Must Be Something In The Water
Labor Day
I untied Keith from the tree and collapse to my knees hunging my stomach. I lied on my side and curled up into a ball. The pain was incruciating. Each embryo pulsed in my stomach.
"Alexis you have to get up." Keith said pulling at my arm.
"Let me stay here and die." I cried to him.
He began to drag me up then he put my arm around his shoulder. I held my stomach.
"Keith, don't take me to the lake." I said to him.
"Why you need to get in the birthing pool." he said.
"They'll make me go back to their planet." I said to him.
"No." he said.
The wind began to whip hard and tree branches and trunks broke off from them.
"What's going on with the weather?" Keith asked me.
The sky lit up with lightning.
"The time is near. The time is the storm. The time of birth. The ships coming back you can't make me go." I said.
"I have to you're in too much pain." Keith said.
"But Keith, if I go into the lake I might never come out until they pick us up and then I'm gone for fifty years." I said looking at him.
I saw the hurt in Keith's face.
"But I can't let you be in pain like this." he said quietly.
It began to pour with rain by the time we got to the edge of the lake. I looked back at Keith.
"I have to but I don't want to." I said to him.
"Alexis, don't worry, you'll be fine. Maybe you can send me a post card." he said and smiled. I could see water drip from his eyes but I didn't know if it was tears or rain.
I smiled and then hugged him. The pain from my stomach made me hug him tighter.
"I love you." I said.
"What?" he asked.
"I said I..." I just leaned in and kissed his lips.
He stood there. I leaned over and grasped my knees the pain was really, really bad and all the other girls were gone. There was a glowing light in the water and it was calling me in. I wadded towards it but stopped and looked back at Keith. He stood there trying to be strong but the water whiped his back he smiled and then waved at me. I waved back and then once I was waist deep. I held out my hand to the glowing light and it dragged me down under the water.
"Alexis you have to get up." Keith said pulling at my arm.
"Let me stay here and die." I cried to him.
He began to drag me up then he put my arm around his shoulder. I held my stomach.
"Keith, don't take me to the lake." I said to him.
"Why you need to get in the birthing pool." he said.
"They'll make me go back to their planet." I said to him.
"No." he said.
The wind began to whip hard and tree branches and trunks broke off from them.
"What's going on with the weather?" Keith asked me.
The sky lit up with lightning.
"The time is near. The time is the storm. The time of birth. The ships coming back you can't make me go." I said.
"I have to you're in too much pain." Keith said.
"But Keith, if I go into the lake I might never come out until they pick us up and then I'm gone for fifty years." I said looking at him.
I saw the hurt in Keith's face.
"But I can't let you be in pain like this." he said quietly.
It began to pour with rain by the time we got to the edge of the lake. I looked back at Keith.
"I have to but I don't want to." I said to him.
"Alexis, don't worry, you'll be fine. Maybe you can send me a post card." he said and smiled. I could see water drip from his eyes but I didn't know if it was tears or rain.
I smiled and then hugged him. The pain from my stomach made me hug him tighter.
"I love you." I said.
"What?" he asked.
"I said I..." I just leaned in and kissed his lips.
He stood there. I leaned over and grasped my knees the pain was really, really bad and all the other girls were gone. There was a glowing light in the water and it was calling me in. I wadded towards it but stopped and looked back at Keith. He stood there trying to be strong but the water whiped his back he smiled and then waved at me. I waved back and then once I was waist deep. I held out my hand to the glowing light and it dragged me down under the water.