Bridget sat forlornly in
the hospital waiting room chipping away at a peeling linoleum tile with the toe
of her shoe. She was about to be a big sister for the 4th time and the
novelty of that particular title had worn off after her sister Millicent was
born. Millicent cried a lot. Millicent was probably a banshee. At least she had
sounded like one, and as she grew up she didn’t get any less shrill. Next came
Bobby who was probably part Sasquatch. He was obscenely tall for his age and
quite hairy. He didn’t really speak in full sentences; he mostly grunted, took
food from the fridge or pantry and disappeared back into his room. His hair was
continually clogging up the shower. Bridget didn’t mind him so much, but it
would have been nice to have someone to talk to. Candace was the baby, at least
for the next few hours. Candace was sticky; there was no other way to put it.
No matter if she had just been given a bath, Candace found some way to get into
a mess. She always had something on her face and her fingers left trails of
sticky smudges all around the house.
It wasn’t that Bridget
didn’t like her siblings; they just didn’t have very much in common. Millicent
liked boys, Bobby liked, who knew what Bobby liked and Candace liked toys.
Bridget liked quiet and reading her books. She liked doodling in her journal
and daydreaming, but there was always noise around the King house and always
someone in need of her attention. If she wasn’t watching her siblings, she was
doing chores or schoolwork. It was a happy family, truly, but sometimes Bridget
wished she could have a break.
Bridget fidgeted in the
hard plastic waiting room chair and wished her newest brother or sister would
be born already so they could go home. Grandma had picked them all up straight
from school and taken them to the hospital, Bridget thought about her new Jenny
Murray mystery that was sitting on her dresser. She wished she had it now.
Bobby and Millicent were mildly arguing about what to switch the waiting room
TV to and Candace was sitting with their grandmother bouncing a baby doll on
her lap. Everyone was occupied but Bridget who kicked at the peeling linoleum
with a bit more vigor.
Her siblings were getting a
bit louder as they argued over the TV and suddenly Millicent lunged for the
remote. Bobby held it above his head easily putting it out of Millicent’s reach
and gave a lazy half smile. He waggled it above his head and chuckled. Furious
Millicent stamped hard on his foot and he dropped the remote in surprise. It
clanked to the floor somehow hitting the mute button and everything went quiet
except for Bridget’s stomach which chose that moment to gurgle with
displeasure. It was loud enough to garner the attention of her family and
Millicent sniffed her nose in disgust. Grandma put down her knitting, gave the
squalling siblings a look and said, “Bridget reminded me that it has been a
while since lunch and I think a snack would help settle our nerves. Bridget
dear, would you go find a vending machine and pick out something for us?” “Why
does she get to go,” Millicent asked. “She won’t get anything I like. I think I
should go.” Bobby rumbled something about chips and Candace started bouncing in
her chair chanting “canny, canny, canny.” “I’m sure Bridget will make fine
choices,” Grandma said as she pulled her
wallet out of her purse. She handed Bridget her debit card and smiled. “Go on
dear. I’ll hold down the fort. Pick me out something crunchy,” and she winked.
Bridget took the card and nodded. She
slipped it into the pocket of her jeans and scooted down the hall before
Grandma changed her mind or any of her siblings followed her. As she turned the
corner she could still heard Candace chanting about candy. Bridget remembered
passing some vending machines when they first came in the hospital doors so she
made her way to the elevators and pushed the down button. The elevator dinged
immediately and the doors in front of her opened. She was about to walk on when
she saw that the elevator was already full. A man in a brown suit smiled at her
and beckoned. “We can squeeze you in little lady.” But Bridget smiled back,
shook her head and said, “Its ok, I’ll get the next one.” All right, suit yourself,” the man said and
reached over to hit the door closed button.
As soon as the door closed the elevator
dinged again and the elevator to the far left opened. Bridget peeked around the
doors and saw that it was empty. She smiled and stepped in, pushing the stared
button for the ground floor. The doors closed and the carriage gave a slight
lurch and started to descend. 4, 3, 2, the elevator slowed and stopped. The
doors opened and there was no one there. Bridget poked her head out but the
corridor was empty. She moved back in and hit the door close button. Nothing
happened. She waited then hit it again. She pushed the button for the stared
floor and then the door closed button but the elevator doors remained
steadfastly open. She bounced back on her heels in frustration and stepped out
of the carriage. She pushed the down button on the panel and dashed back into the
elevator. Still it sat there. She huffed out a sigh, of course this would
happen. She pressed the buttons one more time and then stepped out again. She
could see the sign for the stairs from the elevator and it was only one more
floor down. She could walk.
