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Back Daughter of Eden
Chapters (68)
  1. Title page
  2. Dedication
  3. Part I
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Twelve
  16. Thirteen
  17. Fourteen
  18. Fifteen
  19. Sixteen
  20. Seventeen
  21. Eighteen
  22. Nineteen
  23. Twenty
  24. Twenty-one
  25. Twenty-two
  26. Twenty-three
  27. Twenty-four
  28. Twenty-five
  29. GAIA YOUNG. SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS.MISSION DAY 20. 20:25 MT.
  30. Part II
  31. Twenty-six
  32. Twenty-seven
  33. Twenty-eight
  34. Twenty-nine
  35. Thirty
  36. Thirty-one
  37. Thirty-two
  38. Thirty-three
  39. Thirty-four
  40. Thirty-five
  41. Thirty-six
  42. Thirty-seven
  43. GAIA YOUNG. SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS.MISSION DAY 22. 20:05 MT.
  44. Thirty-eight
  45. Thirty-nine
  46. Forty
  47. Forty-one
  48. GAIA YOUNG. SUBJECTIVE IMPRESSIONS.MISSION DAY 25. 15:30 MT.
  49. Forty-two
  50. Forty-three
  51. Forty-four
  52. Forty-five
  53. Forty-six
  54. Forty-seven
  55. Forty-eight
  56. Forty-nine
  57. Fifty
  58. Fifty-one
  59. Fifty-two
  60. Fifty-three
  61. Fifty-four
  62. Part III
  63. Fifty-five
  64. Fifty-six
  65. Fifty-seven
  66. Fifty-eight
  67. Also by Chris Beckett
  68. Copyright page

When I arrived she was sitting with her back to me with her feet in the pool. It was such a familiar sight – that strong solid body, that big square head – that it was hard to believe that eight years had gone by since she’d ordered me out of her sight. I was terrified. But I asked myself what was the worst that could happen? It wasn’t like she’d do for me, was it? It wasn’t like she’d even hit me. At most, she’d be angry with me again and tell me she didn’t want to see me. I could get over that.

I gave the boy his half stick, and told him I could find my own way back, then I walked forwards. She still hadn’t noticed me, still just peacefully sat there waggling her big feet in the water. In between shows, she’d always liked to spend time alone with her own thoughts, sorting things out and joining them together.

‘Mary?’

It took her a moment to recognize me, but when she did, it wasn’t what I was expecting at all.

‘Angie!’ she cried, and her whole face lit up with pleasure as she scrambled to her feet. ‘Oh Angie, I thought I might never see you again!’

She wanted to hug me, I could see, but she wasn’t sure if she should, so I kind of half-opened my arms to let her know it was okay, and straight away she rushed forwards and held me tightly. I didn’t know what to say and, anyway, she hadn’t left me a lot of breath to speak with.

‘Well, it was you that sent me away, Mary!’ I gasped out.

‘I know, I know, and I was so so wrong. I knew that almost at once, and all this time I’ve been hoping hoping that I’d see you so I could tell you so and say I’m sorry.’

Mary called out to her helpers and guards. ‘Janey, Brightness, Davey, Met, this is Angie, that old helper of mine I often talk about. The one who came from that little grounds out in the Pool by Nob Head.’

The helpers and guards nodded to me without smiling, not quite as pleased to see me as Mary was, but Mary ignored that, taking my arm and leading me away from them into forest.

‘I’m so sorry for what I did, Angie.’

I shrugged. ‘I guess you were disappointed. After all your teaching and all the encouragement you gave me, I still couldn’t hear our Mother.’