Story Archive
In Other Context:
In the Before Time
by Mary
Greten
-
-
- In Other Context: In the Before Time
- by Mary Greten
-
- loc's appreciated, attended to, and answered.
- mgreten@xtalwind.net
-
- SUMMARY: Grandmother Mulder tells a "story" to her grandchildren.
-
- VIGNETTE G
-
-
- The children liked to visit their Grandmother Mulder. Granted she
- was frail and not always well enough for them to stay for very long,
- but that did not deter her from telling her grandchildren fairy tales
- and Mother Goose rhymes and stories of her girlhood.
-
- One day, when the grandchildren begged her to tell them a story,
- the grandmother remained silent as if she were looking at an
- internal clock. Were they ready? Should she relate to them, now,
- the events that took place.....
-
- ".....In the Before Time, there was a young woman, who because
- of her beauty and mental acuity, was sought after by two stalwart
- young soldiers who happened to be best friends.
-
- "Not wishing to become the source of discord between her two
- young suitors, the young lady requested a promise from both of
- them that her betrothed and she would consider the other friend as
- "brother" to them and part of their family. Both men agreed
and so
- she chose one of them to be her husband.
-
- "In timely fashion, the young woman brought forth her first born.
- Their friend and "brother" became godfather to him. The men,
- comrade-at-arms, were assigned or volunteered for assignments
- together. Soon however, the young woman's husband
- distinguished himself to his superiors and was given solitary
- assignments that took far and long from home.
-
- "Always, when not on assignment himself, the young woman's
- friend and "brother" visited his adopted family. One day,
the young
- woman's husband was called on another mission. He confided to
- his friend that this mission was dangerous to the extreme and
- extracted a solemn oath that his friend would care
- for his family should the not unexpected occur.
- "The young mother's husband's best man, stood well in her
- husband's stead playing with his godchild, and pacing the hospital
- floor when the woman, with great difficulty, delivered his friend's
- daughter, his "niece".
-
- "Then came a day, the young mother, by now quite acquainted with
- her friend's visage, did not need him to say the words. She knew
- her husband would not be returning home from this mission.
-
- "A year passed, her husband declared dead, the young mother
- allowed herself to be wooed by her husband's best man and
- "uncle" to her children. She did love him. He, in the largess
of his
- heart not only loved her, but adopted her children and loved them
- as his own. The discovery of his wife's barrenness was devastating;
- but the two youngsters now bearing his name and love took
- the pain away with their increasing devotion to him as their father.
-
- "....His daughter was four years old when he returned to a home
- not his and found himself "uncle" to his own children.....".
-
- After the grandmother did not continue for some time, the
- grandchildren noticed the stillness of her eyes, and tiptoed
- out of the room. When they were informed that their
- grandmother had "gone to a better place" the grandchildren
- wondered if she had went to the world...
-
- In The Before Time.
All feedback to Mary
Greten
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