Monday, September 5, 2005

Today was the first day of school at Wisdom’s Academy of Magic and Modern Living. Aunt Wisdom is richer than god, but she must have have emptied her money belt to build this place. It has hot and cold running water, indoor toilets, electricity and all sorts of modern conveniences. It even has a telephone and a computer! 

Aunt Wisdom held a party called an “open house” tonight so everone everyone can see the school and find out what sorts of things she’ll be teaching. (Grammar and spelling are at the top of her list) I can tell you right now there’s going to be a lot fewer kids in class tomorrow than there were today.

Aunt Wisdom tried to explain how it’s important that mages learn how to function in the non-magical world. Daddy muttered under his breath but everyone heard him say that Aunt Wisdom was full of donkey dung (except he didn’t say donkey dung, he said bull sh_t). I was surprised Momma didn’t cast a clean-speech spell on him, but she don’t doesn’t like to make a scene in front of people. 

For a while, I was scared that Daddy was going to pull me outta school and not let me go no more anymore. Momma reminded him that if he wants me to have any chance of becoming Aunt Wisdom’s apprentice, he’ll have to put up with all the Empty nonsense she’s gonna insist on teaching. Master healers can make a ton of money if they’s willing to treat Empties, but they need to know how the non-magical world functions first. That shut him up.

Sunday, September 4, 2005

I am so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open. Aunt Wisdom come by to check on Abby and the babies today and ended up bringing me home with her. I’m supposed to start school tomorrow and she don’t want to me be exhausted on my first day. The whole region is talking about Aunt Wisdom’s new school. She ain’t let nobody get within a quarter mile of it during construction except for the Empties she hired to build it. I can’t wait to see it, but right now all I want to do is sleep. 

Wednesday, July 6, 2005

Everybody and their dog has been by to check out the trips. We run out of places to put the pies, cakes and cookies everbody’s been bringing, but I ain’t complaining. Not about the food, anyways. Folks lower their voices, but I can still hear em speculating about who the boys look like, trying to guess who their daddy is. Well, good luck with that, they don’t look like nobody from around here. All the newborn babies I ever seen have bright pink or pale white skin. These little fellas have coffee and cream colored skin. I ain’t never seen a prettier baby than these three. They have thick curly hair too. Momma said that Abby and I were both walking before we had any hair to speak of. It’s easy to see she’s proud of these babies.

I am getting awful tired though. Two of the boys cry all the time. I don’t know how the other one manages to sleep through all the squalling, but it don’t seem to bother him at all. They're identical triplets, but I can already tell them apart. I know I ain’t supposed to have favorites, but it’s hard not to when this little guy seems to like me and the other two don’t.

Daddy came home, but he’s sleeping in the hen house again. Momma wouldn’t even let him see the babies.

Tuesday, July 5, 2005

Abby had her babies yesterday afternoon. She woke me up Sunday night a little afore midnight and told me to go get Momma. She’d been laboring for a couple of hours by then. Momma sent Daddy out to fetch Aunt Wisdom. He dropped her off at the cabin then took off again. He ain’t come home yet and Momma’s fit to be tied. There’s gonna be hell to pay when he finally comes home.

Anyway, Abby had a tough time of it. She kept beggin Aunt Wisdom to knock her out but she refused. It ain’t good for the babies. She did cast a couple of pain-away spells there towards the end, thank gawd. I didn’t think I could handle any more screamin. I ain’t never gonna have babies! I wanted to leave, but Momma wouldn’t let me. She said I needed to know what happens when you let a man have his way with you. I ain’t never gonna do that neither!

Okay, so back to the babies. Once they started coming it didn’t take long for them all to get born. It was the first time I ever seen human babies birthed, but it was a lot like dogs and goats -- only a whole lot noisier. Abby screamed like a wounded rabbit one minute, then bellowed like an angry bull the next. It was horrible, and I hate to say it, but her babies come out awful ugly. They looked a lot better once Momma and Aunt Wisdom got em cleaned up and today theys downright adorable. 

