He did have another thought (totally ridiculous, of course) lodged in the back of his mind, gnawing away like a wolf cub cutting its baby teeth on its first bone. As a child, he played in the woods constantly. He vaguely remembered an incident that involved him in some kind of traumatic experience in the woods. Mostly, because his mother laughingly told him something must have happened. His seventh birthday; the day he wished his father dead. He remembered that part clearly. He remembered running off to the woods, and falling asleep on top of a huge rock. Things got fuzzy from there but he knew he left the woods with a very valuable gold coin. Abby remembered a fanciful story of meeting a golden fairy. He cringed when he thought about what an idiot he sounded like. He knew he didn’t meet a fairy, duh. Just the mention of it embarrassed him. God knows what he might have said as a kid. Nonetheless, he did have an impression of talking to someone. And he remembered having dreams about a golden glow; perhaps eyes? All very nebulous and confusing; and his changes began sometime after that.
He sighed. Sliding off the bed, he pulled open his bottom dresser drawer where he kept his treasures. Taking out a tiny wooden box, he opened the lock and pulled out the gold coin. His mother decided they would save it for Scotty’s college education. The coin would provide more than enough money to give him an education; almost unheard of for the likes of him. His mama understandably put all of her hopes for a better life on Scotty. She thought he stood a good chance of succeeding. No one dare fantasize about Abby’s future. They all knew the chances of her living a normal lifespan. Slim to none.
Scotty wanted to use the coin to buy a new kidney for Abby. They discovered a kidney can cost over two hundred thousand dollars on the Internet. The coin was only worth a little over half that. Abby cried over Scotty’s generosities, refusing to take anything from him that would compromise his own chance for a future. He remembered the pitiful look on her face. Abby wouldn’t be in such a jam if he or his mom were a tissue match. But they learned a long time ago how to deal with that disappointment.
The clock said it was time for his mother and Hiro to come home from the grocery. He liked to put the kettle on for them so she could relax her legs and catch up with Scotty about his day. When he was a kid he liked to rub the leg with the brace, hoping he could make it all better himself. The memories were silly, he knew, but he loved his mom, so there you have it.
He put on his shoes and walked out to the living room where Barney lay relaxing his old bones. He tipped his head off the floor in greeting, his tail thumping its own special hello. Scotty slid down to the worn green carpet wrapping Barney up in a big hug, always a loyal and happy go lucky member of their extended family. He never caused a lick of trouble, except one odd day a couple of years back. Barney came home from his morning run to show Scotty his underbelly cut open and leaking blood. Somehow, he walked over something sharp and it slit his underbelly open. His mom rushed Barney to the front porch to stop the bleeding from leaking everywhere. While she ran to find Jose to drive her to the vet, Barney took off. Discovering him missing, Jose reassured everyone that he would find their injured mutt and took off after him, following his bloody trail.
Jose and Barney were gone for hours. Emma and Bonnie refused to go to school until Barney returned home. So Scotty stayed home to wait while his mom went off to work with Mama Diaz, leaving her old Dodge behind so Jose could get to the vet’s office. Finally, after four hours, they both returned. Jose looked kinda weird, a blank expression in his eyes. Barney acted like he just discovered he was the sole dog in bunny rabbit heaven. And no blood, no sign off a cut, nothing; only blissful Barney, wanting to jump in everyone’s lap demanding his share of doggy love. Without explanation, Jose yelled at them to get their schoolbooks and off they went, even though only two hours remained of the school day. One look at Jose’s stormy face shut everyone up. No mention of the incident ever came up again. No one cared anyway, since Barney behaved better than ever and that’s all that mattered. And not having to pay a big vet bill, of course.
Scotty looked again at the clock, relentlessly proclaiming it was past his bedtime. Where was his mother? She was really late now. He decided not to wait up. Taking Barney out for a potty break, he glanced balefully up the hill toward the enigmatic woods from his childhood. Could he find a clue in the woods to this strange transformation that gripped him? Just rocks and trees and creatures, he thought, nothing sinister, although, in the dark, the woods looked unwelcoming and dangerous. He didn’t lack for imagination. Whistling for Barney, he took him back inside the house. Shaking off a premonition, he gave the woods a last glance. Peeking in the kitchen, he noticed everyone had gone to bed. Still no sign of his mother or Hiro. He probably got stuck late stocking shelves. Mom would have to wait for him, unfortunately.