Bridget trudged down the hallway
grumbling about how things always happened to her when she felt her toe come in
contact with something and heard a clink. She looked down and saw a silver and
orange coin the size of a silver dollar laying a few feet from her. She must
have kicked it. Bridget walked over to the coin and bent to pick it up. It was
heavy in her hand. She turned it over and looked at it. On one side was a grinning
jack o’ lantern, on the other an oak leaf. Around the border of the coin were
words which read, “October fun has just begun. Make your selection.” Bridget
flipped the coin back and forth in her hand wondering where the strange coin
had come from. When she looked up she saw a tiny alcove set back from the hall.
In the alcove was a door and through that door was a vending machine that was
giving off a faint golden glow. Bridget looked back and forth across the
hallway. It was still deserted. She looked down at the coin and saw that it too
was giving off a faint golden glow in her hand. The coin was jack o’ lantern
side up and as she looked at it the pumpkin winked at her. Bridget was so
startled she dropped the coin. This was all too weird. She must be imagining
things. The vending machine must have neon in it and coins didn’t wink. Haltingly
she bent down to retrieve the coin. She paused midway, looked at it and then
picked it up. She flipped it over to the pumpkin side and the jack o’ lantern
didn’t wink. Its face was frozen in its toothy smile and it stayed that way.
Bridget haltingly walked into the
alcove and towards the vending machine. As she got nearer she saw that it was
filled with bottles, glass bottles that had brown paper labels on the front.
Great, she thought. No food here, what a wasted trip. But the glow coming from the
machine intrigued her and she kept walking toward it. Standing in front of the
machine she saw that the bottles came in every size, shape and color. There
were round ones, bottles that glittered like gold, and ones so tiny they were
bunched 3 to a slot and tied with twine. There was a sign on across the top row
of the machine in gold painted calligraphy that read “October Vending: Where
Imagination Takes Flight.” How odd Bridget thought. She looked at the glasses
again and really began to read the labels. Fall Day, read one, Wolves at
Midnight read another. Fog Follies, Brisk Breeze, Ghostly Gambols, Moonbeam,
Cider Party, Childhood. One bottle seemed to be smoking on the inside and
another was rocking back and forth in its holder as something inside tried to
get out. Bridget stared. This was no ordinary machine, of that she was sure.
But what should she do? There was no slot for a debit card, only a glowing
button on the right side that said “CHOOSE.”
Bridget had read about things like this
in her books, but she never imagined that they were real, or that if they were
they would happen to her. She looked at the labels again. Should she choose?
But by now her curiosity was getting the best of her and she wanted to press
the button. She reached her hand tentatively toward the button and hesitated.
She looked back out the door to the hallway. She didn’t see anyone. The glow of
the machine was so inviting and the button seemed to pulse and grow brighter.
Bridget screwed up her eyes, reached her finger out and pushed. Nothing
happened that she could tell and she cracked one eye open to peek. A slender
tray popped out underneath the button. It had a depression in the center where
one could put a coin. Bridget didn’t have any change and her shoulders slumped
in dejection, then she felt a warmth in the palm of her other hand. She opened
her fist and saw the pumpkin coin. It looked about the same size as the
depression in the tray. Why not, she thought. She slotted the coin into the
tray and almost immediately it was sucked into the machine. Silvery purple words appeared across the
front of the vending machine glass, “Make your selection.” Bridget looked all
around the face of the machine and the sides, but there were no other buttons
to push and there were no corresponding numbers under the bottles so how was
she supposed to choose? She huffed in frustration. Of course she would get a
magic vending machine that she couldn’t operate.
Bridget sighed and looked at the
machine. It would have been neat to see what was in the moonbeam glass she said
out loud then turned to leave. But as she turned she heard a CLINK. The cobalt
blue moonbeam bottle was floating above its row. It floated out and then gently
descended into the waiting receptacle below. There was a chime of tiny bells
and the vending door opened. Bridget stared at the bottle. She stared at the
machine. She stared at the bottle again. With eager but cautious fingers, she
plucked the bottle from the machine and held it close. Inside the bottle she
could see tiny lights moving back and forth. She hesitated only a second before
pulling the cork stopper from the bottle. Nothing happened and then everything
happened. Inky smoke started pouring from the container into the room. Bridget
dropped the bottle in surprise and it landed with the muffled thud on the
carpet on its side. More inky smoke came out and soon the whole room was
covered. Bridget backed toward the alcove door but found it was gone. The light
from the machine was slowly diminishing as the contents of the bottle continued
to spill out, then there was nothing but blackness. Bridget tried to edge
toward the wall but her fingers found no purchase. Then tiny lights began to
appear. It was like snow, but it wasn’t wet or cold. Hundreds of twinkling
white dots pierced the darkness. They shimmered and danced across Bridget’s
outstretched fingers and swirled in a frenzy as she waved her hands in front of
her face. Bridget laughed. They were moon beams. She blew on them and sent them
cascading into each other. She gathered them in her hands and poured them out
like water. They floated and fell, spun and cavorted. She chased them around
the room and let them dance on her skin. Bridget felt giddy. After a while she
grew tired of chasing them and sat down on the ground. She reclined back and
stared at the twinkling display above her. Gradually the room began to lighten
and the moonbeams began to wink out one by one. In the end there was only one
moonbeam left on her index finger and it faded into her nail like melted snow.
