As she saw him it was again as though she had been punched in the stomach, for she had to realize afresh that she was seeing Charles, and yet it was not Charles at all. Where was Charles Wallace, her own beloved Charles Wallace?
What is it I have got that IT hasnt got?
You have nothing that IT hasnt got, Charles Wallace said coldly. How nice to have you back, dear sister. We have been waiting for you. We knew that Mrs Whatsit would send you. She is our friend, you know.
For an appalling moment Meg believed, and in that moment she felt her brain being gathered up into IT.
No! she screamed at the top of her lungs. No! You lie!
For a moment she was sfree from ITs clutches again.
As long as I can stay angry enough IT cant get me.
Is that what I have that IT doesnt have?
Nonsense, Charles Wallace said. You have nothing that IT doesnt have.
Youre lying, she replied, and she felt only anger towards this boy who was not Charles Wallace at all. No, it was not anger, it was loathing; it was hatred, sheer and unadulterated, and as she became lost in hatred she also began to be lost in IT. The red miasma swam before her eyes; her stomach churned in ITs rhythm. Her body trembled with the strength of her hatred and the strength of IT.
With the last vestige of consciousness she jerked her mind and body. Hate was nothing that IT didnt have, it knew all about hate.
You are lying about that, and you were lying about Mrs Whatsit! she screamed.
Mrs Whatsit hates you, Charles Wallace said.
And that was where IT made ITs fatal mistake, for as Meg said, automatically, Mrs Whatsit loves me; thats what she told me, that she loves me, suddenly she knew.
She knew!
Love.
That was what she had that IT did not have.
She had Mrs Whatsits love, and her fathers, and her mothers, and the real Charles Wallaces love, and the twins, and Aunt Beasts.
And she had her love for them.
But how could she use it? What was she meant to do?
If she could give love to IT perhaps it would shrivel up and die, for she was sure that IT could not withstand love. But she, in all her weakness and foolishness and baseness and nothingness, was incapable of loving IT. Perhaps it was not too much to ask of her, but she could not do it.
But she could love Charles Wallace.
She could stand there and she could love Charles Wallace.
Her own Charles Wallace, the real Charles Wallace, the child for whom she had come back to Camazotz, to IT, the baby who was so much more than she was, and who was yet so utterly vulnerable.
She could love Charles Wallace.
Charles. Charles, I love you. My baby brother who always takes care of me. Come back to me, Charles Wallace, come away from IT, come back, come home. I love you, Charles. Oh, Charles Wallace, I love you.
Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but she was unaware of them.
Now she was even able to look at him, at this animated thing that was not her own Charles Wallace at all. She was able to look and love.
I love you. Charles Wallace, I love you. I love you. I love you.
Slowly his mouth closed. Slowly his eyes stopped their twirling. The tic in the forehead ceased its revolting twitch. Slowly he advanced towards her.
I love you! she cried. I love you, Charles! I love you!
Then suddenly he was running, pelting, he was in her arms, he was shrieking with sobs. Meg! Meg! Meg!
I love you, Charles! she cried again, her sobs almost as loud as his, her tears mingling with his. I love you! I love you! I love you!
A whirl of darkness. An icy cold blast. An angry, resentful howl that seemed to tear through her. Darkness again. Through the darkness to save her came a sense of Mrs Whatsits presence, so that she knew she could not be in ITs clutches.
And then the feel of the earth beneath her, of something in her arms, and she was rolling over on the sweet smelling autumnal earth, and Charles Wallace was crying out, Meg! Oh, Meg!
Now she was hugging him close to her, and his little arms were clasped tightly about her neck. Meg, you saved me! You saved me! he said over and over.
Meg! came a call, and there were her father and Calvin hurrying through the darkness towards them.
Still holding Charles she struggled to stand up and look around. Father! Cal! Where are we?
Charles Wallace, holding her hand tightly, was looking around, too, and suddenly he laughed, his own, sweet contagious laugh. In the twins vegetable garden! And we landed in the broccoli!
Meg began to laugh, too, at the same time that she was trying to hug her father, to hug Calvin, and not to let go of Charles Wallace for one second.
Meg, you did it! Calvin shouted. You saved Charles!
Im very proud of you, my daughter. Mr Murry kissed her gravely, then turned towards the house. Now I must go in to mother. Meg could tell that he was trying to control his anxiety and eagerness.
Look! she pointed to the house, and there were the twins and Mrs Murry walking towards them through the long, wet grass.
First thing tomorrow I must get some new glasses, Mr Murry said, squinting in the moonlight, and then starting to run towards his wife.
Dennyss voice came crossly over the lawn. Hey, Meg, its bedtime.
Sandy suddenly yelled, Father!
Mr Murry was running across the lawn, Mrs Murry running towards him, and they were in each others arms, and then there was a tremendous happy jumble of arms and legs and hugging, the older Murrys and Meg and Charles Wallace and the twins, and Calvin grinning by them until Meg reached out and pulled him in and Mrs Murry gave him a special hug all of his own. They were talking and laughing all at once, when they were startled by a crash, and Fortinbras, who could not bear being left out of the happiness one second longer, catapulted his sleek black body right through the screened door to the kitchen. He dashed across the lawn to join in the joy, and almost knocked them all over with the exuberance of his greeting.
Meg knew all at once that Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which must be near, because all through her she felt a flooding of joy and of love that was even greater and deeper than the joy and love which were already there.
She stopped laughing and listened, and Charles listened, too. Hush.
Then there was a whirring, and Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which were standing in front of them, and the joy and love were so tangible that Meg felt that if she only knew where to reach she could touch it with her bare hands.
Mrs Whatsit said breathlessly, Oh, my darlings, Im sorry we dont have time to say goodbye to you properly. You see, we have to
But they never learned what it was that Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who and Mrs Which had to do, for there was a gust of wind, and they were gone.