Chapter 35: The Fall

Chapter 35: The Fall

Molly knew to whom the footsteps belonged before she heard Becky’s voice call out, “Hello? Is someone in there?”

“We’ve got to hide somewhere,” Molly whispered to Veronica. Molly stood up with little Veronica still draped around her. “Don’t worry, everything’s going to be fine.” She didn’t know if she said that for herself or for Veronica.

She looked around the cavern for a place to hide, but there was nowhere. An opening in one wall had been sealed with bricks. They didn’t have anywhere to go. She took a handful of Veronica’s loose clothing and then got an idea. “Come on. We’ve got to hurry, but be careful. We don’t want to set off any of those traps,” she whispered.

Veronica nodded and followed Molly’s lead as she crept away from the Fountain of Youth into a darkened corner. Molly instructed Veronica to lie down on the ground and then used the loose clothing to conceal them both. “Don’t make a sound. We have to be very, very quiet,” Molly said.

Becky reached the entranceway at last. “Hello? David, are you in here? You shouldn’t leave the door open. Someone else could get inside. You know what Samantha said about people having access to the fountain. Where are you?”

Molly peeked out with one eye through Veronica’s empty sweater, watching as Becky picked her way through the chamber. Maybe she won’t think to look here and let us go, Molly thought. “Great. It’s bad enough Molly’s run off again without having to worry about this too,” Becky grumbled. “I swear I don’t know what I’ll do with that child. She used to be so well-behaved and now I can’t turn my back on her a second.”

Becky came closer to where Molly and Veronica hid, close enough for Molly to smell perfume. Perfume? She must have come here to meet David. Molly cringed at the image of them kissing and hugging and whatever else grownups did.

“I guess he’s not here,” Becky said. “I’ll have to go by myself up to Pryde’s cabin. God, please don’t let her crawl into the safe this time. I know she’s been a bad girl recently, but there’s goodness in her heart. She’s only confused and why shouldn’t she be after everything that’s happened to her? To go through babyhood again, that would play havoc with anyone’s mind. Please let her be safe and I promise I’ll try to do better to keep her out of trouble.”

Molly’s body grew cold as she listened to this prayer. Go through babyhood again? What did she mean by that? She thought back to her dream in the cabin, but what if it hadn’t been a dream? What if it had really happened?

She needed only to think of little Veronica lying next to her to see how such a thing could happen. She must have fallen into the fountain, unless someone pushed her. Of course! Becky wanted a baby of her own, a real-life doll to play with, so she lured Molly into the cave and dunked her in the Fountain of Youth, pulling out a tiny baby.

Everyone must have known about this: Samantha, Prudence, Wendell, and David. Why hadn’t any of them ever told her? Why did they let Becky do this to her? Maybe it was a punishment for being bad. Instead of spanking her or sending her to bed without dinner, they turned her into a baby and gave her to Becky to raise. Either Molly had done something terrible or the people she loved were monsters.

Even as Molly considered all this, Becky threw off Veronica’s sweater. “Molly? What are you doing here? How did you get inside?” she said.

Molly stood up, unable to keep the tears from her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you tell me I was a big girl once? You liar!” Molly shouted.

“You heard that? Oh, Molly, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to find out this way. Let’s go home and we’ll talk about it. I’ll tell you everything, I promise.”

“I don’t want to go home with you. You’re mean and a liar and I don’t ever want to see you again.”

“Molly, that’s enough. You’re coming back with me this instant.” For the first time Becky noticed Veronica lying on the ground, clad only in a shirt that drooped to her ankles. “Who’s this?”

“This is Veronica. She’s my friend.”

Becky held up the oversized sweater and pants. “You two have been playing with the fountain, haven’t you? Molly, how did you get in here? Did someone leave the door open?”

“Veronica and I got in here all by ourselves,” Molly said, puffing out her chest with pride.

