###
“What the heck? Netty—no.” He backed up slowly, not taking his eyes off the shocking appendage. Netty sank to the bed covering her nakedness with Wil’s blanket. So much became clear to Wil.
“It was never about me was it, Netty?” Netty shook her head, her voice a barely discernible croak.
“No, Wil, I always loved you.”
“Netty, are you human?” Wil asked, knowing the pain that pierced Netty’s heart with the question.
“I don’t know what is happening to me, Wil, the changes started after I found Baby. I am scared. I don’t know what it means,” she admitted.
“What are we going to do?” Wil said sinking into a chair and dropping his face to his hands. He looked down at Netty. He could see the pain in her eyes as she turned her back, unable to face him any longer. Silence filled the room. Quietly, Wil confronted her.
“I still love you, Netty. And I love Baby. I just don’t know if I can handle this. I need time to think. I’m exhausted. I’ll sleep in the barn tonight.” Grabbing his winter overcoat off a hook and an extra blanket kept at the foot of the bed, he walked out.
###
Netty knew crying herself to sleep would be fruitless. In the early hours of the morning she felt Baby, who had crept to her bed in the night, open the cabin door and slip out.
She woke late in the morning, the chill of the cabin a telltale sign the fire faded sometime in the night, just like the high hopes for her and Wil. She felt empty, swollen and numb, as she went to her bedroom to change into her work skirt and apron. Baby was still missing. Probably went with Wil to turn out the Jerseys. She wondered where they were now. Had they gone to collect fieldstone as originally planned? Might Wil be planning to leave? She didn’t think she could survive that. He was her love, her companion, her best friend. Could she go on living without him? Would she want to?
She nervously considered what she could do. She really wanted to climb back to bed but the farm could not wait. Going out to the barn, she saw the wagon was missing. It appeared they turned out the Jerseys, then continued on with their chores. Lunch time came and left. Why were they not back? Maybe Wil still wanted to be alone to think. Netty realized he must be starved. The night before, he hardly touched his dinner. She decided she should bring him some lunch and some cold well water even though she hesitated to face him.
Walking slowly down the road to the field, she speculated on whether or not Wil could accept her after her revelation. Before Wil, her changes turned her life into a nightmare, but she learned to live with it. Physically, it was not such a big deal. If the situation happened in reverse, she could accept it. Couldn’t she?
Netty looked up at the vibrant sun, noticing the unusual warmth for a late spring day. As she approached the field, she spotted the wagon with Maggie grazing nearby, Wil and Baby, nowhere in sight. She walked along the rock pile spotting them both, further down the line. Wil rested on the ground. It looked like he had fallen asleep. Baby appeared asleep, curled up next to him. The closer she got, she noticed Baby seemed to be stroking Wil’s hand. What? Breaking into a run, she screamed his name.
Dropping to her knees she held his face. Wil writhed in extreme pain, his breath labored with consciousness fading in and out. Looking up at the piles of fieldstone, she easily identified the deadly problem. Quickly grabbing his arm, she dragged him away from the rock pile. Looking back, Netty spied a huge timber rattlesnake. Clambering over the rocks she spotted numerous juvenile snakes. It looked like Wil inadvertently discovered a nest of newborns. Their bites could be just as bad as the adults. They had not yet learned to conserve their venom for prey instead of a big dumb human just looking for rocks.
“Baby, Wil is hurt. Why didn’t you call me?”
The pressure and rainbows whispered calmly, “Brother is dying.”
“Dying? What do you mean, Baby? Wil can’t die, we need him.” Netty screamed, raising her head to the sky, “Lord, my Father, please help us.” Looking down she pleaded, “Make him better, Baby.”
“It would be wrong. It is forbidden.”
“Baby, you fixed me. Just do it again for Wil. Don’t you love him?” Netty ran over to Baby in time to see him rise as a snake struck out and bit him. He slapped out at the snake, getting bitten again.
“Baby … get away from there.” Netty ran toward Baby then turned back as she heard moaning from Wil.