Scotty slept the deep sleep of youth, dreaming of the soapbox derby car Jose built for him when he turned ten. A well-known klutz with tools, Jose taught him how to use a hammer. He could still hear the two of them banging on the car while Tomas and Hiro mocked them, threatening to tear it apart. And banging and banging. The noise jerked him from his slumber. Annoyed and groggy he opened his eyes, realizing someone was banging on his bedroom door. Throwing back the blanket, he glanced over at Hiro’s bed; still empty. His alarm said three am.
“Scotty, wake up.”
More pounding; it sounded like Abby. Sleepily, he pulled open the door, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, grumbling. Abby stood there with a frayed sweater thrown over her pajamas. She was wearing her worn sneakers and held her ratty blue jacket in her hands, her face colorless and tear stained. Scotty grabbed her hands.
“Abby, what’s wrong? Abby.” She looked beseechingly into his eyes, silently begging for help.
“Hiro … he’s dead,” she whispered.
“What?” Shaking Abby hard, his heart thudding, he screamed, “Where’s mom?”
“She’s at the hospital. They said she’s hurt. They haven’t even checked her in yet. She’s been there since last night. We have to get over there.”
“What happened? What happened to Hiro? Where is he?”
“It was an accident. I don’t know any more than that. Let’s go.” Grabbing a pair of jeans, Scotty slipped them on over his pajamas, pulling a shirt down over his top. Grabbing his smelly sneakers, he ran barefoot out the door behind Abby. Mama Diaz waited in the driveway, trembling. Her fingers danced wildly over her rosaries, uncombed hair streaming down her back, bedroom slippers still on her feet. Abby coaxed her into her old Ford, the agonizing drive to the hospital, a nightmare of desperate prayers and anguished promises to God from the back seat.
Arriving at the hospital, they parked, maneuvering around the crowd congregating near the emergency room. The line snaked out the door. Lucky emergencies with appointments used the exclusive door. Scanning the crowd, they spotted Jose running toward them. He took his mama in his arms. She broke down completely, emotionally debilitated.
“My baby boy, my Hiro,” she sobbed. “God, why did you rip out my heart?”
“She shouldn’t have come.” Jose softly kissed the top of his grieving mama’s head. “There is nothing she can do. Hiro was killed instantly. A tractor trailer; it clipped their car and kept on going. They ran off the road into a tree, head on.” Glancing over at Abby, he evasively refused to meet her eyes. Kissing his mama again, he hesitantly took Abby’s hands in his.
“Jose, where’s Mom?” Abby looked up into his eyes, hope slowly shredding. Jose shook his head, hot tears spilling over. Abby whimpered.
“Jose, where is she?” Scotty’s voice crackled with knowing pain. Jose folded them both into his big arms. They understood what he couldn’t say.
Shocked, dazed and in denial, they returned to the Ford. Jose handled the minutiae of paperwork while they waited, silently railing at God’s unfairness.
Mama Diaz took care of breaking the news to Bonny and Emma. They squirmed incessantly, scared and not too young to wonder how the deaths would affect their lives. Jose c
alled Tomas and broke the news to him. He came to the house as soon as possible, bringing his girlfriend Kelly and unnecessary tension with him. Tomas sat in the living room, conferring with his mother in whispers. Jose, Abby and Scotty sat at the kitchen table looking glumly at one other. From time to time, Jose answered the phone, pausing to ask Abby a question, updating Mama Diaz.
Eventually, all the funeral details fell into place, quiet blanketing the house. Scotty sat in a fog, picking at a sandwich, feeding pieces to Barney. He absently noticed Bonny surreptitiously feeding Barney under the table. He made a note to cut down on Barney’s chow. He already looked like a giant white sausage ready to explode.
Looking up, he noticed the whispering. Jose and Abby were in the corner, his arms around her, her tearful faced pressed into his shoulder as he whispered into her ear. Emma and Bonny sat curled up on the sofa, fearful eyes darting from one adult to another.
