Rebecca did not wake up.  

Susanna sat next to her on the bed, stroking a hand through her sister’s hair, her fingers coursing through the soft, crimson curls.  She had not left her side in several hours.  The sun was setting and she herself was growing tired, but she was determined to be there when Rebecca awoke.  Susanna had cleaned her up and dressed her in more comfortable pajamas.  She had hoped that brushing all the remaining sand off of her would help.  It did not.

“How is she?” Vincent asked as entered the room and took a seat on Susanna’s shoulder.

Susanna quietly shook her head.

“Oh.”  Vincent placed a small, comforting hand on Susanna’s neck.  “At least she’s sleeping soundly.”

“At least she’s not snoring, if that’s what you mean,” Susanna said with a little smile.

“Hey, that has to account for something!” he replied cheerfully.  “...it’s good to see you smile.  How are you doing?”

“I’m concerned, Vincent.  You and I both know that it wasn’t the fall that did this.”

“Now, we don’t know that for sure…”  

The platitude fell on deaf ears.  Susanna continued: “I don’t know what was in that bottle.  I don’t know what that sand did to my sister.  I don’t even care!  I just want her back.”

“She’ll wake up, my love.  It’s only been a few hours.  Maybe she’ll wake up in the morning!”

“But what if she doesn’t?  How long will this sleep go on?”

Vincent didn’t respond.  He wish he could give Susanna some answers.  As much as he was trying to remain optimistic and encouraging, inwardly he was concerned as well.  This was no regular slumber.  Something powerful had affected Rebecca.  He had silent fears in his mind--fears which he would not reveal to Susanna.

“It’s getting late,” Vincent said, hopping up.  “You must be getting hungry.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?  You’ve exerted a lot of energy today, both physically and emotionally.  Why don’t you take a break?  I’ll watch Rebecca.”

“Thank you, love.  But I’m alright.”

“I don’t believe you,” Vincent said.  He leapt from Susanna’s shoulder and onto her lap.  Approaching her abdomen, he knocked his knuckles on the soft wall of her belly.  He cupped a hand to his ear and listened.  “See?  Empty.  Nothing but echoes.”  

“Wait!  Actually, I hear something!”  A moment later, a sound resembling thunder resounded through the air.  Vincent didn’t even have to place his ear to Susanna’s stomach to hear the rumblings and grumblings coming from within.  He peered up at her face smugly.

Susanna sighed.  “Fine!  So maybe I’m a tad hungry.”

“I thought you would say that!  So I brought you something…”

Vincent whistled and made a motion with his hands, gesturing for something behind him to make an appearance.  A parade of levitating blueberries entered the room in single file and upon Vincent’s orders, they formed a floating bundle in front of Susanna’s face.

“Oh, blueberries!  Aww, you’re sweet.”

“Sorry I didn’t bring them on a plate.  That’s still a little too challenging for me.  Here, hold out your hands.”

Susanna smiled, but gently declined.  “I appreciate the gesture.  You know blueberries are my favorite.  But...I can’t right now.”

“Sure you can!  Blueberries are good at any time!  Especially these ones.  So ripe and juicy!”

“I couldn’t enjoy blueberries with the way...Rebecca is now.  It would seem a little selfish.”

Vincent shook his head.  “You’re a stubborn one, you know?  I’m sure Rebecca would want you to keep up your strength.”

“Oh, I’m stubborn?,” Susanna said, cocking an eyebrow.  “But again, thank you, but I just think I shouldn’t.  If you want them, you--”

Susanna’s sentence was interrupted by something flying directly into her mouth.  It caught her off guard, but she understood soon enough.  It was apparent that Vincent wasn’t going to let up, so she might as well eat the damn blueberry.  Full of sweet, delicious juice, it burst under light pressure.  

“Mmm...you’re right.  These are really good.”

“And there’s plenty more.  Open up!”

Susanna acquiesced, opening her mouth as wide as it could go.  “Ahhhhh!”

One by one, Vincent tossed each blueberry into the moist, red cavern.  He aimed low, not wanting to accidentally choke her by shooting one down Susanna’s throat.  Aim for the tongue, not the uvula! he said to himself.  The berry would bounce and roll around in her mouth before it would disappear from sight as the jaws closed around it.  When the lips parted again, it would have vanished.  

Soon, the interior of Susanna’s mouth was becoming more purple than pink.  

“More?”

Susanna nodded in affirmation and anticipation.

