Homecoming

The sun rose in streaks of red and orange, the sky a blank canvas as the vibrant colors erased the last signs of the dark, starry night.
The old, run-down farmhouse was a dark spot on the horizon as Emma Stevens drove to her childhood home with a feeling of dread.
It happened so long ago. It’ll be okay. She thought desperately. He’s not there anymore.
Everything had to be fine. It just had to be.
As Emma drove closer, she could see the peeling gray paint and the overgrown hedges. She could see someone had neglected to mow the lawn or even check the rusty mailbox that was just barely balanced on top of a decaying post.
Emma felt a pull on her heart as she saw the destruction of her home, and hatred filled her. Hatred for the man who had ruined her life, who had ruined her entire family.
Who had made it necessary to make her run.
Carefully, she parked her car on the side of the dusty road. There was no way she was going to attempt driving up the driveway littered with broken pieces of glass.
She smoothed her skirt and shirt in an attempt to make herself presentable, and knew it would make no difference. Her family would be disgraced at the outfit she was wearing, even though she was wearing her most conservative outfit.
Emma looked at herself in the mirror, wondering how she had changed since she left, a terrified fifteen year old girl in Amish clothing.
Her face lost the softness and roundness of childhood, but her vibrant blue eyes were still the same intense color. Her wavy dark brown hair was still the same color, and her face the same pale shade.
She decided that she would easily be recognized, and that made her heart jump faster.
“Maybe I should just turn back,” she whispered to herself, breaking the silence in the car. She was about to turn the key in the ignition when she saw her, a tiny child around three years old.
She was skipping down the stairs carrying an egg basket, her braids swinging as she skipped. She didn’t have the dead look the rest of her family did, instead she had the bright shining eyes of a child.
Emma took a deep breath, and got out of the car. The little girl stared excitedly, and ran down to meet her.
“Who aw you?” She asked, not able to say the r’s correctly.
“My names Emma. What’s your name, sweetie?” She asked kindly, smiling at the little girl. She burst into a huge grin, dimples in her cheeks.
“I’m Wachel,” she said. “I’m fwee tomowow.” She said proudly, holding up three fingers.
Emma got down on her knee to talk to her. “That’s so exciting!”
“How ode aw you?” Rachel asked curiously.
“I’m really old. I’m 22.”
“Wow!” She said, impressed.
“Is your mommy up?” Emma asked.
“Yup. And so is Gamma and Joel and Mewy and Webecca...” she listed.
“Thank you so much. You better go get those eggs now before you miss breakfast.”
Rachel started giggling and set back on her original path. Emma stood up and smoothed her skirt nervously.
Whose child is that? She wondered.
She took a deep breath and walked up the broken deck to the screen door and opened it, feeling her heart pound stronger and stronger every time she started to knock.
Finally, the door was answered. A beautiful young woman with blue eyes similar to Emma’s opened the door.
She was dressed simply, in a gray muslin dress with heavy black shoes.
“Can I help you?” She asked.
“Hannah?” Emma asked softly once she recognized her baby sister.
“Yes?” Hannah asked.
“Oh, Hannah. It’s me, Ruth.” Emma said, uncomfortable with using her given name.
“I don’t know a Ruth.” She said quickly. “You must have the wrong house. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” She moved to close the door, but Emma stuck her foot in the door.
“What are you talking about? Of course you know me. I’m your sister!”
“My sisters are in the house. Now please leave.” There was a little uncertainty, as if she was trying to make up her mind about something.
“Hannah, you know me! You have to know me!” Emma pleaded. 18-year-old Hannah looked her in the eyes for the first time.
“I know you. What are you doing here, after all this time?”
“I came to help.”
“What makes you think we need help?” Hannah asked angrily. “We’re alright alone. And besides, you don’t even belong to this family anymore. You and Nathaniel and Oziah and Susan.”
Emma was shocked speechless for a second after that. She knew what her great offense was, and expected to be facing problems coming back, but what had her other siblings done?
It was hard to imagine her sweet older brother doing anything. Oziah did whatever he was told and gladly, making jokes the entire time. It had earned him whippings, but it had never been enough to remove him from the family. And Nathaniel! He’d be twenty-five now. What had been his mistake?
And what about her angelic little sister, Susan, with the huge blue eyes and blonde curls? What had she done?
Emma could hear Rachel banging around in the kitchen, earning her scoldings from her grandmother.
“I’m sowy Gamma.” She said sadly.
“Can we sit down for a minute?” Hannah asked. “I need to talk to you.” She whispered in Emma’s ear.
“Yeah.”
Hannah led Emma to a small pond that Emma remembered fondly as her special place. There was still the small R.J. carved onto the tree using her brother’s knife.
“What did they do?” Emma asked softly.
“Oziah... passed on soon after you left. He took ill.” She explained, but pain and horror was behind her eyes. Emma wondered what really happened.
