It wasn't particularly pleasant to spend the following years of my life taking the blame for Winnie's leaving, but I knew in my heart she was happy and so I let it be.
Her father blamed me endlessly, but he died not even a year later from a heart attack. The entire family fortune went to Mrs. Foster, who didn't have a clue what to do with it without a daughter to shower gifts upon. She used it on facial creams and beauty treatments, anything to keep the wrinkles off her face. Sometimes I caught her dressing up in Winnie's old clothes, pretending to be her, and sometimes she asked me to be Winnie.
Mostly though, she just cried over her absence.
"Ms Willow, the body's prepared. The pallbearers are ready to take it down."
"Yes, of course. thank you." I nodded to Henry, the local mortician.
Mrs. Foster had died two days ago, the funeral was arranged and paid for; all her money went to me. She would be buried today in the family plot, and then I would be free.
I had yet to decide what I wanted to do. It had been seven years since the Tucks had left, and I hadn't heard from them since. I wasn't going to waste my immortality, however, on waiting around for snow in August. It was reasonable enough that they might never return to Treegap for reasons unknown to me. I would head south, to New York City, and see how it changed.
I was the only one in attendance at the funeral. The priest, uncomfortable, said a few hasty words and then departed. She was buried in the family plot out back, and instead of hiring someone to do it I donned my ugliest dress and buried her myself.
I had stopped at an inn halfway to New York City. I was tired and so was my horse; we both needed to get some sleep.
The inn was short staffed for the night and every room was filled, there was no one to show me to my room. I was handed a key and told to go find it on my own.
It was on the third level towards the end of a long hallway. I was walking down it, key in hand (I had no luggage, as I was planning to start fresh as soon as I got to the city) when I heard a familiar sound.
"She went upstairs to make her bed
And not one word to her mother said.
Her mother she went upstairs too
Saying, 'Daughter, oh daughter, what's troubling you?'"
The voice paused for a moment and I leaned my head against the door, anxious to hear more. I hadn't sang that song since the night Winnie left.
Slowly, as the pause got longer, I picked up the next verse.
"'Oh mother, oh mother, I cannot tell
That railroad boy that I love so well.
He courted me my life away
And now at home will no longer stay.'"
The door opened suddenly and I drew back, worried that I had been louder than I thought.
"I'm sorry," I said immediately. "It's just I used to sing that song to my baby cousin. It always calmed her down."
"I am not your baby cousin!" A voice shrieked.
"Winnie?" I yelled, running into the room and hugging her. "Oh God, I thought I'd never see you again."
"Are you joshing me? I would've tracked you down." She smiled at me. "Mae has a beautiful voice, but no one can sing like you."
"She still can't sleep without it." Mae admitted. "You look beautiful, Willow."
"So do you, Mae." I smiled, hugging her as well.
"We were coming up to see you." Winnie said. "We saw Mother's obituary in the newspaper and figured it was time."
"I'm sorry, Win." I said quietly.
"It's over now, isn't it?"
"I buried her myself." I admitted.
"The boys," Mae interrupted. "They're in the other room. I'm sure one of them in particular would like to see you."
"Miles," I said excitedly. Winnie seemed even more excited then me, jumping out of bed in her nightdress and running across the hall.
"Miles! Miles get up!" She screamed, banging on the door.
"Shouldn't you be screamin' for Jesse?" Miles said, answering the door. His eyes were thick with sleep and his hair mused from the pillow.
"Hello," I said lightly.
"Willow," he breathed, running over to hug me. "It's been a long time."
"It has," I smiled, running my hands through his hair. "You haven't changed."
We all laughed then, the whole family coming into the hallway to watch our reunion.
"Uh you guys mind...?" He said, but they didn't budge. "Alright then. Willow, which one's your room, we have some catching up to do?"
THE END
A/N- Thank you to everyone who read! I hope you enjoy this story, I really enjoyed writing it as Tuck Everlasting is one of my favorite stories and they have some really great characters to work with. xx.