#bat shit

Nine months of anxious waiting, preparing, and doubt mixed with pride had finally come to a close.

You and Terzo had finally met your first child together and could hold her in your arms. Beautiful baby Tragedy had made your life hellish while you carried her to term but you would have done it again and again- your daughter had been delivered hours before and already you felt like she was both of yours’ whole life.

Terzo was so overcome with joy and pride and raw wonder that he had been wiping tears away since her crown first peaked. She had his cute little curved lips. Her eyes shone black like obsidian, which she got from you (you were told The Eye could show itself later, but it may not appear at all and only time will tell), and already she had quite a bit of raven hair, inherited from both of her parents.

You gently rubbed your tiny daughter’s supple back as she napped, snorting like a wrinkly pink bulldog occasionally. She laid in heavenly sleep upon the upper half of your bare bosom, a simple black chiffon chemise draped over the rest of you. You both were exhausted, but her father and your husband could hardly contain his joy.

“Do you think I could hold her again My Doom? I don’t want to wake her, but I feel almost empty without her weight in my arms,” he chuckled and you reciprocated with a smirk at the reminder of Tragedy’s whopping 9 pounds that she exited you packing.

Your precious gift stirred and whined just a bit as you carefully turned yourself towards Terzo so he could reach for her. He teared up again as her eyes opened and he saw his reflection in the beautiful black. The way his chin trembled and he smiled at her made you fall in love with him all over again every time.

He spent a while slowly rocking her in his arms, nuzzling her little nose with his, playing with her cheeks in his hands which seemed comically big against her face despite his own size. You couldn’t help but chortle at the idea of her ending up taller than him years down the line.

As that thought was interrupted by a very high-pitched hiccup and the two of you exclaiming “goodness!” at the same time, something you had started together ironically but was now impossible to shake off, the thick carved wooden doors to your and Terzo’s bed chamber resounded a knock from the other side. You gave a verbal go-ahead and in came your brothers in law, to meet their new niece.

“Dov'è il piccolo fagotto? Let me see that girl!” Primo entered, careful of his volume but obviously in the biggest celebratory mood you’ve seen him in. In one arm he carried an overflowing bouquet with your favorites; charcoal eucalyptus, poison hemlock, black heart sweet potato foliage, haunted by the small dried seed carrying skulls of the crimson snapdragons he had gifted you for the shower and perished in your care. He always struck you as the sentimental sort.

He tenderly handed you the gift and you thanked him with a warm and grateful beam. In his other arms he carried a tote with teas he had prepared for the new parents, toys, the most deadly adorable dresses for Tragedy, and a blanket he had embroidered with her initials. Terzo started crying again upon seeing the clothes as his eldest brother showed them off.

Secondo took Tragedy from his baby brother’s arms so he could examine the luxurious and ridiculously tiny dresses more closely. Everyone’s eyes were on the two of them going back and forth about the quality of the lace when their middle brother let out a surprised shout.

All three of your eyes slammed over to Secondo and his niece, Terzo reflexively diving his arms under her in case his brother dropped her.

Secondo looked embarrassed immediately. “Merda, mi dispiace fratellino… it was like all of a sudden I felt a jolt go through my whole body!” He cautiously passed your baby back to the two of you. Terzo passed her to Primo for a turn as you spoke.

“Are you alright?” you ask your family member with concern. “There’s been a lot of stress on everyone lately. Have you been eating and sleeping we-“

“OOH!!”

Now everyone stared at Primo. Getting nervous, you move to take your child, who was surprisingly unfazed, from the oldest brother and he bent to meet your arms with her.

“I felt it too! It’s almost as if the baby shocked me!”

As it left his lips he and Secondo made eye contact, held it momentarily, then burst out in laughter on cue, Secondo giving Primo a playful slap on the back.

Terzo was becoming irate. “We’ve been up since her water broke at 3 AM worried sick and making sure our child enters the world unharmed, both tired as shit, and you two clowns want to come in here and play a little joke? While my wife can still hardly move in bed and my newborn is tryin-“

You let out a yelp.

All eyes, including your daughters, are on you. You could swear the corners of her lips turned up ever so slightly as the two of you gazed into eahcother’s eyes.

“I saw a spark! I definitely saw a light at her hand as she reached for my face!”

“Terzo, don’t you remember? You had lightning powers as a baby! She probably does too!” Primo grasped his brother’s shoulder as he explained.

“Between all of us your were the only one who showed signs of supernatural powers, but it’s not unheard of in the church for some children to be born with them” Secondo offered, being the most well-read on the ministry’s history of you all. “You had a different mother than Primo and I, maybe she had some supernatural ties as well. It’s speculated that it could be due to demonic ancestry. They faded while the two of us were rather young, but many books referencing the phenomenon claims they simply lie dormant. She must have inherited them from her paternal line.”

Terzo stood looking uncertain and a little forlorn. You knew it was a sore spot for him that his mother died when he was so young, and he had commiserated many times to you in private how he wishes she could see how far he’d come since he was forced to say goodbye. Knowing he had this much more to celebrate without her was clearly an emotional hit.

“Terzo!” you poke playfully, aiming to lighten the love of your life’s mood on such a joyous day in your time on Earth together. “My first time being a mother and you gave our baby the power of electrocution? You thought it wouldn’t be hard enough?!”

You all laughed together and you bounced Tragedy on your breast and cooed and made all kinds of dumb noises at the incredible thing you and Terzo had made together as his family continued to congratulate and shoot the shit with him.

You felt your heart swell even more. Terzo had always been special to you. You had never heard of such abilities existing in the clergy, and it made you proud to know that not only was the man you love gifted with such a wonder of the world, but he had shared it with your daughter as well. You both knew Tragedy was destined for great things.

That, and it was really funny imagining a little Terzo running around zapping his brothers.