A piercing scream was Alicia Spencer's saving grace. It had woken her from
the nightmares that took over her every night since the accident. A loud
thud on the wood floor alarmed her and she sat straight up in bed.
"Merrill? Are you OK?"
He immediately stood up and said, "Did you hear that?"
"The scream?"
"Yeah..it sounded like Bo. I need to go out there."
"It sounded like it came from the cornfield."
As Merrill quickly put on clothes and shoes, Alicia slipped on a pair of jeans and flip-flops. She followed Merrill out of the garage house and as they ran to the cornfield, they met up with Graham.
"Where are they?" asked Merrill.
"Dad! Uncle Merrill! Aunt Alicia! Anyone!!"
The three of them ran towards the voice and suddenly they came upon the little girl, still in her pajamas.
"Are you in my dreams, too?" she asked Graham.
"Dad! Over here!" called Morgan.
"I'll stay with her," Alicia said.
As the two men ran off, Alicia picked up Bo and smiled at her.
"What are you doing up so early on a Saturday morning, cutie pie?"
"Morgan woke me up. Are you making pancakes for breakfast?"
"Do you want me to, sweetie?"
"Yes, please. Blueberry."
"Sure. Let's go now.you can help me and-"
"Alicia! Come here! You've gotta see this."
Alicia re-adjusted Bo on her hip and walked to where Morgan, Graham, and Merrill were. She gasped and almost lost grip of Bo when she saw what she did.
"What the he-"
She stopped herself from saying what she wanted to, when she realized that Bo was still in her arms.
"How did this happen, Morgan?"
Morgan looked up at Alicia and said, "I think God did it."
Their dogs, Houdini and Isabelle, barked wildly and ran in circles around the family. Alicia had never seen anything like what she was seeing in her entire life.
"Is it a.crop circle?"
"Can't be," Graham said, "That's nonsense."
"Can we make pancakes now?" asked Bo, as she played with a strand of Alicia's strawberry-blonde hair.
"Yeah. Let's go back to the house."
Alicia put Bo back on the ground and watched as she sprinted toward the house, with Morgan following behind her.
The three adults looked at each other, knowing that something just wasn't right.
"It's probably just a prank," Graham said, "The Wolfington brothers."
He walked ahead of Merrill and Alicia. Merrill looked at the ground, and then at Alicia.
"You always look the most beautiful when you've just gotten out of bed," he said, running his hand along her face. She nonchalantly looked in the other direction and said, "We should get back."
As she began walking in front of him, Merrill let out a heavy sigh.
"Alicia," he said, "Hold on."
She stopped and turned around. Merrill jogged up to her and held tightly to her forearms.
"What did I do this time?"
"Nothing. It's not you, Merrill. I'm just not in a great mood."
"You've been saying that every day for the past week."
"I'm not having this discussion in the middle of a cornfield."
She kept walking several paces ahead of Merrill. He stayed in the same spot and held his head in his hands.
"I can't keep doing this," he said to himself.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Later that afternoon, Alicia sat in the living room, watching TV. She heard the screen door open and running footsteps. A few seconds later, Bo appeared in front of her, holding a hot dog on a styrofoam plate.
"I made you a hot dog, Aunt Alicia."
"Thank you, sweetie."
"Uncle Merrill wants to know if you're coming outside."
"Tell him I'm sleeping."
"But that's lying, Aunt Alicia. Lying's bad."
Alicia sighed and said, "Tell him I'll be right out."
"OK."
Bo kissed Alicia's cheek and scurried away. Alicia looked at the hotdog, took a bite, and then buried into the sofa. The program on TV went to commercial and Alicia immediately changed away when she saw that it was a baby food commercial. It was still too painful for her to watch- babies in general made Alicia's heart wrench in pain. She heard the screen door open again, accompanied by slow footsteps. Suddenly, strong hands on her shoulder blades made her jump.
"Merrill! You scared the hell out of me!"
"Whoa, sorry there. You know I never mean you any harm."
He picked up the remote and turned off the TV.
"We never talk anymore," Merrill said as he sat next to Alicia.
"That's not my fault."
Awkward silence filled the air for a few moments, and then Alicia spoke.
"Today our baby would've been two months old."
Merrill looked up at the ceiling and whispered, "Don't do this, Lise."
"I-I can't help it. It's all I've been thinking about lately. I keep having dreams about Colleen."
"It's understandable. She was your sister."
"It was all my fault, Merrill. I convinced her to go walking with me that night."
"We're not going to talk about this. Come outside, baby. It's beautiful."
"I just need some time alone. I'll be out soon enough."
Merrill stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.
"I love you," he said, barely above a whisper.
"Love you, too."
He got up, and as he walked back to the screen door, Alicia called his name.
"Merrill?"
"Yeah, babe?"
"Do we have any marshmallows? I could really go for toasted marshmallows. Remember how we ate them every single day last summer?"
"How could I not? We made ourselves sick. But I'm not sure if we have any.I'll ask Graham."
"That's OK. I'll do it."
She slipped on her shoes and met Merrill at the door. Even though it would seem insignificant to others, seeing Alicia smile brought a happiness to Merrill's heart that seemed to be lacking lately. He hoped in his heart that things would begin to change for the better.
