Today
"Mom!" There was a crash from the attic--well, it was in theory an attic. In practice it was a trans-dimensional multi-space union point, or so Shiva said. Kali just considered it "the attic."
"Yes, dear?" She prepared herself for anything--from finding a vampire-toothed octopus to the bell-bottoms from Shiva's unfortunate dance through the sixties and the seventies, and anything in between. Not for the first time, she was very, very glad that her curious child was divine.
"Found something!" came the sing-song call, and was quickly followed by a thunder of feet. Two feet, thankfully, meaning whatever he'd found wasn't alive, or was small enough to be carried, and therefore banished with no big threat.
"Obviously," Kali muttered. "What did you find, sweetheart?" she called out, loud enough for him to hear.
"Letters!" he said, bounding into the kitchen and waving the album. "From Auntie Beth and Spike!"
"I sincerely doubt that," Kali said, knowing that if Spike ever wrote anything down, it wasn't more than a grocery list or the occasional love poem. But when she got a gander at the album up-close, she smiled. "That's not technically your Beth, sweetie," she explained. "You know how Sunshine comes from another place and time?"
Ganesha made a face. "Yeah, my Bethie doesn't like Sunshine."
"Neither do I, kiddo." Kali dried her hands off, and opened the album. "This Beth and this Spike, they lived a very very long time ago in a whole different place and time, like Sunshine."
"Read 'em to me?" Ganesha demanded.
"Okay, I can do that." The turkey roasting in the oven would be fine for a few hours while she paged through the letters with Ganesha.
---
My Dearest William,
It has only been a month since this terrible war began, and I am already worried for you. Father says that I should keep a strong heart and a pure faith, because you are in God's hands. He and I pray daily for you and the rest of the soldiers fighting the English.
Mother says that if it becomes too dangerous here, she and Father will send me to his sister, Tabitha, in Virginia. She has a home there and Father believes that I should be safe there. I have told him and Mother both that I wish to stay here, close to you where I can hear regular news.
I miss you terribly; the locks of hair we exchanged are the only things that comfort me. I wear yours in a locket at all times, and I do not take it off, even when I bathe or sleep. I hope that you are equally as comforted as I am, knowing that a part of me is always with you, just as a part of you is near my heart.
Father will not say so to me, for fear of upsetting me with thoughts of war, but he is glad that you spoke to him before you left. I overheard him telling Mother that you had told him you wished to marry me, but feared making me a widow before a wife. I have not told anyone that you have already asked me in secret; in my heart you are already my husband and I am already your loving wife.
But Father approves, and he and Mother are already planning and preparing an engagement party for when you return!
I love you, my William. Come home to me safely.
Always,
Elspeth A. Holden
My Ellie,
I finally received your letter, and I cannot tell you how grateful I was to hear from you. I hear through my mother that you have indeed gone to Virginia, and so I hope this letter finds you there and in good spirits.
Your prayers are indeed working! I am safe and healthy as can be, having survived both battle injuries and sickness. Winter is coming soon, and we are preparing to weather it as best we can.
I braided your lock of hair and carry it inside my uniform, always close to my heart. You are always with me, and are never far from my thoughts. If you ask me, we are already wedded, just as you say, by sincere desire and mutual consent. Your locket and my braid are our love-tokens , and I will be your husband if you will be my wife.
I know that your father will never agree to that, but we do not have to tell him. It can be a secret just between us, and your father can marry us himself when I return. Because I do intend to return to you, Ellie. Every letter from you, every thought of you, keeps you fresh in my heart and my mind, and gives me every reason I ever needed to come home safely.
I must go now; we are to pack up our camp and finally move out of Lexington's forest and pursue the English; I will write to you again soon. Let me hear from you without delay.
Your Husband,
William Pratt
Dearest William,
Christmas in Virginia is a little boring without you. I hope that you will enjoy your Christmas present, which is enclosed with this letter. It won't reach you before Christmas, I'm afraid, but I hope that it will arrive in time for you to get some use out of it.
Tabitha helped me pick it out; my aunt and I have been enjoying each other's company for quite some time now, and I must admit that it is not nearly as terrifying in Virginia as it was at home.
I still miss you, husband. The locket remains around my neck at all times, even through the move, and though the clasp broke once, I kept the locket in my pocket until the chain was repaired.
I am worried about Father. He and Mother remain in New England, and have refused to leave our home and come where it is safe. I hope that they will remain out of harm's way. I still hope to hear news of you, and send a man to the square every day that I am not there myself to listen to the news and report back to me what they have heard.
