Pine

'We are sorry to disru-'

'Orn talk tree. Mama talk Orn.' The little boy looked over at his mother as if waiting for her to understand.

'Little human, elven named, why do you wake me?'

'Orn talk tree,' Orn replied to the pine.

'Forgive us -'

'Orn talk tree, Mama.'

She looked at her son who beamed back at her and gave a sudden giggle. He clapped the tree on the trunk getting bits of sap and bark stuck to his hand. 'Mama no talk tree.'

'She does not speak our language - she blocks it out with darkness and silence.'

'I'm sorry but -'

'Orn talk treeeeeeee, Mama!'

'She must forgive herself, small human, and learn again to hear with her heart.'

She sat heavily on the ground, still keeping her hand on the stick and on the trunk of the pine. Hear with her heart? How would she manage that?

'Tree sticky, Orn hand stick tree.'

'It is sap, child.'

'Mama heart sticky sap?'

'No. It is unnamed.'

'Mama heart sad?'

She looked up and into the brown eyes of her child who suddenly seemed years beyond his current age. 'No, my heart isn't sad -'

'It is unnamed and those without names are lost and unable to hear.'

'Mama!' Orn again slapped the tree with a giggle and looked upward into the pine boughs.

'I'm sorry I -

'Orn talk treeeeeeee, Mama!'

'Little human, my trunk strains with the weight of my branches. Soon, I will fall and gain my eternal sleep. Please, let me rest now.'

She reached over, gently taking Orn's hand from the tree. She smiled at him softly. 'The tree needs sleep, Orn.'

'Tree night night?'

'Yes.'

'Mama talk Orn?'

'Yes, I will talk to you.' She pulled the little boy into her lap, her mind on the tree's words. 'Those without names are lost...'

'Mama!'

She smiled down at the blonde haired boy and kissed him gently. 'If only that name would do.' She looked upward into the branches of the leaning pine and sighed deeply with a resignation and an understanding. She looked down at her son again and smiled. Sanria. That name would just have to do.

Stick

She scooped Orn into her arms, smiling down at the little boy. "I think we will go outside again." At the squeal of the boy, she sailed through the house. She took Orn's stick in hand, sending the little boy into excited kicking and clapping. They went out to the same place they'd been going the past few days since Colin left: the leaning pine by the spring.

She set Orn down and handed him the stick. It never ceased to amaze her how silent Orn became when he held it. He would tilt his little blonde head to the side, listening, then babble back. She wished she could hear what he heard, but she would have to content herself in the silence. As she watched, Orn suddenly looked up at her, holding his stick aloft, waiting for her to take it. She smiled, expecting nothing but to humor the boy, but today was different. 'Mama share Orn stick.' The little boy looked into her eyes - she wanted to cry. 'Mama sad?'

'No, no dear heart,' she spoke through the stick. 'Mama is very happy.'

'Daddy go bye-bye?'

'Yes, but he will be home soon.'

'Daddy bye-bye make Orn sad,' Orn looked at her, his wide brown eyes swimming in unshed tears.

'Don't cry. Daddy will be home soon. Let's talk to the tree!'

'Orn talk tree! Mama talk Orn!'

She released the stick and watched as Orn kicked his legs in excitement, all pain of Colin's departure vanished for now. She stood him up and thought for a moment, taking hold of the stick. 'You walk with Mama.'

'Mama lift Orn. Up!'

'No, little love. Let's learn to walk. Move your leg.'

Orn held his end of the stick with one hand and held his other arm out for balance. His little mind went into its own chatter, 'Orn walk, Orn talk tree! Orn walk, Orn talk tree!' With wobbly, stout legs he began to take his first steps. After long minutes, they reached the leaning pine and the tiny boy squealed with delight.

'Good boy, Orn! You're a big boy!'

'Orn walk fast. Big boy!'

She smiled as the boy put his hand on the bark. Still holding the stick, she could feel the change in the stick and the deep voice from the tree, 'Small human, why do you wake me?'

'Orn big boy. Orn talk tree. Mama talk Orn.' Orn looked over at her with an easy grin that reminded her of Colin - the grin that said, "I'm proud of you." She could only chuckle at the similarity before turning her focus to the pine to ask it for help.

Rolling Waves

Arlenia stared out over the ocean with tears rolling down her face. She seemed to do a lot of crying lately - hormones, Banion told her, but it was more like heartache. She had waited for Colin to come back to her, to choose her since she was pregnant with his child. Instead he had come to tell her that while he didn't want her, he wanted to be part of the child's life. It made her sick. How dare he decide he was going to just come when he wanted. Pop in to say hello, no matter whether she had moved on or not. Worse, Sanria had sent him. Seemed that woman could ask him to do anything and he'd do it - regardless of the fact she didn't even want to be with him.

There wasn't much to move on to - she could admit that. Sam, one of the soldiers on the island, was trying like mad to marry her, but he was a crass idiot with no honor or dignity. She wanted Colin, but after this last visit, she knew that it was no more than a distant dream on a distant shore in a distant time. She wouldn't suffer any part of him.

Arlenia had threatened to go to Banion to terminate the pregnancy. She knew she couldn't have done it, but it satisfied her to see the agony on Colin's face. Let him hurt for a change. At last, she had gotten him to agree to taking the child once it was born. She would separate her heart from the one that grew inside of her. As soon as the baby was out, she would ship it like cargo to its father and let it grow up with him. She'd never have to see Colin again, and he'd have permanent visitation.

She watched the clipper head back out to sea carrying Colin aboard its decks. She flipped the bird to the ship, waving her hand back and forth in wide arcs. She'd learned the gesture on her travels. One thing she'd retained. She knew Colin couldn't see it, but she hoped he did. She took in a deep lungful of air and screamed toward the ship, "SCREW YOU, COLIN STONE!" Arlenia collapsed into a sobbing heap.