Bridget stared at the glowing spot on her finger and was started when she heard
chimes. She looked up and saw the tray on the machine slide out again. On it
was the pumpkin coin. She stood up and plucked the coin from the slot. The tray
disappeared and the CHOOSE button began once more to glow.
This time Bridget didn’t hesitate, she
pushed the button and waited for the tray to slide back out. The second it did,
she slid the coin into the tray and said after a minute’s perusal, “Boney
Boogey.” The frosted glass rattled as it floated down and when the vending door
opened Bridget could hear the sound of drums and a trumpet. She pulled the
stopper from the bottle top and instantly the room became a night club. There
was a wooden planked stage with a crimson curtain behind it. On the stage were
a motley collection of musicians. There was a man with 4 arms playing the drums,
a fish like creature bulging out its cheeks playing a trumpet, while a mermaid
in a giant glass bowl sang from a microphone clipped to the lip of the tank. A regular
looking fellow played the guitar with his beard and a kitten was bouncing back and
forth on the piano keys.
Below the stage was a dance floor
already packed with couples moving to the music. Bridget was watching them
whirl and glide when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned and a skeleton
with a top hat gallantly bowed and asked her if he could have this dance. Bridget
was getting used to the strangeness of the situation by now and placed her hand
in his outstretched palm. His bones were surprisingly warm and as he led her to
the center of the floor she could feel the beat of the music pulsing through
them. He put a skeletal hand to her waist, and off they went. Bridget didn’t
know how to dance at all. She had seen things like this on some of her
grandmothers black and white films, but she didn’t even know how to Dougie let
alone dance, it didn’t seem to be a problem though. Her boney partner was light
on his feet and he swept her along in time to the music. Bridget let out a
squeal of laughter when he twirled her and lost herself to the music. They
waltzed and tangoed, did the Monster Mash and the twist. Bridget had never had
such fun and was sad when finally the music ended and the band began to pack
up. Steve, for that was her partners name, turned and bowed to her and kissed
her hand. As he backed away the room began to fade and she was once more
standing in front of the vending machine. The tray slid out with the coin on it
and Bridget reached for it once more.
One after the other, Bridget chose bottle
after bottle of October treats. She attended a tea party with a wolf man who
only drank Earl Grey, flew over treetops that were in full fall color with a
bat, went to a cider party with a scarecrow, sailed on an orange ocean full of
apples that tasted like October treats, and sat at a campfire that burned logs
of pumpkin spice, caramel, and maple. She also sailed across a river of chocolate
in a marshmallow boat, had a sleep over with a ghostly trio inside a jack o’
lantern, and wore a dress made out of
fog, but Bridget was getting tired. She had no idea how long she had been
choosing bottles but the novelty of it was wearing off. She promised herself
that she would only choose one more and then stop. She stood in front of the
machine looking at all the bottles. Toward the bottom she spied an orange
bottle with a red sparkly ribbon on it. It read “Autumn Memories” and as she
spoke it aloud she knew that this was the perfect last bottle. It floated down
like all the others and she paused just a second before opening it.
The vending room turned into a
neighborhood full of fall color. It was her neighborhood and Bridget saw her
house. She walked toward it and could see her father was out in the front yard
raking leaves. She saw her mother sitting on the front step with a papoose
carrier slung around her body. She was cooing at whichever baby was in the
sling. Bridget’s father said something, she couldn’t make it out from this
distance and her mother laughed. The sunlight caught her caramel colored hair
and made it shine like gold in places. Both of her parents were smiling and her
father put down the rake and moved to sit next to her mother. She scooted over
to make room and both of them looked down at the tiny bundle in the sling.
