Fair Exchange

Eva began to shake and tears filled her eyes. "So it all really happened? I've thought it was my Dad. But he was with you?"

"Your dad would never hurt you. Shall we swap?" She reached out her arms and took the tiny baby from Eva.

Eva took the other. "I'm not sure I won't drop her I'm so weak of a sudden."

Dawn said nothing, but shrugged out of her jacket and pulled her shirt over her head and wriggled out of her bra and put the baby's gaunt prematurely old looking little face to a breast. The child gave a start like there was hope in the world after all, latched onto the nipple and began to suckle with a vigor one wouldn't have thought such a weak thing could muster.

Somewhat more modest and tentative, Eva opened her jacket, pulled her t-shirt up and with a shaking hand, one of the black haired girls put a hand out to steady the child, she put the baby's lips on a nipple.

Eva jumped when the baby bit with bony gums. It too began to suck. Despair flowed out of Eva and away down the rushing stream.

The two girls sat side by side on the rocks in a patch of sun. Both babies threw up as one and began to cry until they started to nurse again.

"You've more meat on you now," observed Dawn, looking at Eva's breasts.

"I had to keep my milk going by hand," Eva said in a happy voice.

"I had no such problem," Dawn said. "My mother also had a child. Two conceptions, three if you're counted, is very unusual for us. We only get knocked up maybe once every hundred years. Anyway, Mom has no interest in the boy so I've had to feed him."

Dawn went on, "She had no troubles having him, the bitch. When she realized what was up, she took the form of a black bear and found a cave and had him in her sleep. I'd've done the same, or become an opossum, they have the most teensy tiny babies, but I couldn't change. That was when I knew there would be trouble. I was none too happy to spend the winter without fur and none too happy when she decided to make her appearance. I'll never complain about my Dad again."

"Where is the boy now?" Eva asked.

"We have him hidden away. The other girls're guarding him now."

"Why?"

"From my father, if he found him unprotected he would kill him."

"What! Jesus!"

"It's how we are," Dawn said calmly, then she went on, "The boy will grow to be a threat. When he matures he may very well decide to try to make this land his. He will be young and my father is not. Even with my mother's help, my father might lose."

"So what will you do? I could take him but"

"He wouldn't feed and you couldn't explain an extra kid."

"So what will you do?"

"Guard him. Try to convince my father that when the time comes some of my sisters will split with the boy and set up somewhere else. If he takes after my Dad he's sure to be something worth fucking."

"That's why your mother wants nothing to do with her son?"

"She loves my father," Dawn sighed. "She would have killed him herself if my sisters and I hadn't got him from the cave as she slept."

"Jesus," Eva said.

"Don't worry about it, we'll manage somehow." Then more cautiously, Dawn asked, "How is your father?"

"Not good," Eva said, "I haven't talked to him much. Though I didn't think he had still I thought he must've." She blushed and waved at the baby at Dawn's breast to explain this.

"Mom says he's been sick. Giardia. And she says he's been drinking and may even lose his job. She says he's been late with the alimony payments which is why she knows anything. She had to call him. I've been a real shit to him."

Dawn said nothing. Then she asked, "How's school going?"

"Great, thanks." Eva said. "Despite everything, I still wound up near the top of my class. You know its not been as hard as before. I'm not so obsessed maybe."

She was silent then said, "I feel real bad about my dad. He called every once in a while but I never answered. When my little girl was born and was so sick, Dad came by but I told him to get lost. I really thought he had to be the father."

The girls sat and chatted companionably well past the time when the babies fell asleep in exhausted satiation. Eva gave Dawn her number and address. They promised to stay in touch.

Eva stood up. "Well this is it. I'd better get going."

"You'll not be coming back?"

"No not when I...", Eva paused.

"Know what lurks in the woods," Dawn completed for her.

"Once with your father is plenty. I will miss you and your sisters though," then she added wistfully, "I'd love to learn more about what it's like to be an animal."

Dawn looked surprised and one of sisters laughed and said, "You sure are weird."

"If we have any medical needs we'll come to you," another, perhaps Midnight, said.

Dawn was quiet, she just gave Eva a hug and climbed the steep bit just behind her and then watched Eva walk down the path and away. She stood looking down the trail long after her other sisters had vanished into the woods.

------------------------------------

Later that night, Sam's doorbell rang. He was watching television without understanding. Just to have noise in the house. It wasn't true that he was drunk, though he'd been drinking wine just to have something to do. He hadn't been working as when he worked at home now his mind helplessly veered off and there was nowhere for it to veer to that he wanted it to go.

At the second ring, he couldn't help himself but imagined it was his daughter and how happy he would feel to see her on the doorstep. It wouldn't be of course. He knew she blamed him and sometimes he too remembered that summer day and was confused.

The third ring he got up and opened the door.

There stood the red haired girl from his dream. Unlike last time she was clothed and had a large vigorously squirming baby in a front carrier.

"Hey," she said, "We're moving in."