“Then allow me to make this more challenging.”  Vincent grabbed a blueberry and ran back until he was a few feet from Susanna’s face.  It took both hands for him to carry it.  “Catch!”

A blueberry was lobbed in Susanna’s general direction, but not too far off from her mouth.  She moved her head a couple of inches to the left and successfully caught the incoming morsel.  “Mmm.  Easy.  Next?”

“Well, I only have a one more.  How far away do you think you can catch it from?”

“Try me.”

Vincent thought for a second, then flew to the dresser on the other side of the room.  Susanna was now a good dozen feet away.  At this distance, he was starting to doubt his athletic ability.  Perhaps he would have to “cheat” a little...

“What’s wrong, Vincent?  Do you need me to stand up and come closer?” Susanna teased.

Vincent ignored her and concentrated.  Susanna stretched her mouth as far open as she could.  From afar, he could see her uvula dangling back and forth like a taunting goalkeeper, daring him to try sinking a berry past her.  Determined, he took a deep breath.  He bent his knees, then quickly took a couple steps forward.  Seizing that momentum, he hurled the blueberry away from his chest with all of his might!  The “ball” soared through the air, hurtling towards the awaiting mouth, which eagerly glistened with salivation.

Susanna’s mouth, however, would be disappointed.  Before the blueberry made it even half the distance, its arc reached its apex.  Soon after, it began descending and losing speed.  Before long, it would crash to the floor of the room with a squishy, anticlimactic splat.  That is to say, this is what Susanna fully expected.  But before she could close her mouth and smile haughtily at Vincent, the blueberry reappeared, flying up from below!  Instead of continuing on a corrected trajectory, it spiraled through the air.  Her eyes watched it zigging and zagging, looping and swooping, before the aerial berry came in for a landing on the runway of her tongue.

Susanna consumed the final blueberry with glee.  “Very impressive!  Unconventional...but impressive!”

Vincent struck a heroic pose, flexing his muscles and strutting around.

Susanna smiled and laughed as she watched the diminutive man continued his pseudo-masculine charade.  She let out a flurry of giggles, which led into laughter...which led into crying.

Vincent was more than a little surprised when he looked over to see tears streaming down Susanna’s face.  Immediately, he flew over to comfort her.  He placed soft small hand on her cheek and ran it across to wipe away a tear.  The kind gesture ended up soaking one sleeve of his shirt, but he repeated the act with her other cheek.  

“Look at me: I’m an emotional wreck!” Susanna said amidst sniffles.

“It’s okay.  You have every right to be.  You must be exhausted!”

“Yeah…I really am.” Susanna tittered through the tears.  

“Why don’t you rest here for the night?  There’s plenty of room next to Rebecca in the bed.  I’m sure she wouldn’t mind sharing!”

“I...I would like that.”

~+~+~

As Susanna got ready for sleep, Vincent sat quietly on the nightstand pondering the situation.  While he had been working on distracting Susanna and cheering her up, his mind continued to process what had happened in that hidden room.  He had strong fears that whatever spell or malady that Rebecca was suffering from would not let up anytime soon.  He would never let Susanna know this, but Rebecca urgently need help.  But from where?

A pair of lips bent down and enveloped Vincent in an evening kiss.  “Good night, my love,” Susanna spoke softly.  “And thank you for taking care of me and my sister.  I’ll sleep soundly knowing that you are here.”

“You can count on me.  I’ll be right here now, throughout the evening, and when the morning sun wakes you.”

Vincent was a man of his word and did not make promises lightly, but even as he spoke these reassuring words to Susanna, he knew that he would not keep them.  He would not sit idly through the night while a crisis was encroaching upon them.  He needed to act.  Within minutes, Susanna was fast asleep next to her hard-slumbering sister.  When he was certain that she would not wake up, Vincent quietly stood up and departed from his place.

Flying to the nearby window, Vincent was relieved to find it slightly open.  Susanna had left it cracked to let it the cool autumn night air, hoping it would do Rebecca some good.  Vincent could feel the breeze rushing through the small space and across the fabric of his pants.  It took a little bit of an effort, but he was able to shimmy himself under the window.  He did so carefully, lest the whole windowpane should come crashing down upon him.  

Vincent emerged and stood on the small brick ledge, which was barely wide enough for his feet.  The night was dark.  A blanket of clouds concealed the stars from the world.  Even the brightness of the full moon was dulled and blurred, offering very little light to guide his eyes.  Fortunately, he did not need its guidance.  He knew exactly where he was going.

Thrusting himself off the ledge, Vincent took off into the darkness with incredible speed.