The Book of Enoch

Chapter 21 – Epilogue

Stepping from the old brick house, Beth smiled and let the smell of moist earth, coffee, and wild flowers fill her lungs. It was wonderfully quiet, just the occasional drops of water from the previous night’s light rain and the early morning fog. The air was cool, but quickly warming now that the sun was up and doing its best to break through the tall defense of trees that surrounded Kimi’s garden. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before she lifted the mug of dark liquid to her lips.

Alvin was right about his sister. She was a shaman, or at least what she thought of as a shaman… someone tied to all the life on Earth. Her garden was a marvel that made you feel downright sacrilegious walking through it in designer jeans and carrying a cell phone. But Kimi wasn’t anti-technology, not at all. She had the most impressive computer set-up that Beth had ever seen in one of the many rooms of her “cottage”. She said it was her way to stay in touch with Gaia. Still, from the outside, you would swear that the building and nature were in a constant battle for the plot of land, and that nature was currently winning.

Closing her eyes, Beth let the morning light warm her face, trying her best to feel the world around her as Kimi would. After a moment, she had a realization and smiled. “How long have you been sitting there?”

“Oh, only a half hour or so.” Answered Kimi from an alcove, her sweet voice seeming to fit right in with the birds that were starting to chirp at the rising sun around them both. “I often come to watch my garden wake up.”

“I’m sorry if I interrupted.” Replied Beth, turning to the woman and taking another sip of coffee.

“Not at all, dear. Please, come and sit. I really don’t have enough guests. With the four of you, I couldn’t be happier.”

The woman was of course speaking of not only her and Alvin, but Patrick and Usha as well. A vacation trip to the U.K. seemed quite in order after all that had happened, and Kimi’s house was the perfect place to forget the horrors that still lurked in her memory. None of that was going to go away any time soon, but the woman was confident that she could help, and Beth believed her.

Seeing her somewhat reclusive partner glued to the arm of a strange woman was a bit of a surprise, especially since they often talked to each other about their resistances to relationships. It was hard to manage in their profession. Taking an extended leave of absence was pretty much a given for her, and she wasn’t at all sure she was going to return, but Alvin was convinced that she’d want, even need, to do something that resembled her detective work, and he was probably right, too. She saw that Kimi was watching her.

“What?”

The other grinned. “You. You’ve already decided, haven’t you?”

“About what?”

Kimi’s left brow rose slightly. “About going after the others.”

Beth sighed and looked into her coffee. The others. The Watchers weren’t the only demons out there, even if they were some of the nastiest. She understood that almost as soon as she had been possessed.

“I just can’t let it go, knowing what it’s like to be taken. I can’t let them get away with it… to do that to anyone else.”

“And Alvin?”

“Oh, I suppose he’s a little disappointed that I don’t immediately want to have children and become a domestic goddess, but knowing that we’re both Nephili, he recognizes that we have time. Besides, he’s having too much fun teaching me to be a Tinker to complain.”

They both laughed.

“I heard you have quite the knack for it.”

Beth shrugged her shoulders. “So it seems. It’s as good a way as any to get used to a whole new world I wasn’t even aware of a month ago. You should have seen him beam when I successfully completed my first tinker, though I think he was actually jealous that I didn’t add to his collection of Abdicates.”

“Give it time.” Added the other, giggling.

“Mind if we join you?” Asked Patrick, holding his own cup of coffee in one hand, and Usha’s entwined fingers in the other.

“Please.” Replied Beth, indicating the other bench.

“Your garden is more beautiful every time I see it.” Said Usha as the couple settled on seats across from them. Beth thought that they looked really good together. Natural, like they were always together but just didn’t realize it.

“It certainly has a mind of its own now.” Answered Kimi. “I honestly think it likes to show off.”

“Who’s showing off?” Asked a somewhat gruff voice.

“The garden, brother.” Answered Kimi, smiling as though she might burst.

Alvin glanced around him as he joined them. “Indeed, so it is.” He went first to Kimi, kissing her on the cheek, then to Usha, who offered him her free hand, and finally to Beth, who he kissed on the lips. “I missed you leave. Sorry.”

She glanced at his forehead and frowned. “How did you get that bump?”

“Harrumph! I had an itch, and forgot I was still wearing this…” He held up his arm, which was still bound in a fiberglass cast. There was laughter all around.

“Aw… Poor baby.” Said Beth, soothingly, and then kissed his head. Alvin took the opportunity to steal another kiss on the lips. Then he stood upright and proclaimed, “Breakfast in twenty minutes. Crêpes with Kimi’s boysenberry preserves, sweet cream, and juice… for starters. Things will get fancy after that, so come hungry.”

“Oh, goddess, that sounds delightful.” Said Usha. “Surprisingly, I’m starving.”

Beth was surprised too. Between Alvin and Kimi’s cooking the night prior, she’d be surprised if any of them had to eat for a week. She stared at the woman for a moment, and then blinked.

“Usha? You… you’re going to have a baby!?”

The indian woman’s eyes went wide. Patrick just turned to her and looked stunned. When no one else spoke, Usha finally blushed.

“I… I wasn’t even sure until this morning. I was looking for the right time to tell you,” she continued, turning to Patrick, nervously. Beth was beginning to think the man had gone into shock when Usha prodded him. “Pat? Say something. What… do you think?”

“What do I think?” He repeated. “I think it’s the most wonderful thing in the whole world!” He stood up, reaching his arms around her waist and then twirling her around several times.

When they were calm again, Alvin stepped up and shook Patrick’s hand vigorously. “Congratulations, my good man! To you both!”

“Thank you.” Answered Usha. “I’m glad you approve, Patrick. I wasn’t at all sure you wanted children so soon, so when I suspected I was with child, I didn’t quite know how to tell you.”

“A few weeks ago I was facing the possibility of the world coming to an end only days after finding you.” He replied, holding her face in his hands. “Now, I can hardly wait for tomorrow! You only knew this morning?”

She nodded. “I think it happened that very first time. Do you remember?”

“Do I?! It would be hard to forget! But…” He paused. “What I want to know is, how did you know, Beth?”

Now it was Beth’s turn to blush as all eyes focussed on her.

“I… I just sensed her. I think it might be something left over from that Watcher, you know? It heightened my senses, and… and… I hope I didn’t spoil the surprise…” She added, worried.

“As long as Patrick is fine, it’s actually a relief.” Said Usha.

“Wait… HER? It’s a girl?!” Patrick was dumbstruck again and staring at Usha’s belly as though he could verify this information by sight.

“Oh my, I’ve done it again, haven’t I? Usha?…”

She was laughing. “It’s okay. I already knew. All female Nephili cross-parings result in female children.”

“Really? So… Alvin and I?”

“You are both Nephili. You can have either.”

“Oh!”

Alvin was stroking her hand. “Female Nephili are always fertile. Males, however, must pair with another Nephili to have children. Which is why I am so amazingly lucky. So… still want to wait?”

She bit her lip. “Well, it sure would be fun to be pregnant with Usha…”

The woman smiled.

“But… pushing a seven months belly in front of me while I hunt down demons sounds terribly tiring.”

“Indeed.”

“Would you mind waiting a little bit longer? Helping the others is important to me.”

Professor Manatee stroked her cheek.

“For you, I would wait a hundred lifetimes.”