On The Other Hand

 

Sorry, there is a little background noise.  Came from upstairs!

One of the weird and wonderful things about the written word is that it’s not immutable. 

Since it makes its own rules, things can change. Maybe one day a character has died. Well, one of the pleasures of the game of writing stories is the putting of yourself, the writer, in an impossible position, just to see if you can write your way back out of it without outraging the readers. Readers are tender souls who demand justice. And they should demand it!

There is the picture to consider. What if a character just won’t stay out of the picture, even though putatively daid? What if such a one insists on peeking around corners, and winking behind you as you gaze into the mirror of a cold morning before a shower? What then?

What if she acts like she has never been gone? What if she walks right in at breakfast time with a hearty little appetite?

“Beth, honey,” said Aunt Julia, “the year is really cooling down. I might need to ask Jessie for some small firewood soon. It was quite chilly out there when I woke. I feel the cold so much more than I used to.”

“Oh hi, Auntie. Back again so soon? I am so happy to see you! I would like to hear more about your life. I suspect that you are a bit of a mythic character, aren’t you?”

“It just felt like life while I was living it, sweety, but now it sounds like history, even to me,” said Julia with wonder in her tiny voice. Her voice would become stronger as she came back to life more solidly.

“What are you making for breakfast? I am very hungry for some reason.”

Beth leaned back against the counter and said, “I have potatoes fried with onions, and eggs baked in green sauce. I could get out some bacon and fry that up quick if you like.”

Then Julia sang a little song from her youth because she was so happy to be back and to be having breakfast with Beth and Jessie. She was also curious to see how big and smart Emmy was becoming.

Billy woke up. He had been sleeping near the crib. He came to the kitchen and wound himself around Julia’s legs. Nothing surprises a cat, does it, or doesn’t it? Hard to say.

Jessie came into the kitchen. He nodded and said, “good morning Auntie. Good to see you. So good to see you today!”