Young Family - Page 83/148

They had gotten it back to Eternity without incident. But when Miss Brigham had taken the container, her hand slipped. Some of the water had splashed onto Annie. Rebecca had watched in horror as her friend shrank back into almost a baby, just two years old. Before long Annie had forgotten about being a big girl and become a baby again.

They had always been very careful with the water since then. A community like Eternity was precarious enough without anyone turning back into a baby by accident. Rebecca would have to be extra careful this time, without a proper container for the water.

She made her way over to the fountain and then got down on her knees. Something was wrong, though. When she looked into the water, she only saw one reflection. It was of her as a toddler, her hair longer and curlier while her tiny body was clad in a pink dress. Even stranger, her chubby cheeks were red, as were her eyes. She was crying. Little Rebecca said something, but the real Rebecca couldn't hear it.

She watched her younger reflection sob for a few minutes. Then she shook her head. It was just a reflection. It couldn't do anything to her. There were people counting on her to get the water and take it back to Eternity.

She leaned down and then dipped the bowl into the fountain. The reflection of herself as a toddler broke into many more reflections, all of them the same. These reflections kept saying something, but she couldn't understand them. She pulled up the bowl, figuring she had enough water.

Then she took off for Eternity, though even as she walked, she couldn't get the image from her mind.