I hear many terrifying things, William. That men, boys , some of them, are dying every day. That the doctors and surgeons are taking off limbs and throwing away eyes that have been lost. That men are dying before the surgeons can even treat them. Tabitha has since forbidden me to visit the taverns for news, because when I heard that, I fainted. Two of my aunt's slaves had to carry me home, and she sent for the doctor and his smelling salts to bring me around.
She does not approve, but she understands that I worry for you, my love. She prays with me every day, and on Sundays she lights a candle in the nave, just as I do, as a further prayer for your health and safe return.
I have been invited to several New Year's cotillions, but I have no desire to go. Tabitha wishes for me to go and dance and enjoy myself, but I fear that my heart is not in it. My heart is, as it always will be, with you and you alone. I must hear from you as soon as possible.
Your loving wife,
Elspeth A. Holden
Darling Ellie,
The cloak you sent me has been a Godsend this winter. It has provided me much warmth and many more thoughts of you. Every time I have wrapped it around myself to keep warm, I have imagined wrapping myself in your arms and been warmer than anyone else in my camp.
I wish you had stayed home; we are camped now not two days' travel from your home. By the time you've received this, I will have visited your parents and let them know that I am unharmed and that I still wish to marry you. I wish that more than anything else in the world right now.
My captain has told us all that if we have family in the area, we are allowed to remain there and visit them for several weeks. The hard snow and freezing winds have brought the war almost to a standstill, and while we cannot disperse entirely, we can see our family. For me, that would be you. If your aunt can arrange for you to travel back home, I will be waiting for you.
Love Always,
Your William
Dearest Ellie,
Please do not come. You do not need to see this. I will handle what needs to be done. I am so sorry, my love. Stay in Virginia with your aunt; I will come to you.
Always,
William
Dearest Ellie,
I am on my way. I have been here a week, and what was not burned, I have packed up or stored. Your parents were buried together, in what is left of the church's cemetery, just as your father wished. I had word from Tabitha that the doctor was attending you, and that you have been distraught since the fire. I know that is why you have not written to me, and I hope that as they're read to you, my letters will bring you some sort of comfort. My captain has given me leave to visit you in Virginia, and stay for at least a month, until you are healthy and your family has been sorted out. I am leaving today, on horseback, and hope to make good time and be there inside of a month. Ellie, if your mind has not changed, I would still marry you in a heartbeat. I would be your family now and always, and care for you always.
Love,
Your William
Sgt. Pratt,
You are welcome to stay at Pageland, my home in Virginia. Elspeth is still under the care of Dr. Albright, but we hope to have her back in good health by the time of your arrival. Please understand that while I have no real argument with your marriage to Elspeth, now is not the time to think of such things. She has been devastated by the loss of her family, and needs to think of herself first and of matrimony later, when she is stronger. Please hurry, though, because I believe your presence here will help her recover quickly.
With All Due Sincerity,
Tabitha Eileen Holden
(Newspaper clipping pasted on the last album page)
Mr. William Pratt and Miss Elspeth A. Holden
Miss Tabitha Eileen Holden wishes to announce to the social registry that her niece, Elspeth Alexis Holden, has become engaged to Sergeant William Pratt, veteran of the Revolutionary War. A fighter for Independence, Sgt. Pratt was stationed near the Holden family home in New England when the community church was burned to the ground. Reverend David Holden and his wife Elizabeth Holden were both killed in the fire, and Sgt. Pratt came to the family's aid and arranged for their burial. After being formally discharged from the militia, Sgt. Pratt returned to Pageland, where he asked for and received Miss Holden's hand.
They will be married on the 22nd of April.
---
Kali closed the album and beamed at Ganesha. "There, you see? Happily ever after."
Ganesha's little face was serious as he looked at the closed album cover. "Mom?"
"Yeah?" Kali turned her attention to her son, because she had a feeling this was gonna be a doozy of a question.
"Are my Bethie and Spike always gonna get together?"
Oh, yeah. Kali reached out and stroked her fingers through the unruly mop of Ganesha's thick black hair, tucking parts of it behind his ear. "It's complicated, little man," she answered after a moment. "Maybe not always together, but yes, they will always bump up against each other. Karma's funny like that; if you're a good enough person, you get a reward."
Another wrinkle of Ganesha's forehead. "I'm guessing you mean that Beth's been the good one and Spike's her reward?"
It really broke Kali's heart that her little boy had learned, this early, the difference between good and evil. "Something like that," she agreed.
Suddenly he brightened, grinning ear to ear. "Well, that's okay. You and Pops can always fix it how it's supposed to be." Hopping down off her lap, he grabbed the album and held it to his chest. "I'm gonna go see what else I can find!"
Kali watched as her son disappeared back up the stairs to the attic, wondering what he was going to bring down for her to explain next.
The End