Becky knelt down beside Veronica, who hadn’t moved at all since Becky found them. “Veronica, can you hear me? Can you talk? Are you all right? Nod for me if you’re all right, sweetie.” Veronica nodded her head slightly. “Good girl. Molly, where did she come from?”

“Across the sea,” Molly said. “Her grandfather had a map leading here with all sorts of riddles for her grandmother to solve. She never solved them, but Veronica did.”

Becky examined the clothes in her hands again. “How old was Veronica when she came here? How long has she been here?” Molly said nothing. Becky took her by the shoulders and shook her. “Molly, answer me! This is important. We could all be in terrible danger. If anyone else finds this place—”

“Veronica isn’t going to hurt anyone. She took care of me when I got sick, before you found me.”

“We’ll talk about this more later. For now I better get you girls out of here. Veronica, can you walk? Do you need me to carry you, sweetie?”

Veronica got to her feet, a curtain of dark hair obscuring her face. Becky took her hand and then led her towards the opening with Molly following behind. Veronica stopped at the fountain to stare into the water. Molly didn’t know what she saw, but it made Veronica cry.

“You can’t change me back, can you?” Veronica asked.

Becky knelt down beside her, parting Veronica’s hair to look into her eyes. “I’m sorry, sweetie. I wish there was, but there isn’t. It’s not so bad, though to grow up again. In time you’ll get used to it. You can live with Molly and I in our house. You and Molly can share a room. I’ll have Wendell make you a bed all your own. And you two can work with me in the bakery. We’ll be one big family. You’ll see.”

“No,” Veronica said.

“No? I know it’s difficult now, sweetheart, but in time—”

“In time? I’m three years old! I’m a baby!” Veronica’s eyes narrowed into angry slits. “If you think it’s so easy, let’s see you do it.”

She shoved Becky with more strength than Molly thought possible for a toddler to possess. Becky stumbled back, teetering on the edge of the fountain. She reached out to grab Molly’s hand, her fingers grazing the edge of Molly’s jacket. Molly stood there frozen, unable to take Becky’s arm.

Becky tumbled backwards, her last desperate grab for purchase snatching Veronica’s shirt. They plunged into the fountain together, disappearing in a flash of light. “No!” Molly shouted. She tried to reach into the fountain to pull them out, but her arms wouldn’t reach.

Then she saw the sweater lying nearby and dangled it over the water. “Grab it and I’ll pull you up,” she shouted. For a moment nothing happened, but then a hand emerged from the water to seize the sweater. Molly pulled with all her might, praying the sweater didn’t fall apart.

A chubby shape plopped out of the water, gasping for air. The light around the shape evaporated to reveal neither Becky nor Veronica, but some hybrid of the two. The girl, about the same age as Molly, was fat like Becky, but with skin a light shade of tan and hair a brown so dark it bordered on black. The girl finished spitting out water and then held up a hand. “I’m fat! And white,” she shouted.

“Veronica? Is it you?” Molly asked.

The girl got to her feet, patting her bulging stomach. “I guess. I’m not really sure,” she said.

“What happened?”

“We fell in and I felt myself growing smaller and smaller until I must have been an embryo or something. Then I saw this flash of light and you were pulling me up,” she said.

“It’s a miracle,” Molly said. “But what about Becky?”

Veronica looked down into the fountain. “She’s gone. I’m sorry, Molly. I know how much she meant to you.”

“She lied to me,” Molly said. “I’m glad she’s gone.” Nevertheless, Molly’s eyes filled with tears. Veronica donned her old pants and sweater and then put an arm around Molly.

“Come on, we have to get out of here.”

“Where are we going to go? Across the sea?”

“Like this? We’re kids. There’s no way we can make it over there and even if we did it would be worse than staying here. We’ll go back to your house.”

“For how long?”

“Until we’re ready,” Veronica said. Molly took a look back at the Fountain of Youth before she left for any sign of Becky, but Veronica was right: Becky was gone.