Bridget’s father reached in and scooped the baby out and held it up to the
sunlight. It squealed in delight and he pulled it back down to his chest
rocking it slowly. Her parents looked at the tiny bundle with wonder and played
with its toes. The baby cooed and wiggled and gave another delighted laugh. Her
mother began speaking to the child and talking about how it was their
responsibility to care for the baby and how they would show it the world and
shower it with love. They both promised to do their best and to guide the
infant and provide listening ears. We love you Bridget and we can’t believe you
are ours.
Older Bridget gasped. The baby was her.
She didn’t remember this, but why would she? She watched her parents coo and
play with her tiny toes. They drew closer together and shared tender looks over
baby Bridget’s head. Bridget’s father deposited his tiny daughter back into the
hands of his wife. He kissed them both on the forehead and then resumed his
raking all while humming a silly tune. Bridget’s mother put tiny Bridget back
in the sling and reclined in the autumn sunshine. Baby Bridget watched a
butterfly go by and then yawned and closed her eyes. It was a perfect moment
and Bridget could feel the warmth and love permeating her bones. She closed her
eyes to bask in the memory and when she opened them she was once again in front
of the vending machine. The coin slid out once more and Bridget took it from
the tray. It was warm in her hand and glowing. Thank you she whispered. The
coin pulsed. She took one last look at the machine. Its silvery purple
lettering sparkled and the bottles twinkled in their rows. She smiled and walked
out of the room.
Once out of the alcove she found
herself back in the hallway where she had started from. She turned to look at
the machine one last time but only saw a blank wall where it had been. A sign on the wall advertised flu shots at the
downstairs walk in clinic. Bridget turned trying to find the alcove but it had
disappeared. She still had the coin in her hand so she knew she hadn’t imagined
it. She was about to put it back in her pocket when she saw new lettering
appear on the oak leaf side. “Let me go,” it read. “Put me down.” Bridget blinked
and the words shimmered at her. She ran her fingers over the grooves in the
leaves and she thought she could hear a rustle. She looked at the coin once
more then bent to the ground and placed it on the floor. The coin gave one last
glimmer of gold and then went dull. It was time for someone else to find it and
become part of the magic. Bridget whispered a thank you to the coin and then
turned to go back to the elevator. The doors were still open and Bridget walked
into the empty carriage. Almost immediately the doors closed and she soon found
herself on the first floor. She walked out in a daze and saw the front lobby
full of people, doctors, nurses, visitors, orderlies, housekeeping and more.
She spied the regular vending machines and after a stutter step she moved
toward them. There was nothing special about these machines. They had candy,
chips and gum like any other machine. She was a bit disappointed but made her
selections anyway. Arms full she headed back up to the waiting room.
Millicent and Bobby were still arguing
Candace was still swinging her baby doll but now had a sucker in her mouth and
a sticky trail across her cheek. Grandma had gone back to knitting and Bridget
just stood and stared at them all. This was her family. They had a magic all
their own. Sure they could be annoying, but she knew their quirks and they knew
hers. Family. She was about to open her mouth to tell them she had brought
snacks when her father burst through the waiting room doors. He had a huge grin
on his face. Everyone looked up at the sudden intrusion and he said “Your
mother is doing just fine and so is your baby brother, Patrick. Grandma clapped
her hands in delight; Bobby let out a whoop and said something about not being
the only boy anymore. Candace ignored them all and Millicent grumped and
lamented that she had another brother to deal with. Bridget’s father told them
they could all come back one at a time to meet the newest addition. He turned
to Bridget, knelt down and looked at her. “Would you like to be first my girl?
You are the oldest after all.” Yes, Bridget said, and meant it. Her father rose
and told them that Bridget was going back with him. Millicent argued that it wasn’t
fair, but only halfheartedly.
Bridget followed her father out through the
doors and down the hallway to her mother’s room. Bridget’s father put a finger
to his lips as they entered and Bridget smiled and waved at her mother who was lying
against the pillows looking tired but happy. She waved back at her daughter and
pointed to the bassinet next to her. Bridget came closer and peeked inside. There
wrapped swaddled in a green blanket with monkeys was her new little brother. He
had a dark halo of hair and a scowl on his tomato red face. He was squirming
and gurgling and when Bridget said hello in a soft voice, he stopped. Bridget
leaned a little closer and whispered “Hi Patrick, I’m your big sister. My name
is Bridget and I am going to help take care of you.” Patrick unfurled his brow
a bit and made smacking sounds with his lips. Bridget continued, “I promise to
protect your ears from Millicent’s squawking and save you some of the good
treats before Bobby gets to them. I will protect you from Candace’s sticky
fingers and someday I will tell you all about the magic vending machine I found
while you were being born.” Patrick wiggled and cooed and smacked his lips
again. “Welcome to the world baby brother,” Bridget said, “it’s a magical
place.”
