Embrace

Aubrey squealed happily as Mama gave him another bilberry, popping it into his mouth and chewing enthusiastically, thanking her with a smile, displaying lips and teeth that had been stained blue from the berry juice.

Mama smiled back, so pretty and smelling like flowers and cake. Next to her, Mina hummed one of her lullabies.

He held out his hand for another berry. "Please, Mama?"

"One more," Mama said, holding up one finger to make certain he understood.

Aubrey nodded, and with another thanks, pushed the last berry into his mouth, clapping his hands in glee.

Berries eaten, he picked up the flowers they had bought for Sissy. She was sick again, and had not been able to go with him and Mama and Mina, so they had bought her flowers. "What called?" he asked.

"Lobelia," Mina said.

"Bee-yah," Aubrey repeated dutifully. "Smell pretty."

"Yes, they do," Mama replied, smiling and reaching out to touch the flowers lightly, then moving to brush back a floppy curl from Aubrey's forehead. "Sissy will like them very much."

Aubrey nodded, and looked again at the basket of pretty purple flowers. He couldn't wait to show her, and then they could help Mama and Mina put them in the garden. He liked playing in the garden, digging holes and pulling up bad flowers and planting new ones.

The carriage bounced and jerked and rumbled beneath them, knocking him back and forth between Mina and Mama, but Aubrey didn't mind. Soon they would be home and he could give the flowers to Sissy and show Papa what else they got in town and then they could have dinner and maybe Papa would let him have more wine like a Big Person.

He almost fell over when the carriage abruptly stopped, but Mina caught him and held him tight.

Strange voices came from outside the carriage, and he thought he heard them say Mama's name, but it didn't sound like Papa's voice, and he and Mina were the only ones that called Mama by her name.

"Stay here, sweetheart," Mama said, and kissed his brow.

"Don't go, Mama," Aubrey said, letting go of the flowers to grip her skirts 'cause she only called him that when Something Bad was going to happen. "Stay."

"Shhh, sweetheart. Mama and Mina are just going to talk to some friends, all right? We'll be right back." With that, she pushed open the carriage door and vanished outside, Mina following right behind her.

Aubrey stayed inside, drawing up his legs and holding them against his chest.

He let go to cover his ears as a lot of shouting and screaming and other scary sounds started up, tears rolling down his cheeks 'cause this was Bad and he wanted Papa 'cause Papa always made scary stuff not be scary anymore.

Then the sounds stopped, and he heard a lot of noises that he knew belonged to horses.

He waited for Mama and Mina to come back.

When a long, long time passed and they didn't come, he slowly pushed the door open and cried "Mama!" like he always did when a monster snuck under his bed and he needed her to make it go away. She always came in her nightdress and holding a candle and got down and yelled at the monsters.

Only she didn't come this time.

Sniffling, wiping at his yucky nose, Brey bent down and slowly climbed from the carriage. Without help, it was hard 'cause the carriage was very high off the ground and the steps were for Big People, not him.

He slipped and fell, landing in the dirt of the path. Scrambling to his feet, he looked around anxiously for Mama, but it was getting dark and was hard to see and -

Oh, there she was. Sleeping? Why was mommy sleeping? Mina was sleeping too...

He ran over to them and dropped down next to Mama, putting his hands on her to shake her awake like he sometimes had to do in the morning when she didn't get up right away.

Only his hands came away wet, and he wondered if Mama had spilled something. It was dark, but he kinda thought it looked like something red. Frowning, he went back to shaking Mama, but she never woke up.

It was really, really dark when he heard more horses coming, and when he turned, he saw lanterns swinging in the dark. Then Papa's voice broke through, and suddenly the dark and Mama and Mina sleeping wasn't as scary.

" Papa! Papa!"

"Brey!" Papa's voice growled in the dark, and he almost thought for a moment Papa sounded scared, but that was impossible because Papa wasn't scared of anything.

Then Papa was picking him up, and Aubrey hugged him tight. " Papa, Mama is sleeping and won't wake up."

"I know, Brey," Papa said, and his voice sounded funny, almost like Papa was crying, but Papa didn't cry. "Come on, Brey, let's get you home."

"Mama? Mina?"

But Papa didn't answer, even when Aubrey kept asking, which made Aubrey start crying again, and he wanted Mama and Mina to wake up and to be home in bed or playing in the garden.

He cried and cried, all the way home, until Nurse showed up and gave him a bath to wash away all the red and told him to drink from his little cup and Aubrey suddenly felt tired and only remembered Nurse carrying him to his bed.