Abandoned by Serena Axel (free e books to read txt) 📕

ready on cooking and she was glued to a spot next to the food. I grabbed a cup of coffee and served up breakfast. Something had changed in our little stranger. She was watching Lee very intently. I recognized the first signs of a crush. I pulled Lee aside and asked him to say it was a great time to freshen up. To mention how he liked the clean fresh smell of my hair after it was shampooed, to do this in front of the girl. He agreed with the idea and did as I asked. I told her she could bathe and change into some clean clothes I had found for her. I looked and she was starting to take her clothes off right there. Surprised, I said, “Oh no! We need to go down to the water. We can undress there.”

She showed no sign of modesty. I was the one with the red face. Lee had a definite influence on her bathing it seemed, and I was so happy. She actually wanted to clean up. We made the descent down the side of the hill to the great Pacific Ocean spread before us, a sparkling crystal blue. I started talking to her about the fact that she needed to trim her hair and that I had a pretty ribbon for her. A smile grew on her face for the first time since we found her. I was getting through to her. I noticed she was without her pack and hoped Lee was searching it while we were gone. She undressed as though it was the most natural thing in the world, although save us, the beach was empty. I handed her a bar of soap and then told her I had shampoo for her hair. I was shocked to see she had a scar on her stomach resembling a cut from a C-section. Oh dear God what has she gone through, I thought?

When she finished bathing I had her sit in the sand on a towel, and then I cut her freshly scrubbed hair. She said nothing while I worked, only looked out at the incoming waves.Before we went back to camp out of the blue she said, "I'm Sophie."

On our ascent to the campsite I felt much better and Sophie’s transformation was truly astounding. Knowing someone cared, she was blossoming, an exotic flower, an almost pretty girl. Our rescue and thoughtfulness were the nourishment she craved. Her glistening blond hair was cut in a pixie style, set off with the polka dotted ribbon. Buried under all the dirt and grime was a jewel.

The girl left my side and returned quickly to the spot where she had left the pack.

I slowly walked over to Lee, and when I was certain we were out of her earshot, I said, “Did you get a chance to look in her bundle of rags?”

“Yes. I had to put gloves on. When I opened it, I was utterly shocked. I know if you had seen it you would have had a repeat of yesterday, throwing up. I have never seen such a horrendous sight, worms gorging on the remains of…a small infant! Ever so carefully I retied the bundle and placed it where I found it. I got it back just before you returned.”

“Oh my God,” I said in shock. “She’s barely a child herself. What in the name of all that’s holy happened, I wonder?” I left Lee and walked over to Sophie. She was kneeling beside the putrid bundle, whispering to it. Words that I couldn’t make out, but that I could imagine.

“How are you doing, Sophie,” I asked, not knowing what else to say. She looked up at me with her large, sad eyes.

“Oh fine. I was just…thinking.”

I was sure she was. I placed a hand on her head and urged her to stand. “I’d like to introduce you to my husband.” The young girl beamed. “Sophie, this is Lee,” I said motioning to Lee who had followed me.

He extended his hand. “Glad to meet you Sophie. You look very pretty.”

Her eyes no longer had that dead empty look, now they danced. Sophie grabbed hold of possibly the first male’s hand that wanted nothing from her except her friendship.

“May I have a drink?” she asked, gazing up at him absolutely entranced.

“Yes of course. I’ll get you one.”

Lee released his grip and walked over to the car. He pulled out several juice bottles.

While he was away I spoke to Sophie. “Sweetheart. I have a question…you have the pack you have been carrying with you. What’s inside it? Can you tell me?”

“I suppose.” She dropped her eyes and nervously moved a bare foot across the dirt in front of her.

“Well? Will you tell me?”

“My baby, Angel.”

I waited, and then finally she continued.

“I killed her. I had no food. No milk. She starved. I lived with Tom…my stepfather. He was mean; made me go out and…and, and...Momma died a long time ago, and he was taking care of me. He made me work for him, and then I got the baby in me. Nobody wanted nothing to do with me after that. There wasn’t any money after the things happened. The earthquakes and stuff. He was mad at me for that, and he wouldn’t give us any food, and he hit me and threatened to hit Angel. She was just a baby. She didn’t do nothing to him.

“He got mad and he was mean. But when I had Angel he didn’t care. He wouldn’t give me any food or milk or anything, so I had to go away to find some, and Angel starved. I killed her. It was my fault. She died and I keep her with me because she’s my baby. I don’t want to lose her.”

I wanted to cry with her; for her.

“Honey, she’s in heaven now. What you have isn’t really her anymore. Just her shell. You have to…Sophie, she isn’t here. What would you think if we made her into something that you could keep with you always? That isn’t going to make you ill.”
“How?” she asked.

“We could cremate her and…”

“No!”

“Listen, sweetheart. We either have to do that or else bury her here. That’s what we have to do. If we cremate her, you can still have her with you, and decide whether to put her someplace permanent, or simply keep her with you. I have a very pretty metal box with a lid…”

“Really? I can take her, then? I won’t have to leave Angel? I couldn’t, Anne. Couldn’t.”

“Yes, dear. You can. Lee and I will help you.”

Lee had returned quietly and stood behind me. “You’ll always have her with you, Sophie, and you’ll never ever have to give her up. We promise,” he said softly. Sophie glanced up at him, smiled wanly, and then looked back at her dead baby’s gruesome covered remains.

“Okay. If you promise.”

“We do,” both of us assured her.

We ate. Sophie continued with the sad tale of her life, and then a little later we set about the task of cremation. By dusk the chore was done.

It had been a busy day. A sad day. A happy day, oddly enough, as well. Not wanting to spend another night out there in the open, we cleaned up the site, packed everything into the Jeep and pulled out, heading north.

We spoke to Sophie about where she and Angel might stay. “There is a wonderful place not far away, Sophie. There are other girls your age. They have food and all the things you and your baby will need. A place for both of you. Do you think you’d like to stay there for a while?”

“Do they have a garden?”

“Yes, sweetheart. A pretty one filled with flowers. You can work in it, and keep your baby right beside you.”

“Promise?”

“Yes, we promise.”

I watched her consider this carefully. She caressed the box holding the ashes of her baby, moving her lips, speaking to Angel, I knew.

“Okay. We’ll go there. Will you and Lee come to visit us?”

“Yes, sweetheart. We promise.”

We drove quietly for some time. Many miles up the road I broke the silence.

“There’s a song that keeps playing in my head. It goes like this. ‘It’s the end of the world as we know it…and I feel fine’.”

The road ahead was somehow brighter, the sound of the engine softer, Sophie’s future, at least for the time being, was secured at the end of this world.
- Imprint

Text: (c) Serena Axel 2011
Publication Date: 04-24-2011

All Rights Reserved

Dedication:
To my husband who puts up with all my little outbursts before this story was finished.