“Oh my God, someone, please help me,” she screamed helplessly. Baby wobbled over to her, his arms outstretched, fingers working spastically. She snatched him up, looking for signs of the snake bites. Inexplicably, she found no signs of the bites. She held him close, trying to calm him. Setting him down again, she turned to Wil, wringing her hands. He could hardly breathe, ugly purple swellings appearing all over his body. The venom rapidly attacked his tissue. He would probably die. Without thinking, Netty lifted her skirt, sat down and cradled his head. From somewhere far away came the feeling of pressure with the smell of sulfur. Netty looked up and saw her own tail in the air with a mature membrane receding back inside. She felt light, fulfilled, complete. Silently, she raised her fearful eyes to Baby. How did she do it? Baby’s slight head nodded. Netty understood. She looked at Wil and saw color returning to his face, his breathing normal again. Little by little, he began to focus.
###
“Netty, what are you doing here? Snakes—watch out.” Wil jumped up, looking for Baby. Snatching him up, he searched his tiny body for bites. “I saw you get bit, Baby, we need to get you to the doctor.”
“No, Wil. Please sit down. You have been badly bitten.”
“Netty, I’m fine.” Realizing the truth of what he just said, he sat down, bewildered. “Yes, I’m fine.” His voice faltered with astonishment. He looked at Baby. “Baby’s fine, too. How can that be?”
“Wil, I don’t know how to tell you this.” Netty felt calm; the acceptance of her power inevitable. Wil stared.
“Did Baby do something or did you, Netty?” He gaped at her exposed tail.
“Wil, you were dying. Baby stayed by your side, but for some reason I don’t understand, he is unable to heal you. Not just you but people in general.”
“It was you, Netty? You healed me?” Wil’s continence reflected a broad canvas of conflicting emotions. “What does this mean?” Wil again looked at her tail. As he approach, he squatted down, haltingly touching the tail. It was warm and firm to the touch. If you set aside who the tail belonged to, it did not look remarkable except for the bulbous tip and the amazing golden shine of the fine fur, yes, fur on her tail. Fur. Just like Baby’s. His brain refused to accept the impossible. His mind reeling, he flopped down in the dirt with Netty. Holding her hands, he looked into her eyes. Her changes were impossible to ignore. The glow in her eyes pulsed deeper, with a new intensity.
Pressure and brain auras flashing, the assailing whisper returned.
“Brother, you will be Elder. Together, we will be Elders. It is forbidden, but done is done. I shall ask the Womb to forgive. Sister did not know; her control alluded her. We will wait for you to join us. Do not leave. I am pleased, Brother.” Baby shuffled over to Wil, bobbing all the way. He climbed up on Wil’s lap, stroking his face, his tapered leather fingers, feathers of affection. Wil nuzzled Baby, wrapping his arms around him.
“It’s all right Buddy, I’m not going anywhere.”
Wil turned, assessing Netty’s calm demeanor.
“Can you please tell me what all this means before I go officially nuts?”
“I don’t actually know that much, Wil. I know my appearance turns me into a freak, but I don’t feel that way. I guess Baby means you will change now, just the way I did. I am pretty sure you will also develop a tail and have the same ability to heal. I am confused about why I should not have healed you. Baby tells me very little.” Netty wrapped her arms around Wil.
“Please, Wil, can we go back to the cabin and sort this out there?” The three of them clung together, unaware of the large tim
ber rattlesnake mother quietly slithering closer, her aggressive stance meant to protect her live born young.
As they rose awkwardly, Netty inadvertently stepped close to the aggressively coiled timber rattlesnake mother.
###
Startled out of her deeply emotional discourse by the sound of a warning rattle, Netty stumbled and fell, coming face to face with the rattlesnake. The protective mother instantly struck her in the face and again on her arm as her hands tried to fend it off. Wil picked up his nearby rifle and with a wicked thrust, brought the rifle down on the snake’s head. The snake slithered quickly back toward the rocks, her head partially smashed with one eye crushed.
Immediately, they detected the heavy odor of sulfur as Baby and Netty both raised their tails, directing their life saving power to the snake. Dumbfounded, they watched the snake freeze in place, shudder, then calmly continue to her nest in the rocks, a beautiful vibrant, fully healed mature female.