Finally, everyone gathered around the table. Mama Diaz cleared her throat. She looked first at Jose, then Tomas, giving him a slow sad nod. Tomas stood, looking around the table.
“We’ve all been together for years. And they’ve been good years, but we need to make some changes now.” Looking at Abby and Scotty, he lowered his voice. “Mama will be taking the girls and moving in with Kelly and me. We were thinking of getting married anyway. Mama’s job at the restaurant and the money Abby makes would not be enough to support all of you. Abby’s money has to go all to her treatments anyway.”
“So, Scotty and I will be here alone?” asked Abby.
“No, Abby; I’m moving in. I can pay for the house and anything else that we need,” said Jose.
Abby flushed as Jose looked at her.
Scotty looked from face to face. They all looked tense and stressed. There’s nothing worse than the death of a family member but two members? Catastrophic. He pounded on the table, jumped up and ran into his bedroom, returning with his little wooden box.
Slapping the box on the table he shouted, “No. We are not splitting up! Mom and Hiro wouldn’t want that.” He blew his nose as Jose picked up the box and took out the gold coin. His face looked grim and determined.
“Scotty, this coin is for your education. We can take care of this without cashing it in. It’s time for some changes anyway. Come on kid, let’s you and I take Barney out for a walk. We can talk.”
“No,” he mumbled, gruffly. “I want Mom back. You can’t try to take her place.” Throwing his coin across the room, he burst into tears and ran out the front door. Abby got up from her seat to go to him and then thought better of it, wearily sitting back down.
###
“Scotty’s just reverting to little boy behavior because he lost Mom and Hiro. Better to leave him alone for a while. He’s only running off just like he used to as a kid. He’ll come home when he’s ready.” Slipping her arm around Mama Diaz, she looked up at Jose. “Maybe you should go after him if he’s not back before dark; take Barney with you, ok?”
Nodding his agreement, Jose watched as she went to the sofa to hug Emma and Bonny. She stood, looking at Tomas who hovered, sending loaded glances her way. He held out his arms for a hug, expectation on his face. Abby ignored him and slipped off to bed, her exhaustion weighing her down. Tomas started after her but realizing everyone was staring, sat back down.
Chapter 7
Scotty ran blindly into the wood, his eyes swollen with tears and anger, instinct taking him through the magic glens of his childhood to the big granite rock that played a role in the fragmented memories of his past. He recognized the toe holds on the side of the rock that he struggled with as a child. Ruefully, he realized he need only give himself a big boost and he would be on top. The shallow depression in the top of the rock beckoned. Only large enough for his butt now, though. Sitting in the depression, he crossed his arms on his knees and lowered his head. His tears fell warm and silent as he tried to come to grips with his loss.
As his tears slowed, he felt a numbness insinuating itself through him protectively. His tears dried. He knew nothing could change what happened; just another thing to live with, his bitterness accentuating the lack of control in his life. Like his preposterous tail. Letting it unfurl from underneath his shirt, it flexed. It felt good to give it a little exercise. He looked at it critically. His guilty feeling of pride mystified him. How could he feel this way when he knew it made him a freak? He wished he had been able to talk to his mother about it. Nah—that would have just messed with her head. Sighing, he turned his face up to the waning sun as it peeked through the branches of the oak and elm trees. His eyes caught a sunbeam as it unexpectedly exploded with golden rainbows. He blinked, lowering his head to find himself staring into the same rainbow eyes of his boyhood fairy creature.
Scotty froze, so shocked he couldn’t move. He just stared. Then carefully, he inched on his butt to the edge of the rock. The creature just stood there, silent, staring back at him. Scotty’s nerves spasmed convulsively—the silence incendiary. Watching the creature, he awkwardly lifted his hand and broke the silence.
“Hi.” No reaction. Maybe the creature couldn’t talk. Maybe he barked or mewed. He did kinda resemble a cat or something. No, second thought … not with those long leathery fingers and the horns; definitely not a cat. To be sure, Scotty said, “Meow?” Nothing. What if he tried barking? The creature’s fragile horns resembled cut glass, sending mesmerizing refracted rainbows, generated by sunlight, spinning and tumbling off the tree trunks as it breathed.
