Celeste (Gemini 1)

"First they take Taylor." she said. "and then

they try to take you." She looked at me. "See why you

must be vigilant, Celeste. This is partly your fault.

You should have paid more attention to him. You

have to heip me."

"I did. Mommy. I told him to come down from

the tree and not to climb higher."

"I don't mean that, Celeste. I mean the darkness,

the shadows, the evil. You must watch for it always,"

she said. "You have been blessed. You have been

given the eyes. Use them!" she commanded and left

us.

I sat thinking for a few moments. How was it

my fault? Was there something I had seen and

forgotten to tell her? A shadow, a shape, even a

strange sound?

"Mommy said read to me," Noble said

suddenly, folding his arms across his chest. "I thought you didn't like it when I read to you.

I thought it was boring."

"Mommy said." he repeated. "She said you

could help stop it from hurting," he added.

Could I? I wondered.

Maybe I could.

Maybe I did have the eyes.

I began with chapter one of Alice in

Wonderland, and before I had read five pages, Noble

was asleep again.

And he wasn't in pain.

Into the Woods