The rain beat down on the small island of Martha's Vineyard. Somewhere in a dark allie, a woman lay in pain. She was having her first child and, since she was so poor, could not afford to go to a docter. Her cries for help were impossible to hear over the pounding of the rain and the sound of the traffic whirling by. Even if someone did happen to hear her, they were in too much of a hurry to get home to come and help her.
She had slid up next to a building to try to get out of the rain. Even so, the rain seemed to sweep up under the little covering and fall onto her. Her very thin clothing was clinging to her and was soaked with rain, sweat, and blood. She gave a final push and was done. After over an hour of struggling, it was finally over. She bent over and picked up her newborn baby girl. She was gasping for breath and was shaking badly from the loss of blood.
She looked into her little girl's vivid green eyes and pushed a strand of dark brown hair off her baby's forehead. Her hair was thick and already visible.
Suddenly, the mother heard a noise and looked up. There stood a beautiful woman with blonde, almost white, hair that was well down her back. Her eyes were the lightest blue color and there seemed to be a mystical glowing around her. The mother tried to jump up and run, but instead of jumping, she just fell into the side of a trashcan making it fall over with a loud noise. She was so weak she could barely even hold her little girl in her arms. The mysterious woman moved closer.
"Do not be afraid," her voice sounded like a thousand bells singing out a beautful song, "I have not come to harm you or her." She nodded toward the baby. "I have come to bring her this." She extended her hand. Dangling on it was a beautiful silver amulet on a jewled chain. Incrested upon it was a sparkling shpae of a tear drop with words she did not understand around the edge.
She hesitated, then took it and clasped it around her newborn's neck. As she did, the amulet began to glow. Her eyes widened in awe as she took the amulet and looked at it. She turned it over in her hands and saw the name "Meluta" inscribed on the back. She looked up at the beautiful lady who shook her head. The mother mouthed the words "thank you" and kissed her baby on her forehead and took her last breath.
Several moments later, a woman ran into the allie breathless. She stopped short and looked from the dead woman and her baby to the beautiful woman standing there. The mysterious woman was wearing a white dress that was flowing gracefully in the breeze as was her hair. Glistening droplets of water were on her hair, looking like shimmering jewels placed here and there. She didn't look wet at all, and still the rain was pouring down. The woman stood there for a moment, with an angel-like appearence and then she bent over and picked up the baby from the red-headed, wavy-haired mother. She didn't walk, but sort of floated over to where the young woman was standing.
"I heard a noise. Is everything alright?" she asked, glancing at the dead mother. The white figure nodded and held out the baby to her.
"Please take care of her." she said. The young lady looked into the vivid green eyes of the baby and, looking back up, replied,
"But I-" she stopped and looked around. No one else was in the allie but her, the baby, and the dead woman. The "angel" was gone. She looked back down at the little girl and slowly turned around. She took off her coat and wrapped the baby in it and ran out of the allie, trying to get home as fast as she could. That night, the moon and stars seemed especially birght and the amulet around the newborn's neck was growing brighter and brighter.