Baby

road.
    Her thoughts were happy ones, full of her hopeful future. Now, she felt they stood a chance. Funny, how she automatically thought in terms of they . Yes, they could be a family, the two of them.
    She took a deep breath, drawing in the sweet twilight air, reminiscence of apple blossoms. She stopped suddenly; a pple blossoms? She turned her nose and sniffed, the smell, deliciously overpowering. Dropping the wheelbarrow, she sprinted up the hill that branched off the road. Yes, the road to the orchard, struck dumb by her discovery. Tall, with straight clean trunks, they stood, bursting with blossoms; apple, crab apple, pear and wild cherry, and her beloved black walnut grove. This was impossible. What is going on here? Her gaze thoughtfully fell on Baby, as he followed her to the top of the hill. She stared back at the orchard, dumbfounded by the impossibility yet acknowledging a slow dawning of outrageous gratitude and smug security creeping into her consciousness as she began to accept their assured future. Suddenly, she sobered, her joy vanishing. She felt a chill and shivered. Could this be magic or the devil’s work, after all? Subdued, she gathered her wheelbarrow and made her way back to the cabin while her mind spun with confusion and possibilities.
    Netty sat in her rocking chair, pressed up to the evening fire with Baby as he lay on his spot on the straw mat. It was time for her to make some decisions and put this issue to bed. She realized she was a simple woman, but she truly felt that all creatures, including people, were all created by God. Without warning, a sleepy singsong whisper sang in her mind, a golden aura suffusing her mind’s vision.
    “God is Father, Father is Womb.” Netty reached over to Baby, shushing him. She needed a clear mind as she sorted out her feelings. She knew the country was young, much of it still not fully explored. There were many creatures that probably had just been discovered but the knowledge not yet widely known; such as Baby. Looking closely at Baby, she realized he did not resemble in whole or in part, anything she had ever seen before. He could walk upright (and perpendicular, she thought wryly) and his hands were similar enough to hers that he could perform tasks; basically, fairly normal, although his eyes certainly were difficult to explain. What about her seeds and the miracle in the orchard? God does make miracles but the presence of Baby seems more than a coincidence. As an afterthought, she rubbed her nose. This morning, upon awakening, she noticed what appeared to be peach fuzz on her head, filling in her bald spots. What more good fortune could happen to her? Not suspicious by nature, her natural inclination was to accept what clearly was sent by God. Should she take Baby back to the woods? What would that prove? Maybe Baby portended a good luck charm. Her good luck charm; yes … hers . Netty lay down next to Baby on the straw mat, scooping him into her arms. His warm little body shuttered, seemingly with relief. Netty’s heart felt full and complete as she carried Baby to bed.
    ###
    Netty and Baby’s days passed with plenty of hard work. Netty ripped down a shed next to the barn, using the material to build her fruit stand on the road into town. Her crops were coming in gloriously. Her blossoms in the orchard produced huge lovely fruits, ripening splendidly in the sun. Her fruit trees evinced an unexpected growth spurt, adding height and girth needed to support the huge luscious fruits they spawned. And her berry patches ripened up for picking, a mere half handful, all that was needed to fill a pie. It was an exciting time. Her berry pies, baked in her mama’s bread oven were selling like crazy. She could not make them fast enough. She constructed a special picnic basket for Baby to hide in while she spent time with customers at the fruit stand. Word of her pies and amazing fruit traveled to town. The owner of one of the popular local taverns took it upon himself to ride out in his shiny new automobile to see her. She was now his exclusive supplier of fresh fruit pies. And he wanted to be the first to see her vegetable crop come harvest time. Netty was so busy, she hardly noticed she had slimmed down to a hard and strong figure. Easy to miss since she still wore the same clothes as when she met Baby. Unnoticed, her eyes took on a golden caste. Her hair grew in, long and lush, always pulled back and swept up in a ponytail just like her mama.