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While shepherds watch are keeping…
And the world stopped.
Later—how much later, Mary could not know—Jill sat down on an unoccupied cot, cradled her doll close, and fell to sleep.
The room had fallen silent as she sang. Every child standing stock-still, as if they’d been frozen. But everywhere eyes were alight and mouths formed dreamy half smiles.
When Jill stopped singing, Mary looked at Francis.
“Did you…”
Francis nodded. There were tears in his eyes. “Mary, you need to catch some sleep, hon. Eliza and I will handle breakfast.”
“I’m just going to sit down, rest my feet for a while,” Mary said. But sleep took her, anyway.
Francis woke her what seemed like mere minutes later. “I have to go,” he said.
“Is it time?” Mary shook her head to clear it. Her eyes didn’t seem to want to focus.
“Soon. And I have some good-byes to say first,” he said. He put his hand on her shoulder and said, “You’re a great person, Mary. And another great person has come to see you.”
Mary stood up, not really following what Francis was saying, just knowing that someone was there to see her.
Orsay. She was so slight and fragile looking Mary instinctively liked her. She seemed like one of the kids, almost, one of the littles.
Francis touched Orsay’s hand and almost seemed to bow his head as if in prayer for a moment. “Prophetess,” he said.
“Mother Mary, the Prophetess,” Francis said, performing a very formal introduction. Mary felt like she was meeting the president or something.
“Orsay, please,” Orsay said in a soft voice. “And this is my friend, Nerezza.”
Nerezza was very different from Orsay. She had green eyes and olive skin and hair that was black and lustrous, gathered in a sort of loose wave on one side. Mary did not recall having seen her before. But Mary was trapped in the day care most of the day; she didn’t socialize much.
Francis grinned a little nervously, it seemed to Mary.
“Happy rebirthday,” Nerezza said.
“Yes. Thank you,” Francis said. He squared his shoulders, nodded to Nerezza, and to Orsay said, “I have some more people to see, and not much time. Prophetess, thank you for showing me the way.” And with that, he turned away quickly and left.
Orsay seemed almost sickened. As though she wanted to spit something out. She nodded tersely to Francis’s back and gritted her teeth.
Nerezza’s face was unreadable. Deliberately, Mary thought, as though she was concealing an emotion she felt strongly.
“Hi…Orsay.” Mary wasn’t quite sure what to call her now. She’d heard kids talking about Orsay being some kind of prophet and she had dismissed it. People said all kinds of crazy things. But clearly she’d had some profound effect on Francis.
Orsay didn’t seem to know what to say next. She looked at Nerezza, who quickly filled the void. “The Prophetess wishes to help you, Mary.”
“Help me?” Mary laughed. “I actually have enough volunteers for once.”
?
??Not that.” Nerezza waved that off, impatient. “The Prophetess would like to adopt a recently arrived child.”
“Excuse me?”
“Her name is Jill,” Orsay said. “I had a dream about…” And then she trailed off, as though she wasn’t quite sure what the dream was. She frowned.
“Jill?” Mary repeated. “The little girl who was terrorized by Zil? She’s only been here a few hours. How did you even know she was here?”
