“You made me a comb?” She took it, not able to believe anyone would do something so wonderful for her.
He touched her curls again. “Just don’t pull your hair out trying to get all those tangles out.”
Liberty couldn’t be angry, not after he had done something so sweet. “Thank you.” She took his hand before he could lower it. “Go on then. Waters and Patch are expecting more wheat and potatoes. I would hate for them to be disappointed.” She held on to his hand, as if needing to extend the physical contact.
Mender pulled her against his chest. “I’m going to miss you too. We need to talk, but let’s wait until we meet back up.”
She laughed. “We’re talking now.”
He kissed her fingers but then released her and stepped back. “How about next time we do less talking and more kissing?”
“But we haven’t done any kissing.”
Chapter Sixteen
Liberty sat at the helm, listening to the sounds of Boy exploring the deck.
“Damn.”
She looked up to see him backing away from the friction engine. “What happened?”
He clacked by, heading in the opposite direction, but didn’t make it five feet before running headfirst into the port railing. “Damn.”
It was too funny not to laugh. “Stop saying that.”
Boy backed up and headed starboard. Liberty wasn’t surprised when he ran face first into that rail too.
“Damn.”
She covered her mouth, hoping to suppress a giggle, but it slipped out anyway. “Where did you learn to talk like that?”
Boy backed up again but this time headed astern. Before he could run into that rail too, Liberty stood in his way. She half expected him to run into her, but by some miracle, he stopped just in time. “Why are you cursing?”
Boy blinked but said nothing.
She stood her ground, waiting to see what he’d do.
Finally, he said, “It makes me feel better.”
She nodded. “How’s that?”
He blinked again. “I imagine poison darts shooting out of my mouth and hitting what pisses me off, that’s how.”
Liberty couldn’t move. To hear her own words repeated back to her filled her with so much hope froze her to the spot.
Boy backed up, but before walking away, added, “Stop staring at my mouth. It’s not really poison darts you know, just pretend ones.”
Tears ran down Liberty’s face, but they were soon replaced by laughter. She ran after Boy and hugged him. “You’re remembering. That’s wonderful. Maybe by the time we meet up with Mender and Justice you’ll have remembered everything.”
When he didn’t say anything, she patted his head. “Carry on. I suspect you’ll have to run into a few more things before that happens.” She leaned down and whispered, “If you don’t tell Mender who taught them to you, I’ll teach you a few more curse words. You can’t just go around saying ‘Damn’ all the time. It’ll get boring.”
Epilogue
“I thought I would find you here.” Harmony stopped beside Boy and stood there for a moment before saying, “I miss her too.” She sighed before taking a step back. “We’re leaving soon, but not without you, so take your time.” Harmony patted Boy’s head before heading off to the airship.
Boy waited until Liberty’s granddaughter was on board Airus before sitting next to the tombstone. He never left on a trip without first talking to Liberty. The marker, a simple stone, sat at the head of her final resting place. Her grandson, Jonah, was handy with tools so he had carved the few words of its inscription.
Boy outlined Liberty’s name with a metal finger before gently tracing over the words ‘I will breathe’. How many years had it been since she’d made him that promise? Human lives were too fragile and their promises only lasted until their death, but it made him feel better to believe she was still somewhere out there, breathing for him.
“Harmony’s a lot like you. She’s stubborn, opinionated, and every other word out of her mouth is an expletive.” He glanced around the old homestead Mender and Liberty had built from the ground up. When Justice and Hope had been ready for a house too, they had built them one, and then with each child and grandchild the place had grown bigger. They had eventually even convinced Patch to leave his basement workshop and spend the last couple of years of his life with them on the homestead.
There were now fields of wheat as far as the eye could see. Justice and Hope had passed their knowledge on to their children, and then to their grandchildren, in the same way as Liberty and Mender had passed on their knowledge and love for flying and trading to their own family.
He patted the top of Liberty’s tombstone. “The world’s a better place now because of you. You and Mender did well. I think, if left on their own, most everyone would have given up until there was no one left. You showed them the right spirit. You showed them what could be if only they trusted each other. You let them see it was okay to love.” Boy patted his chest. “I was never able to recover the past, but maybe that’s for the best. We can never go back to that time again anyway, and would we really want to?”
It was time to go, so Boy stood. He turned to leave but stopped and knelt next to Liberty’s grave. “I’ll take good care of your family. I’ll love them enough for the both of us.” Boy closed his eyes and spoke, feeling certain she heard, “I’ll breathe for the both of us too, because I know you would have done the same for me.”
Boy finally stood and headed toward Airus. It was the only other place he truly felt close to Liberty. He was certain her spirit still walked its deck, and so he would walk it too, with her, until he could breathe and love no longer.
The End
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Regina Puckett is an award nominated author for her short story, Balloon Wishes.
Concealed in My Heart is a Readers' Favorite Book Award Winner.
Claimed by Sin is nominated for 2014 Ellora's Cave Golden Ankh award.
Concealed in My Heart won runner-up in the international 2014 MARSocial Author of the Year Competition.
Borrowed Wings, has received the Children's Literary Classics Seal of Approval and a 5 star review from Readers' Favorite.
Memories won first place in the 1st WSBR International Poetry Contest. This poem may be found in her book of poetry, Tilting at Windmills and Words.
Slowly Drowning won second place in the 3rd WSBR International Poetry Contest. This poem may be found in her poetry book, My Words into the Beyond.
Sir Galahad Comes to the Rescue won third place in the 3rd WSBR International Poetry Contest. This poem may be found in her book of poetry, Ramblings and Dreams.
Her collection of poetry, Fireflies, won 2013 Turning Pages Poetry Book of the Year.
Her sweet romance, Songs that I Whisper, received a 5 star review from Readers' Favorite.
Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite-a 5 star review.
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