"I forgave you long ago," Liz says.
"But you were so young," Amadou says. "I stole many good years from you."
"A life isn't measured in hours and minutes. It's the quality, not the length. All things considered, I've been luckier than most. Almost sixteen good years on Earth, and I've already had eight good ones here. I expect to have almost eight more before all's said and done. Nearly thirty-two years total, and that's not too shabby."
"You're seven years old now? You seem very mature."
"Well, I'm seven-eight now, and it's different than being plain seven. I would have been twentyfour, you know," Liz says. "I do feel myself getting younger some days."
"What does it feel like?" Amadou asks.
Liz thinks for a moment before she answers. "Like falling asleep one minute, like waking up the next. Sometimes I forget. Sometimes I'm worried I will forget." Liz laughs. "I remember the first day I felt truly young. It was when my little brother, Alvy, turned twelve. I had turned eleven that same year."
"It must be strange," Amadou says. "This getting younger."
Liz shrugs. "You get older, you get younger, and I'm not sure the difference is as great as I once thought. Would you like a balloon for your son?"
"Thank you," Amadou replies, selecting a red one from a large bouquet of balloons that sits by Liz's desk. "How did you know my son was here?" he asks.
"I've been watching you off and on for years," Liz admits. "I know he is a good boy and I know you are a good man."
Childhood
Owen is six, and Liz is four.
When the weather is fine, they spend afternoons in Betty's garden. He wears a paper crown, she a pink tutu.
On the last of a fortnight of fine days, Liz places an old copy of Tuck Everlasting in Owen's lap.
"What's that for?" Owen asks.
"Story?" Liz smiles sweetly, revealing brand-new baby teeth.
"I don't want to read your stupid girl book," Owen says. "Read it yourself."
Liz decides to take Owen's advice. She picks up the book and holds it in front of her. And then, the strangest thing happens. She finds she cannot read. Maybe it's my eyes, she thinks. She squints at the text, but it makes no difference.
"Owen," says Liz, "there's something wrong with this book."
"Let me see it," Owen says. He opens the book, inspects it, and returns it to her. "There's nothing wrong with it, Liz," he declares.
Liz holds the book as close to her eyes as she can and then at arm's length. Although she does not know why, she laughs. She hands it to Owen. "You do it," she commands.
"Oh, all right," Owen says. "Honesdy, Liz, you're such a bore." He removes the bookmark and begins to read from Tuck Everlasting with a distinct lack of feeling: " ' "Pa thinks it's something left over from well, from some other plan for the way the world should be," said Jesse. "Some plan that didn't work out too good. And so everything was changed. Except that the spring was passed over, somehow or other. Maybe he's right. I don't know. But you see " ' "
Liz interrupts him. "Owen."
Owen tosses the book aside, frustrated. "What is it now? You shouldn't ask a person to read just to interrupt."
"Owen," Liz continues, "do you remember that game?"
"What game?"
"We were big," says Liz, "I was soooo big, bigger every day, and our faces were like this all the time." Liz frowns and furrows her brow in an exaggerated fashion. "And there was a house and a school. And a car and a job and a dog! And I was old! I was more old than you! And everything was rush-rush quick, and hard, so hard." Liz laughs again, a chortling little bird call of a laugh.
After a moment, Owen answers, "I remember."
"I wonder," says Liz, "I wonder what was so . . . hard?"
"It was just a dumb game, Liz."
"It was a dumb game," Liz agrees. "Let's not play it anymore."
Owen nods. "We won't."
"I think I was ... I think I was ... I was dead." Liz begins to cry.
Owen can't stand to see Liz cry. He takes Liz in his arms. She is so small now. When had that happened? he wonders. "Don't be scared, Liz," he says, "it was just a game, remember."
"Oh, right," she says, "I forgot."
"May I continue your story now?" Owen asks, picking up the book.
Liz nods, and Owen begins to read again.
" ' "But you see, Winnie Foster, when I told you before I'm a hundred and four years old, I was telling the truth. But I'm really only seventeen. And, so far as I know, I'll stay seventeen till the end of the world." ' " Owen sets down the book. "That's the end of the chapter. Should I read the next one?"
"Please," says Liz, sticking her thumb happily into her mouth.
Owen sighs and continues to read. " 'Winnie did not believe in fairy tales. She had never longed for a magic wand, did not expect to marry a prince, and was scornful most of the time of her grandmother's elves. So now she sat, mouth open, wide-eyed, not knowing what to make of this extraordinary story. It couldn't not a bit of it be true . . .' "
Liz closes her eyes, and it isn't very long before she falls into a sweet, untroubled sleep.
Birth
On a mild January morning just before dawn, Betty delivers Liz to the launch nurse.
"You look familiar," Dolly says, gently taking the baby from Betty. "Do I know you from somewhere?"
Betty shakes her head.
"The baby, she looks familiar, too." The nurse holds Liz up to get a better view. "She looked just like you, I bet."
"Yes," Betty says, "yes."
Dolly tickles Liz under the chin. "Pretty baby," she coos. The nurse lays Liz on the table and begins swaddling her.
"Please." Betty places her hand on the nurse's. "Not too tight."
"Don't worry," Dolly says pleasantly. "I've done this before."
Many more people attend Liz's second Release than had her first.
In addition to Betty, there is Aldous Ghent who looks much the same as when Liz first met him.
He has more hair now.
And Shelly carries Thandi in a bassinet. Thandi will be making her own journey very soon. She, of course, has less hair now.
And Curds wears a dark suit, although the custom is to wear white at births.
And, of course, Owen is there, too. He is accompanied by Emily Reilly (formerly Welles), who now acts as his occasional babysitter. She tries to interest Owen in the proceedings, but he prefers to play with his toy boat in a puddle. "Don't run off, O," Emily tells him before joining the others to watch the Release.
Owen doesn't watch when they place Liz in the River, next to all the other babies who would be born that day. Nor does he watch when the launch nurse pushes Liz away from the shore into the current that leads back to Earth. To the untrained observer, it seems as if Liz's departure has no effect on Owen whatsoever.
Curtis Jest watches Owen before deciding to go over to him.