“Nathaniel left a month after you did. He said he’s been waiting for years to do it and finally got the courage. And Susan... She got pregnant when she was fifteen. Mother took the baby and Susan took off. She’s trying to fight for the baby.” She finished sadly.
“Is that baby Rachel?” I asked.
“Yes. She doesn’t know about Susan though.”
“Who’s still home?” I asked.
“Me, Rebecca, Mary and Joel, and the other wives. Their children are gone.” Her dead eyes reached into a sadness deeper than what Emma expected. Her heart ached for this girl, who is exactly like she used to be.
“I’m sorry. Is Mother still like she used to be?”
“Yes, although she’s grown worse. I doubt she’d even let you in the house.”
“So I wasted my time coming back.” Emma stated.
“Yes.” The answer was simple, but there was meaning. Emma just couldn’t understand what the meaning was.
The sisters turned to face the water. The sun was casting sparkles on top of the water, little orbs of joy that had been long lost from this young woman, from the entire family.
They sat there in a comfortable silence for a while, embracing the sun.
“I want to leave.” Hannah said quietly, sadly, softly. Emma turned to look at her.
“You don’t have to stay here, you know.” Emma said, hugging her younger sister.
“I can’t leave alone like you did. You’re so brave, and so confident.”
“Hannah, I ran out of fear. There wasn’t any bravery. I was scared for my life, so I took the easy way out.”
“I just can’t do it. I can’t make a life. This is all I’ve ever known.” She said sadly.
A flash of inspiration hit Emma. “Then go with me.”
“What? Are you crazy?”
“No, I’m not. Go tell everyone else that’s home to meet over here. Don’t tell them I’m here though.”
She still looked uncertain. “I don’t know... I highly doubt anyone will come.”
“Just do your best. We can be gone soon.”
She got up, and went into the house.
“Yes Mother, it’s time for your nap.” Emma heard Hannah say.
She turned to stare at the water. It hadn’t changed since she had left, but she had undergone a tremendous transformation. The sunlight danced on the water, making tiny diamonds.
The sun warmed her, and she began to grow sleepy. She laid down on the grass, staring. She started daydreaming, until it grew.
A dark figure moved in the night. There were several terrified children huddling underneath the blanket of a big bed.
The figure was shaking his fist, banging things around. A dish crashed to the floor, and someone cried out, although no one fought back.
This was the life they had grown accustomed too.
A woman cried out...
Sweating, Emma jumped up from the grass. She looked around and saw that it was growing colder, and the sky was darkening. She got up and shivered. She could see Hannah running out of the dark house,
“Sorry I took so long,” she said, slightly out of breath. “I needed to make sure that everything was taken care of.”
“Are you ready?” Emma asked, rubbing her eyes.
“Yes. No one else is coming.”
“Well, let’s get out of here.” She jumped up and stretched.
“Ruth, why did you come here?”
It took a second for Emma to realize that Hannah was referring to her.
“I... I don’t know why I came. Maybe to see how things had turned out.” She bent down and picked up a few bags.
“What do you mean?” Hannah asked gently.
She just said nothing and began walking to her car. Hannah took the hint and carried the other bags to the car. There were only six bags total, and they fit easily into the trunk.
She shut the trunk quietly and motioned for Hannah to get in. She got in herself, and put her seatbelt on.
Hannah got in carefully, taking Emma’s lead. Emma knew this would be her very first car ride.
“So, this is it.” Hannah said breathlessly. There was a sparkle in her eyes that Emma knew hadn’t been there in a long time.
The sisters grinned at each other and linked hands.
“This is the rest of our lives.” Emma said excitedly.
“Yeah,” Hannah said just as excitedly, like two little kids on Christmas.
They drove down the narrow stretch of country road, making small talk.
“So, what’s your life like?” Hannah asked drowsily. She laid her head on her hand.
“My name is Emma Stevens now, to start.”
“You changed your name?” Hannah asked, almost shocked.
“Yes. I had to. I was terrified that someone was going to find me, so I cut my hair, bought different clothes, got a fake ID and changed my name. People think I’m twenty-three instead of twenty-two.” She joked. “I live in a really nice apartment overlooking the water, and I’m a pediatrician, and I work in the trauma department of the hospital.“
“Wow,” Hannah breathed, instantly awake. “You really accomplished all of that?”
“Yes.” She scanned the increasingly familiar scenery. “We’re about an hour away now.”
If Hannah had been a little shocked, or anything of that nature, she was absolutely ecstatic now. Seeing someone who had made it outside of the family, and had a wonderful life, had made her feel like she could do it too.
They drove on, and finally made it to their destination. Hannah stared at the building in wonder before getting out of the car.
Emma grinned at seeing her sisters’ excitement, and knew they had made the right decision.
“Come on,” she said, feeling like a small child with all the excitement that was coming from Hannah over seeing her home.
They picked up the bags from the trunk, and Emma led Hannah to the third floor, where her spacious apartment was.
“Welcome home,” Emma said with a smile as she inserted the key into the door.
Emma knew her life would never be the same.
And she was ready for that.