"Merrill? Are you OK?"
He immediately stood up and said, "Did you hear that?"
"The scream?"
"Yeah..it sounded like Bo. I need to go out there."
"It sounded like it came from the cornfield."
As Merrill quickly put on clothes and shoes, Alicia slipped on a pair of jeans and flip-flops. She followed Merrill out of the garage house and as they ran to the cornfield, they met up with Graham.
"Where are they?" asked Merrill.
"Dad! Uncle Merrill! Aunt Alicia! Anyone!!"
The three of them ran towards the voice and suddenly they came upon the little girl, still in her pajamas.
"Are you in my dreams, too?" she asked Graham.
"Dad! Over here!" called Morgan.
"I'll stay with her," Alicia said.
As the two men ran off, Alicia picked up Bo and smiled at her.
"What are you doing up so early on a Saturday morning, cutie pie?"
"Morgan woke me up. Are you making pancakes for breakfast?"
"Do you want me to, sweetie?"
"Yes, please. Blueberry."
"Sure. Let's go now.you can help me and-"
"Alicia! Come here! You've gotta see this."
Alicia re-adjusted Bo on her hip and walked to where Morgan, Graham, and Merrill were. She gasped and almost lost grip of Bo when she saw what she did.
"What the he-"
She stopped herself from saying what she wanted to, when she realized that Bo was still in her arms.
"How did this happen, Morgan?"
Morgan looked up at Alicia and said, "I think God did it."
Their dogs, Houdini and Isabelle, barked wildly and ran in circles around the family. Alicia had never seen anything like what she was seeing in her entire life.
"Is it a.crop circle?"
"Can't be," Graham said, "That's nonsense."
"Can we make pancakes now?" asked Bo, as she played with a strand of Alicia's strawberry-blonde hair.
"Yeah. Let's go back to the house."
Alicia put Bo back on the ground and watched as she sprinted toward the house, with Morgan following behind her.
The three adults looked at each other, knowing that something just wasn't right.
"It's probably just a prank," Graham said, "The Wolfington brothers."
He walked ahead of Merrill and Alicia. Merrill looked at the ground, and then at Alicia.
"You always look the most beautiful when you've just gotten out of bed," he said, running his hand along her face. She nonchalantly looked in the other direction and said, "We should get back."
As she began walking in front of him, Merrill let out a heavy sigh.
"Alicia," he said, "Hold on."
She stopped and turned around. Merrill jogged up to her and held tightly to her forearms.
"What did I do this time?"
"Nothing. It's not you, Merrill. I'm just not in a great mood."
"You've been saying that every day for the past week."
"I'm not having this discussion in the middle of a cornfield."
She kept walking several paces ahead of Merrill. He stayed in the same spot and held his head in his hands.
"I can't keep doing this," he said to himself.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Later that afternoon, Alicia sat in the living room, watching TV. She heard the screen door open and running footsteps. A few seconds later, Bo appeared in front of her, holding a hot dog on a styrofoam plate.
"I made you a hot dog, Aunt Alicia."
"Thank you, sweetie."
"Uncle Merrill wants to know if you're coming outside."
"Tell him I'm sleeping."
"But that's lying, Aunt Alicia. Lying's bad."
Alicia sighed and said, "Tell him I'll be right out."
"OK."
Bo kissed Alicia's cheek and scurried away. Alicia looked at the hotdog, took a bite, and then buried into the sofa. The program on TV went to commercial and Alicia immediately changed away when she saw that it was a baby food commercial. It was still too painful for her to watch- babies in general made Alicia's heart wrench in pain. She heard the screen door open again, accompanied by slow footsteps. Suddenly, strong hands on her shoulder blades made her jump.
"Merrill! You scared the hell out of me!"
"Whoa, sorry there. You know I never mean you any harm."
He picked up the remote and turned off the TV.
"We never talk anymore," Merrill said as he sat next to Alicia.
"That's not my fault."
Awkward silence filled the air for a few moments, and then Alicia spoke.
"Today our baby would've been two months old."
Merrill looked up at the ceiling and whispered, "Don't do this, Lise."
"I-I can't help it. It's all I've been thinking about lately. I keep having dreams about Colleen."
"It's understandable. She was your sister."
"It was all my fault, Merrill. I convinced her to go walking with me that night."
"We're not going to talk about this. Come outside, baby. It's beautiful."
"I just need some time alone. I'll be out soon enough."
Merrill stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head.
"I love you," he said, barely above a whisper.
"Love you, too."
He got up, and as he walked back to the screen door, Alicia called his name.
"Merrill?"
"Yeah, babe?"
"Do we have any marshmallows? I could really go for toasted marshmallows. Remember how we ate them every single day last summer?"
"How could I not? We made ourselves sick. But I'm not sure if we have any.I'll ask Graham."
"That's OK. I'll do it."
She slipped on her shoes and met Merrill at the door. Even though it would seem insignificant to others, seeing Alicia smile brought a happiness to Merrill's heart that seemed to be lacking lately. He hoped in his heart that things would begin to change for the better.