“I see you found Echo.” Startled, Scotty looked down, surprised by none other than Jose and Barney. Barney stood wagging his tail so hard it looked like his tail was wagging his head. The creature turned and took an amazing flying leap, landing in Jose’s arms.
“What the heck is going on here?” Scotty demanded angrily. He stood with his tail swirling around him. He quickly turned away in embarrassment while it tucked itself away under his shirt. Turning back, his jaw dropped as Jose lifted his own shirt, unfurling a glimmering golden tail of his own.
“I don’t …” Scotty paused, confounded. “I don’t get it. What’s going on here?” His voice cracked, on the verge of hysteria. Unexpectedly, his mind sensed a foreign pressure, a hovering aura.
“You are both my Brothers now.” A calming disembodied whisper hung somewhere in the air. Scotty looked around, bewildered.
“That’s Echo. She doesn’t talk the way we do. I named her Echo because I hear her in my mind; just like you do.” Jose’s matter of fact statement grabbed Scotty’s attention, holding him back from freaking out. Placing Echo back on the rock, Jose boosted himself up and called to Barney to join them. Leaping up, Barney snuggled up to Echo, who promptly climbed up his back and sat there.
“Are you kidding me, dude? I cannot be seeing this.” Incredulous, Scotty looked from Jose to Barney to Echo. “She? It’s real?”
“Yes, Scotty, she’s real.” Flicking his tail toward Scotty, he added, “And this is real, just like yours.”
“We’re the same?” Braking down, he flung himself into Jose’s arms, crying the healing tears that would say goodbye to his childhood and start him on the path to manhood. He no longer felt alone. He didn’t know what the heck happened to him years ago but now he knew he could count on Jose’s support and guidance.
After Scotty calmed down, Jose related the details of the first time he met Echo.
“I’m sure you’ve gathered that I am too old to be playing in the woods. Well, I can thank good old Barney here. He decided he needed to be in the woods. Here at this rock, as a matter of fact. Do you remember a few years back when Barney came home with his stomach split open and he got away from us before we could get him to the vet? That’s the day. I tracked Barney up the hill fairly easy. When he cut into the woods I almost lost him. He still dripped blood but I was losing the light. With all his blood loss I couldn’t see how he kept going. I finally tracked him here, but I couldn’t find him. See over there?” Hose pointed to a cairn of stone that Sc
otty recognized, knowing he found his gold coin there so long ago.
“I found some spots of blood over there but couldn’t see where Barney disappeared. Feeling got me nowhere. I noticed a spot of blood up against this wall, hidden around back of all the stones. It looked like Barney just disappeared into the wall. Not only that, the spot of blood looked like it was cut in half by the positioning of the wall. So I took my hand—and you are not going to believe this, but I touched the stone and my hand went right through it. It felt all wet and gooey. When I pulled my hand back out, damn if it wasn’t completely dry.”
“Brother, I could feel you when you touched the Womb.” Scotty could hear Echo whisper to Jose, the now golden aura still evident.
“Uh, Echo, what do you mean, the Womb?” Scotty asked timidly.
“We always have a portion of the Womb to travel with. It is part of the Exalted Womb that remains back home on Oolah. We cannot live without it. It is like your mother and father on this planet. It feeds us, maintains us, protects us, and informs us. I was plugged into the Womb when you put your hand through it. I felt you when you walked through, just like my Barney did.” Echo reached down to stroke Barney’s head. She wrapped her leathery golden hands around Barney’s neck. If Barney could purr, he would purr. If Echo could purr, for that matter, it appeared she would, too.
“Your Barney?” Scotty questioned with raised eyebrows.
“Yeah, they have a thing going.” Jose laughed—a joyful sound to Scotty.
“But what happened after you entered the uh, womb? And what about our tails? What do they mean? And what—?”
“Hold on, hold on. I know you have a hundred questions. And I know what you’ve been going through. I’ve dealt with the same thing. I just had the advantage of knowing more about the situation than you, so I didn’t go through the panic like you probably did. It’s amazing you were able to keep this quiet for so long. Weren’t you just a little boy? I sure wish I’d known, champ, I could’ve helped. Some of the info I’m going to give you will knock your socks off. I don’t know everything, but I’ll fill you in as much as I can.”
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