Wil looked at Netty, now standing with her hands to her face. Slowly she lowered them, running her hands along her arm where she was bitten. Not a mark on her. Just like Baby.
Wil scooped up Baby without a word, Baby’s head swiveling all the way around to watch the snakes. Wil took Netty by the hand and led them all to Maggie and the wagon to take them back to the cabin. They rode home in silence; the only sounds the clopping of Maggie’s hooves and the reassuring rumble of the wagon’s wheels on the rutted road. After stowing away Maggie and the wagon, they quietly returned to the cabin, tension now reining. Baby curled up on Wil’s bed by the fire, looking up at them alertly.
“Someone better start doing some explaining,” demanded Wil, his voice incredulous. “And Baby, why were you going to let me die? I saw you heal the snake.” Auras returned; the pressure lessening.
“Healing is an imperative. It is what Brothers and Sisters do. It is forbidden to create more Elders. I am forbidden to heal you.”
“Who forbids it, Baby?”
“The Womb, and the Elders.”
“Where are the Elders, what the heck is a Womb and what are you exactly?”
“I am proudly a minion of the Womb. The Elders expired eons ago, devastating punishment for defying the Womb. No longer does the Womb grant immortality. Sister and I are now the only Elders; an honor and a privilege, although, an error. You will soon join us. I am not unhappy about that. We will all be Elders together.”
“Elders; what the heck does that even mean?” Wil slapped his leg in frustration. “Netty, are you an Elder like Baby says? Baby, where are you actually from?” The only answer they got was silence. Baby would not speak again.
“I told you, Baby doesn’t speak much. Wil, I know you are scared and upset, but this can all work out.” Netty’s pleading voice made his heart weep for her. “No one needs to know. This will be easier for you because you know what to expect. It took two years before my tail grew out. And I am fine; apparently, better than fine.” She touched where her bites should have been.
“I don’t want a tail, Netty. I don’t want this.” Wil continued to rail, all thoughts of tenderness toward Netty, gone. “I don’t want this to be my life, don’t you understand?” Wil felt himself work up to a meltdown.
“Wil, please let us try to deal with this. We cannot change what has happened.” Netty’s low, calm voice was like warm syrup on Wil’s frayed nerves. Slowly, he focused and calmed down. Standing to stretch, he paced the room, rubbing his palms together, relentlessly.
“Alright, Netty … alright.” Wil sighed, sitting down. The cabin filled with silence, the only sound, the crackle of the fire. Flames cast shadows on their strained faces, each waiting for the other to banish the silence.
“I love you, Wil.”
He responded with unenthusiastic resignation. “I know you do Netty, I love you, too.”
###
Netty made a decision, the solution abundantly clear. Kneeling in front of him, she grasped his hand in hers. She slowly placed it on her breast as she engaged his eyes with hers, emotion and passion filling the space between them. She languidly skimmed her full lips across his. Wil groaned and whispered her name.
“Are you sure? It’s okay?”
“I have never been more positive about anything, for such a long, long time.” Her face radiated her love and trust. “I was so afraid I would lose you if my secret were exposed. That is why I appeared to reject you. I felt ashamed. We can solve our other problems tomorrow. Tonight, I want us to be together,” Netty whispered, the uncorseted passion clear in her voice. “Trust me, it will make everything easier.” Wil swept her up in his arms, his lips seeking hers. Fire exploded between them, breathless groans filled the room. Rising, they broke apart to bashfully beam at one another. Hope back in her heart, quixotic as life itself, Netty led Wil to her bedroom. With a quick wave to Baby, she delightedly shut the door and opened her mind to the possibility of a brand new life.
###
Wil and Netty woke very early the next morning. Netty stayed in bed while Wil rounded up Baby and went to turn out the Jerseys. They immediately returned to the bedroom where Netty waited. Wil jumped back into bed and together they watched Baby shuffle and bob over to the bed, clambering up to squeeze himself in between them. They burst out laughing, hugging Baby and smiling into each other’s eyes as they sparkled with life, the new easy intimacy of lovers a boon to their morning.
