Baby

with what he could only guess contained spirits. From time to time, the shopkeepers that often purchased Netty’s wares stopped by with their wives to pay respect to her. Wil noticed the wives exhibited a stiffness in their greetings. Maybe it was his imagination. Perhaps they were just jealous of Netty prettiness. She sure stood out in this crowd.
    ###
    Netty herself flushed with pleasure, having a great time. She laughed more than she could remember. Some of the business owners she targeted unsuccessfully, (loyalty to their current suppliers) asked her to stop by next week. She responded, happily introducing them to Wil, setting up a date and time. Her dinner was delicious, but glancing at Wil, she saw he barely touched his plate. Puzzled, she smilingly reached for his hand across the table. She got a big sweet smile in return. At a sideways glance from their host, he hurriedly withdrew his arm. What was going on, she wondered? Has someone said something about me to Wil?
    Netty’s attention shifted over to the men clearing space for the dance floor. The fiddle players entered and were in the corner tuning up. Oh, such fun. It would be the first time they held each other and danced. Netty observed young ladies tossing flirtatious glances at the men gathered near the back door. She wanted to go to the outhouse before the dancing started. She cursed herself for not considering her needs carefully enough when she agreed to come. She needed a fair amount of time to safely secure her tail before she came back into the hall. Motioning to Wil, she asked him to accompany her to the door. Happy to be needed, he assisted Netty through the crush of laughing townspeople until they got to the door. Agreeing that he would wait with the men enjoying their spirits, Netty made her way to the outhouse.
    ###
    Waiting for Netty, Wil noticed the other men grinning at him. He felt uneasy but chose to ignore it. He thought it best that when Netty returned, they take their leave.
    “So buddy, you getting any of that?” asked one grinning fool, clearly deep in his cups. The other men laughed as Wil turned his eyes on them. “She sure is a looker and those older ones really know what they are doing. We hear you might be doing some hiring out your way. That include any benefits?” The crowd thought the comment hilarious as they broke up laughing, holding their sides, trying unsuccessfully not to spill their precious spirits.
    Wil balled his fists, ready for a fight, when he heard a scream down the path to the outhouse. Running as fast as he could, he saw Netty on the ground with some drunk assaulting her. He also noticed, unbelievably, that Baby had followed them to the dance, as he could clearly see his tail in the melee. Yanking the drunk off of Netty, he punched him in the face knocking him out cold. Wil scooped a sobbing Netty up into his arms, looking around wildly for Baby. He needed to get Netty to the wagon. He didn’t want any of the other drunks deciding to investigate. He would then come back for Baby. He knew the urgency of secrecy. No one could discover their little creature. God knows what hell could break out.
    Wil hurriedly deposited Netty in the wagon. Her face streaked with tears, she cried hysterically.
    “Shush, Netty, I’m here. Nothing is going to hurt you now.” Wil held her in his arms, kissing and stroking her beautiful hair. As he slowly rocked her, she calmed down, her sobbing abating. “Netty, I have to go back to find Baby. He’s out back. He must have followed us from the farm.” Grabbing a blanket from the back of the wagon, he climbed down to search for Baby. Netty started screaming “No, Wil, you can’t leave me!” Gosh, she is terrified, Wil thought .
    “Netty, Baby is back there unprotected. I have to find him.” Suddenly he felt pressure in his head accompanied by flashes of a golden aura.
    The whisper came softly, “Brother, you can go. I am fine. Come home with Sister.”
    Overcome by the shock of Baby talking to him, he quickly got back into the wagon and hurried home. He kept his eye on Netty who huddled on the floor of the wagon hiccupping quietly between her sobs. Pulling up to the barn, he hurriedly removed the harness from the horse and bedded her down. He hoped that would give Netty some extra time to compose herself, for she still seemed agitated. Returning to the wagon, he called to Netty. When she did not answer, he scooped her up and carried her to the stoop, expecting to