The Sun and Moon and Stars

Epilogue

Frances and Julian were married for the three and a half months. Jem and Rebecca came home and the next day they had all gone into town to get a marriage license. Frances didn't mind in the least the lack of a wedding. She didn't even tell her family till she returned to the city.

When Julian died, she inherited everything: the land, the animals. But most importantly, she remained the guardian of Jem and Rebecca instead of having to see them shipped off to Helena's parents.

She sold the land, sold the cows, the wagon, and one of the horses. The other she kept and brought back to the city. But the neighbour and his wife promised to take care of the animals and the property. They would be allowed to return to spend the summer months every year.

The winters they spent in the city, at first in the Barrett home, but then they moved into a small house near Patricia and her husband. They lived off the money from the sale of the Fellowes' land and when that ran out, Frances would go to work in her brother-in-law's fabric shop.

Julian was buried beside his wife and daughter, just on the other side of the creek, in the everlasting meadows where dandelion seeds seemed to always be waltzing through the air.

***

"Dat star?" Rebecca giggled and pointed up at the night sky.

Frances followed her finger. "What do you think, Jem? Who could that be?"

The six-year-old boy squinted his eyes.

Frances watched his little face scrunch up. While Winnie had always looked like her mother, Jem was a miniature version of his father. But calmer, always ready for a good cuddle and a book.

He leaned out over the window sill, his bright eyes shining with the reflection of the stars. His pudgy cheeks moved up and down as he sucked on the inside of his cheeks.

"That's Winnie," he said after a minute. "It's gold and bright."

"And what about Winnie was gold?"

He responded without hesitation. "Her hair."

"And what was bright?"

"Her smile."

Frances beamed at the boy. He never forgot. "Yes, her smile was like the most brilliant star and her voice was like the a gentle morning breeze."

"And her hands were like pearls." Jem looked down at his own hands, pale and soft, cushioned with the remnant of his extra layer of baby fat.

"And her laugh?"

He grinned as if remembering her voice. "Like a thousand bells."

Frances pulled the boy close to her for a hug, squishing Rebecca between them. The little girl laughed and wrapped her hands around her brother's head.

"And which one is Papa?" Jem asked, once he was free again.

Frances surveyed the dark sky. She pointed at one near Winnie's star. It was bright and white, and its light seemed to stretch out across the dark blue. "That one. But don't forget, your father is also the night sky."

"Why?" Jem knew the answer, but still he always asked.

"Because he is deep and warm and watches over you while you sleep."

"And he holds Winnie in his arms."

"Yes, he does. What else?"

"He never forgets to come say goodnight."

"That's right. He never, ever forgets."

The nightly ritual of finding Winnie and Julian still choked Frances up after over a year of doing it. But she would never stop doing it. She'd make sure that Julian and Winnie were as much a part of Jem's and Rebecca's life as her own family was.

"Time for bed, my little geese," she announced, getting to her feet. She hoisted Rebecca onto her hip. The little girl was getting big.

Jem ran to his bed and pulled himself up. He jumped on it, the springs squeaking loudly. His little tongue stuck out the side of his mouth.

Frances chuckled but ushered him down. "Shh...you'll wake up Jules."

The little boy immediately got down and slipped under his covers. Frances tucked Rebecca in and then kissed them both goodnight.

Before she left the room, she checked in on the bassinet. The little baby lay peacefully on his back, his tiny fists clenched beside his tinier ears.

Little baby Julian. Jules. Just as precious as his father, with his dark hair and deep brown eyes. He ate everything in his sight and loved getting his hands caught in other peoples' hair.

He too would grow up with stories of his father and older sister. He'd learn about the wind that whispered through the world and the everlasting love between the sun and the moon. He'd learn about how adventures could only happen when one was hatless and shoeless. And he'd learn that his father would never be too far away, always ready to lead him on his next adventure as he fell asleep.