Wil and Netty’s life settled back down to the hard work they espoused. With Netty’s new found confidence, she discovered new strength and tolerance toward her body. Wil gracefully accepted the inevitability of his changes with her guidance. Now, when their customers shopped at the vegetable stand, or accepted delivered produce, their new status tolled their love, loud as a church bell. Most were very happy for them, even as a few still sniffed at their sinful behavior.
Wil eventually managed to hire two new field hands to help him with the planting. The new hands joined them in the fields for picking, as Netty’s miracle seed continued to out produce anything ever seen before. Extra time to devote to the baking and churning came easily. Their sizable increase in profits escalated the plan for the new bakery. Netty obsessively finished her work at night in time to join Wil in bed, often swatting Baby back to the kitchen. No matter what they did though, Baby always found his way back to bed, wedged firmly between them. They agreed, it was just too darn hard to say no to the lovable creature.
###
Fall descended on the farm like a grande dame preparing to replace her luxurious wardrobe for next season’s fashions. Wil got busy hiring Italian laborers that worked long hard hours to complete the bakery. With the completion of the foundation and walls, the two huge fieldstone ovens in the middle of the floor began to take shape. The space allowed Netty to cook a dozen pies at a time. Interior wood boxes allowed firewood to stay dry all winter. Wil’s design enabled Netty to better organize her utensils for maximum efficiency. They even discussed the merits of taking on an apprentice to help her in the bakery.
Miracle of miracles, on the day of Netty’s twenty fifth birthday, they discovered Netty was going to have a baby. Most would say pregnancy is unseemly unless you are married to the father. But Wil and Netty refused to accept conventional wisdom. Their jubilance merely gilded their perfect life. The more the bakery grew, the more Netty grew. She realized the time to look into her divorce had long passed. As much as she did not want their child to grow up a bastard, she wanted more than anything to be Mrs. Wil Capaccino.
Time continued to pass, in a haze of laughter, hard work and love. A now seven month pregnant Netty necessarily slowed down. Her pregnancy began to show inevitable signs of difficulty. The constant vomiting worried her. She thought it should have stopped by now. She never felt like eating so she did not know how she even had anything to vomit up. She also developed a curious desire to lie in the sun, feeling it seep deep into her body, leaving her feeling enriched and less nauseous. Wil and Baby were doing their best to cover for her. Wil helped with
the pies and Baby tried to make a stab at the churn. That was quite a sight. They found Baby never stopped giving them something to laugh about. They idly wondered how Baby would take to the impending bundle of joy, hoping he would celebrate along with them. After all, he was nothing if not about new life.
Netty prepared to make a short delivery to a neighbor about two miles down the road. She knew farmer Neal from her schoolhouse when she was a child. His young wife was also pregnant. Netty planned to make this delivery so she could spend some time with the farmer’s wife and compare pregnancies. She promised Wil this would be her last delivery over the bumpy roads. The lovely March day beckoned, a promise of spring growth around the corner in time to celebrate the end of the construction of the bakery. It had taken every penny of their savings. Netty found herself busy making clothes and diapers for the baby that would arrive in less than two months. They just finished converting the little addition Wil had put on the kitchen his first year at the farm into a space for the baby’s crib. Wil built the crib, of course. His excitement refused to be corralled.
Netty’s thoughts darkened as she remembered Wil complaining of an ache at the very small of his back. He didn’t yet realize what that meant. With the joy of the baby’s arrival he kept pushing away all thoughts of his impending tail. She hoped Wil would be better able to handle his change with the distraction of the baby. Oh well, she knew they would handle anything life threw at them. They were an unbeatable resilient team. How many more difficulties could God possibly throw their way?
Netty pulled up to the Neal farm after lunch, tying the wagon to the old hitch, the Neal’s shiny new Ford truck parked in front of their well-maintained barn. She did not plan to be more than an hour or so. Knocking on the door, Mrs. Neal answered, inviting her in for tea and happily relieving her of her basket of fresh fruit. She sat in the elaborate kitchen of the Neal’s spacious home, quite luxurious by her standards. Farmer Neal had a huge herd of Jerseys with vast pastures, confided his wife, Ruthann, still eyeing the unbelievable size of the fruit in Netty’s gift basket. Obviously, they too worked hard for their prosperity.
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