Embers whisked off of them as they looked at each other smiling, both of them just happy to be alive. The pleasant and warm flames burned away all of the fears and pain they had possessed only a few short moments ago. Even her unborn baby kicked in what seemed to be a celebratory dance as the flames tickled her abdomen. Erin patted her abdomen affectionately and Evan giggled as he patted at the baby too.
She picked him up and they walked down the hill towards the slide. She sat down and placed Evan down in front of her. He nodded at her as he gripped her knees. Wordlessly, she grabbed the handlebar and catapulted the two of them down the spiral.
Moments later they emerged from the bottom of the slide in the park. The brook babbled nearby as the morning sun greeted their arrival.
It was a suitable reentry to their own world. Having just been through the valley of darkness, it was only fitting that they should be greeted by the light.
Epilogue
Two months had passed since the morning they left that unnamed park without the desire to return. Erin had dreaded even driving past it, yet every trip down the road she had been certain it had been, neither she nor Evan ever noticed it again.
As significant as their journey through the nightmare realm of leaves and shadows had been, her memory of it had grown blurred and hazy, like trying to recall a dream. She suspected she would never learn its true nature. Despite the quality that had been cast over her quest through the darkness, her darkness, the journey’s importance was not lost on her, nor, her son.
Despite his reluctance to discuss the journey, Erin believed that Evan remembered more of the experience than she had retained. Every attempt she made of broaching the topic was either met with a mere shrug or utter silence that eventually dissuade her from pressing further. She was hopeful that he at least understood he could come to her when he was ready.
Now when she looked upon her soon to be six, year old son, she could not help but note how much he had changed as well. He looked out at the world with wisdom that belied his early age. He was more quiet and somber than he than before. Thankfully he did not feel this way all of the time. He was still silly and laughed with her and even more so with Scott. The fact that he could still laugh was a relief in itself. The bright-eyed love that he showed them was simply overwhelming.
Evan was also so excited to meet his baby sister. Erin could hardly blame him. After all, they had all been through some big changes over the last few months. She, too, could not wait to meet her daughter. Neither of them would have to wait much longer.
The sweat of her exertion beaded her brow and the small of her back. Her hair hung over face in sweaty curtains as she hunched forward on the bed. An anguished moan escaped her clenched teeth as her abdominal and vaginal muscles clamped in a torrential spasm. The pressure within her deepened painfully. Her hand tightened around Scott’s calloused fingers. His grip was just as warm, comforting, and strong. Behind her, a clock loudly ticked the seconds by as he always was.
The room itself smelled of blood and sterilizing agents, but it mostly it smelled of her. A heavy tension hung in the air. It came from her, Scott and all of the medical staff that shared the birthing suite with them.
She knew from the way they stared at her that none of them knew what to make of her circumstance. They had all seen the ultrasound pictures, both the ones before her journey down the slide and another image after it. In truth, she wasn’t sure what to think herself.
Her cramping eased, and in turn so did her grip on Scott’s hand. She knew that her relief was momentary and she would soon be back in the throes of labor as her contractions grew steadily stronger. She knew in her heart that she would soon be done as well. Her time of carrying her child, her daughter, was almost at end.
She only wished that Evan could have been here for this occasion. It felt incomplete without him adding his piece to their family dynamic. The cesarean she had initially refused still hung in the air. With that as a possibility, her son’s presence was not permitted in the birthing room. He was currently staying with her dad out in the waiting room.
Still, she felt as if a part of him was with her, Scott, and their unborn child, just as a part of Scott had been with them through their journey through the darkness. She was not surprised when she had arrived home early that morning to find her husband asleep on their living room couch.
She had come to find out that roughly the same time Evan had discovered the slide, Scott had been overcome by a sudden, even urgent need to take a nap. He returned home and had just made it to the couch as the drowsiness overtook him.
He dreamed of Evan smiling at Erin as he stood over the mouth of a foreboding tube slide. Scott heard her give permission and run screaming towards the thing trying to retrieve their son from its grasp. Scott felt helpless in his fear as he moved in the maddening sluggishness that only your dream-selves can get snared in. As Evan plunged downward, Scott found himself enveloped in darkness.
As the darkness cleared, Scott had described a place that sounded vaguely familiar to her, although at this point she could not remember why. Scott had described a dark place full of many mirror-covered hallways. Evan lay huddled behind one mirror, crying out for them. He tried to move to hold him but could not move, speak, or comfort his son in any way. He only had a vague sense that Erin was coming. He stood sentinel at his silent post over his son as a helpless witness. He said that he would have sold his soul at that moment if he could have just held Evan, but no one came forth to make him an offer.
He vaguely recalled watching her approach Evan while being attacked on all sides. Scott silently cheered and prayed for her success. He remembered a bright flash of light and then she and Evan were holding each other.
From there his memory became even fainter, though he remembered a sense that they were continuing their journey, watched by dark things that he suspected were dangerous even to his dream self.
Finally there was a fire, a cleansing fire that burned away all of the darkness. It had been the gentle warmth of those, flames that allowed him to fall into a dreamless sleep until his two most cherished loved ones returned home the next day.
In light of Scott’s tale, she would not have doubted for an instant that Evan was asleep in the waiting room and somehow a part of him was here with them.
Dr. Phobos placed his hand on the crowning head, applying gentle pressure. His concerned eyes looked up into hers. “Okay, Erin. Push.”
The strain was unbelievable. After an agonizing eternal moment, she could feel the head push out of her. The rest of body came out with explosive force. Dr. Phobos caught the baby girl expertly and the medical staff swooped in. They clamped and cut the cord, severing Erin’s physical tie to her child. They carried her baby over to the isolet and other medical equipment, talking loudly in confusing medical terms.
Scott leaned down and kissed her forehead. He looked at her with a weak, worried smile. “You did good, babe.”
She nodded. “I want to see her.”
He looked deep into her eyes with understanding. He turned to the medical staff. “Hey, my wife would like to see our baby!”
The medical personnel in the room instantly became silent. No one moved at first.
“Well?” he asked.
The team parted as an older nurse moved forward holding a tiny bundle in her arms with practiced maternal gentleness. Her face, which looked like it had held a stern expression most of her adult life, had softened quite a bit as she stared down at the baby. In a room full of people where the miracle of life had become something daily and mundane, they were all struck silent as they witnessed something truly miraculous. Once again, they were reminded of the honored privilege it was to be a part of the beginning of a new life.
The older nurse placed the bundle in to her waiting arms. Erin held her daughter close to her and unwrapped her from the blankets to get a better view. Erin caressed a finger over her daughter’s belly and chest. She left her fingertip over her chest feeling, her tiny
heartbeat beneath her skin.
Smiling, Erin placed her finger into the palm of her daughter’s hand. Tiny fingers wrapped around her own.
She stared down at the little face that stared back up at her. Erin smiled. “Hello, Marsha. I’m so glad to meet you. I’m your Momma.”
Leaves and Shadows Page 17