THE PASSAGE

A Failed Attempted-Maybe

Chapter 25

I stare at her and play her words over several times in my mind, analyzing them, turning them over, searching for their meaning. I look over at Cain, then back to Solstice.

"What? Did I hear you correctly? Did you say I could nurse Cain for you?"

"Yes. I have a rare abnormality about me in that I can't produce breast milk. I didn't know it until Cain was born, but the cause is most likely undeveloped tissue and ducts. In the rare event that this condition happens to someone like me, there is a practice in Nod that we call 'bestowing the rights,' where we appoint someone else who is willing to take over the responsibility of nursing the child. It's a simple procedure."

"You mean ... a surgical procedure?"

"No, not at all. It just involves someone, such as yourself, who is willing to take on the responsibility. It incorporates meditation and the power of the mind to convince the body to lactate."

She puts her hand on my shoulder and looks into my eyes. "Our minds are very, very powerful, Jamie. The secret is convincing your mind to tell your body to produce the hormones for breast milk production. It's that simple."

I put my hands over my breasts and look over at Cain again. I think back to an article I wrote early in my career about adoptive mothers inducing lactation by tricking the body into thinking she was pregnant.

"Solstice, I understand what you are saying. Even if this works, it will take too long to produce results, don't you think?"

"No. The midwife who helped me bestow the rights to my sister Lana said that the time varies. We should know pretty quickly if it will work, but it could take up to a week or so for results to appear. With Lana, we had good results the next day. The midwife said that the secret to it working is to meditate about it with a mind that is open to everything and opposed to nothing."

"Solstice, I think I am going to step outside for a moment and get some air. It's starting to get a little warm in here. I'll be right back, I promise."

Solstice stares at me with a disappointed look about her as I put on Pop's long sleeve shirt that I took off earlier, grab the flashlight and a blanket, and head out the door. I need to be alone for a few minutes to clear my mind and think about this.

I step out the door and go to the nearest tree. There, I sit and draw my knees up and wrap my arms around them. After taking in a deep breath and letting it out, I stare up at the night sky for a few moments, a bright gibbous moon hovering up above. The pleasant smell of wood smoke lingers in the air. The sky is dotted with billions of stars, making it one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. I feel a soft wind is blowing, and the only sound I hear is the slight rustling of the leaves. I lean back against the tree and allow my eyes to close, hoping the cold air will keep me awake.

What a day this has been. Could I be dreaming? I pinch myself on a couple of spots on my arm to try and wake myself up, but nothing happens. Bestowing the rights, wow. She seems to think that this is going to work. I'm sure she's not making it up, but really?

And then, I hear Aunt Julie's voice in my mind, as if reminding me of the things that I need to remember.

Don't give up on something just because it seem impossible, nothing is impossible.

Nothing is impossible. If that is true, then Toby still has a chance also. Thinking otherwise would be giving up. I can't give up on Cain, either. It could work, I suppose. Solstice seems to feel that it can work. Why would I choose not to believe her? It wouldn't hurt to try, at least for Cain's sake.