During the next two weeks Mavis went to Virginia's cottage five times, armed with her most popular casseroles. Virginia didn't respond to her knocking, and so Mavis always ended up leaving them on the doorstep. She made a point of walking by the cottage several times a day, hoping to peek in through the window. The curtains remained closed. She started watching for Virginia on the beach but never saw her. On her sixth visit, before she even paused to think about it, she started banging on the door. Silence. She banged some more. Still nothing. "That's it!" she decided, preparing to break the door down if she had to.

The door was unlocked. Mavis let herself in. Virginia was lying on the couch with a bucket before her. The cottage reeked of vomit and Virginia's clothing was covered in it. Virginia lay unmoving with her eyes closed, her face pale, and her body stiff and corpselike. Mavis rushed to her side, slipping in the vile puke, and began to roughly shake her. Virginia whimpered, and weakly pushed her away. "Oh no you don't darlin'. I'm not leaving, so you better just open your eyes and tell me what's wrong."

Virginia started to wretch again. Mavis grabbed the slop pail and placed it in front of the miserable girl. Virginia dry heaved into the bucket. Mavis rubbed her back. Virginia was sobbing. "It didn't work! It didn't work!" she whimpered in between her heaving and sobbing. Mavis smoothed back her hair and held her.

The sun was shining and Virginia heard a child laughing. Cara? She opened her eyes and quickly sat up in bed. Where was she? Where was Cara? 'She's dead,' the familiar voice quickly reminded her - the voice which refused to be silenced, which showed her no mercy- which she could never drown out. She saw fresh flowers on the night table to her right, a Bible placed beside them. The window was open and a gentle breeze blew in. She thought she smelled Lavender. Where in hell was she?

Just then Mavis entered the room, a little boy trailing behind her. "Good Afternoon sleepy head," greeted Mavis cheerfully. "I've brought you some fish chowder and biscuits. Lets get you fed so we can change your nightdress," Mavis added, turning to the boy who was getting ready to pounce on Virginia's bed. "Stay off Jacob! You promised you'd be good for grandma today!" she admonished. The little boy giggled and ran out of the room.

"What am I doing here?" demanded Virginia coldly.

"Don't you remember? You were terribly sick yesterday when I found you. I got Tom and we brought you to the doctor. He said you needed to be watched over, and so that's what I'm doing."

"I don't need to be watched over!" snarled Virginia with open hostility.

"Oh, I see, we're gonna be out in the open are we? Well, why don't you tell me about those pills you took. It's a lucky you're alive, or at least not at BMHI where the Doctor wanted to send you." Mavis was angry too. She roughly pushed the flowers aside and slammed the tray down on the table. "You picked the wrong town to do yourself in lady! We don't appreciate outsiders coming here and littering the place with their empty bottles and trash, and dead bodies!"

Virginia covered her face in her hands, feeling humiliated and vulnerable. She heard Mavis moving toward the door.

"Now, I'm gonna make a deal with you. You don't give me any shit, and I won't give you any. You just behave yourself, eat your lunch, and don't fight me. You've still got plenty of pills left if you still want them. But first you're gonna get well enough to get the hell out of my town before you try anything like that again! Swallow 'em somewhere else if you're determined to knock yourself off!"

Mavis slammed the door behind her. Virginia sat dumb struck, and then she began to eat.

She'd been with Mavis and her husband Tom for a week. She was completely won over by the big, gruff, bearded man. He told jokes and long drawn out stories, he brought her flowers every day, and pretended that she was part of the family. He even called her, "Sis." She'd begun joining them for meals and to her surprise, rediscovered her appetite. Jacob was adorable and she looked forward to his visits. He'd taken to her right away and would climb up into her lap and demand that she read him the same little book over and over again. Virginia now knew the tales of Peter Rabbit by heart.

She helped Mavis with the dishes that night and finally agreed to accompany her for a walk. They followed the shoreline in silence. Virginia steeled herself for a lecture from the old lady. None came. "I love it here," sighed Mavis finally, "After all these years, I still thank God for this place."

It was incredibly beautiful. The dusk sky was blue-gray, pink and white. Virginia felt the warm breeze on her face, smelled the salty air, and felt rocked by the waves washing in close to their feet. She felt peaceful - not barren, not hollow, nor dead, just calm and emptied out.

"I've decided that if you're going to stay in Hamden, we're gonna clean that hovel of yours. I heard you rented it for six months. So why not make the best of it? You've got plenty of time, to ah, make other plans later." Mavis was referring to Virginia's suicide attempt, and Virginia found herself smiling at Mavis's discomfort, and touched at the same time by her gruff concern.

"Ok," she responded.

"Ok what?" Mavis asked, afraid to get her hopes up.

"Ok, we'll clean the place if you agree to take me shopping. I hate the décor."

"Of course I'll take you shopping, You've got nothing suitable in the place to eat."

"Food wasn't what I had in mind."

"Well, food is what you're gonna get first, then we'll tackle the rest of the house."

"You've got a deal," said Virginia, smiling.

Mavis smiled back and for the first time Virginia noticed what beautiful eyes she had.

She still planned on dying. She refused to go on living indefinitely with her misery. But she'd decided to consider her time in Hamden as a final adventure. She'd stay on for a while longer.