.
"How do I look?"
"Very pretty. Here, turn around so I can get the zipper."
"Zipper?"
"Samantha told me about them. They're metal teeth used to close a garment."
Rebecca heard a metallic whoosh, followed by the dress seeming to tighten even more. Prudence tousled Rebecca's hair and said, "Now it's closed."
Rebecca looked down at her cute new dress and then absently touched her now-curly hair. She had seen herself like this before, in the Fountain of Youth. The toddler she had now become had been reflected in the water. That toddler had screamed at her. It had tried to warn her.
"Rebecca, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she said. She handed her old dress to Prudence. "It should fit you now."