Aunt Wisdom made Abby nurse each of em before she let her hand em off and go to sleep. Momma and Aunt Wisdom’s babies squalled their heads off, but mine just held onto my pinkie finger and looked around as if he were trying to figure out where he was. Then he looked right at me and smiled. Momma said it was just gas, but it sure looked like a smile to me.

Saturday, June 11, 2005

I ain’t written in this thing for so long so I got a lot of catchin up to do. Momma and Daddy finally come around to the idea of being grandparents and they both been working me like a dog to get the cabin clean and safe enough for babies. Daddy built a new, sturdier rail around the loft where me an Abby sleep. I don’t know what the big deal is, them babies ain’t gonna be able to crawl around the minute they’s born. 

I’m getting awful tired of scrubbing floors and boiling rags for diapers. What’s the point of sterilizing rags if they’re just gonna be crapped on anyway? And why do we have to have so many? Everbody’s been bringin us rags and hand-me-down baby clothes. They still gossip behind our backs, and sometimes right in front us, but the whole clan’s helping out.

Old Pappy and Daddy are in the shed right now, sanding the third cradle -- which is why I have a few minutes to myself to write. Momma and Abby went in to town this morning to sell eggs and medicine so they ain’t here to boss me around.

Abby started going to town with Momma again a couple of months ago, praise the Lord, and she’s a lot happier now. I don’t know why she likes that stinking Empty town so much, but she sure as heck looks forward to Saturdays. She’s as big as a barn and can hardly waddle across the yard to the privy, but she refuses to stay home even though Momma told her she don’t have to go no more. Maybe she just likes the airconditioning inside Walmart. She complains about the heat non-stop.

I think I’ll see iffen I can sneak off to the quarry to go swimming afore Momma and Abby get back. But with my luck it’ll be overrun with a bunch of Empties.

Tuesday, March 21, 2005

Aunt Wisdom came by this morning to check on Abby -- she could have done it last night, but Daddy was home and Aunt Wisdom don’t get along so well with Daddy. Anyway, she come by this morning and scanned Abby and guess what … Abby’s carrying triplets!!! We all knowed she was big as a barn but Momma thought it was because Abby was further along than she thought. 

Momma could have scanned Abby herself, but they ain’t getting along so good neither and Abby keeps her shield up all the time. So anyways … I’m going to be an aunt to three baby boys afore the summer’s over. I cain’t wait! 

March 20, 2005

I went to the Spring Gathering with Aunt Wisdom today, but now I wish I would have stayed home with Momma, Daddy and Abby. (Oh yeah, Daddy finally came home, but he was so liquored up, Momma made him sleep in the chicken coop.) 

Anyway, I was desperate to get out of the house and away from all the drama so when Aunt Wisdom drove up and asked me if I wanted to go to The Gathering with her, I jumped at the chance. 

All anybody could talk about was “who knocked up Abundance Kerns?” They all looked at me with pity in their eyes and I wanted to go home immediately, but Aunt Wisdom wouldn’t leave and she wouldn’t let me slink off into a corner neither. 

She said, “You haven’t done anything wrong, sweetheart. Hold your head up.” I tried, but it was darn near impossible with everyone whispering behind my back. Especially when Hunter Feenie and Honest Hawthorne straight up asked me if it was true. I told them both to go to Hades. I should have told them to go to hell, but that wouldn’t be ladylike. 

Momma and Daddy told me that I’m gonna have to work extra hard to protect my reputation if I don’t want folks to assume I’m just like Abby. The funny thing is, I sort of admire Abby. I don't want to get pregnant afore I get married or nothing or have a bad reputation, but Abby ain’t letting nobody get her down. 

She wanted to come to the gathering with me and Aunt Wisdom, but Momma and Daddy wouldn’t let her. It woulda still been embarrassing for me, but Abby would have held her head up all day and all night. She wouldn’t let those old busybodies keep her from having a good time. I’ll bet she would have danced too. If anyone would have had the gumption to ask her.