Todd found himself lying on an open stretch of sand next to his mother, who was breathing furiously and fighting back the pains of her labor. He opened his eyes and looked around. The demon sat nearby, as if waiting. Todd couldn’t imagine what it was waiting for, unless it was for the baby to be born. Maybe he had something in mind for the baby.
“Where’s Dad?” he asked.
“I have taken care of the intruders,” the demon said. “They won’t be bothering us any more.”
He looked at his mother, then back at the demon. “What are you going to do with us?”
“Oh, I have plans for you. I have plans for you all. Don’t you worry. You and I will be going back to where you came from. We will have a great time together.”
“And my Mom?”
“That depends on how well you cooperate,” the demon said. “Right now it could go either way.”
Todd thought for a moment. It looked like the thing had killed his dad. But he didn’t have the energy to think about that now. That would come in time, but right now he had to think of his Mom. His mom and the new baby.
“Ok,” he said. “What do you want me to do?”
“Ah, that is so much better. We can work together, you and I. First, I want you to stay with your mother and don’t try anything foolish. Don’t try to run away or fight me. There’s nowhere to run and, as you can see, you can’t defeat me.”
Todd could see the logic in that. “Ok,” he said.
“Your mother is going to have her baby very soon. I need you to help her.”
“I’ll try,” he said. “But I don’t know what to do.”
“It’s ok, Honey,” his mother said. “I’m ok. Everything’s going to be all right.”
But his mother didn’t look all right. She was pale and gray-looking. His hands were clammy and she was having great trouble breathing.
“Mom, remember how they told you to breathe?”
“Yeah, Todd. I do.”
“Well you’re not breathing that way, Mom. It’s not sounding the same. You’re gasping for air. You’re not breathing it.”
“Ok, Todd. You’ve got to help me. You know how Dad would count along with me when I practiced?”
“Yeah.”
“Well you’ve got to do that now too.”
“Ok.”
“And one other thing. When the baby comes, I’m going to need you to help take her out.”
“Mom, I can’t deliver a baby. Why can’t he do it?”
“Todd, do you really want a demon delivering your little sister? You don’t want that, do you?”
“But I don’t know what to do.”
“Have faith. You will know what to do. Just do your best.”
Her breathing started again, erratically this time too.
“Slow down, Mom,” he said. “Just listen to me and follow along.”
He breathed the way he’d seen his mother doing when she was practicing, and his dad had been helping. He had listened to these breathing lessons for the last three months until he literally knew them by heart. His Mom and Dad had practiced them in the next room, and he’d thought it was fun to listen in at first. After awhile, though, it had become boring. Todd had learned it better that either of his parents and had used it on himself late at night when he was having trouble sleeping. It was ironic that he was so good at this and his parents were the ones who took the lessons.
His mother looked at him and forced a smile through her pain and he saw that she was watching him. Already her breathing was getting stronger.