Kerlel Ohil Settlement
Grant scratched his head as and looked at the words on the page. It had taken a lot of begging to get his friend to help him with his reading. Once he did though he'd come to him at least once a week to get a boost up for when he was in school. School was only held every other week so it was easy to forget things in between.
"'The.. butcher.. charges.. ten shal for a... pound'?"
"Yeah, see you don't need my help." Nicholas turned the page and pointed to the paragraph on it.
"I bet you could do that one all by yourself."
"Oh no! there's so many words! I can't read them all.. it's too much."
"Take them one at a time like before. You can do it. Here I'll start. 'When the winter comes it get's cold and the snow falls thick on the gro-'"
Nick stumbled on his words as he was yanked off of the stump he was sitting on. The 11 year old dangled helplessly as he was pulled into the air by the back of his shirt. He looked to his friend with wide frightened eyes. This was bad.. "What is this?" Joahna asked Grant, giving the boy he held a shake. "Pa! It's um.. I was just.. it's not.. um um.." "There are rules in place for a reason. Do you know what the punishment for a slave reading is?" "Wha? No pa, not for Nick. He's mine, you said I co-" "I didn't tell you you could teach him to read!" "No pa he was teaching m.." As soon as he said it he knew he'd said the wrong thing. he couldn't think of how to back track out of it either.. "It's my fault I asked him to. Please don't punish him, it's all my fault." "A rule is a rule. We have to follow them like everyone else. You'd do well to learn that. We can't have these animals thinking on their own. Before you know it they'll start planing and thinking they're better than us and they'll go wild." "Please pa! Just this once, please punish me instead." "Don't think you aren't already going to be punished.." Grant tucked his tail under. He was going to get a whupping he wouldn't soon forget.. He wanted to cry just thinking about it. His pa had only struck him once before and it was enough to know he didn't want to be hit again. Nick was good to stay quiet, he didn't like being called an animal, he didn't want to get punished, but he knew if he said anything it would only get worse for him. If that was possible. Grant didn't know what the punishment was, but he did. And he was terrified. Joahna put Nick back on the ground, but didn't let go of his shirt. He gave his son a look to let him know he should follow and not drag his feet, then headed for the town, dragging the young skunk behind him. Nick tried to keep up, not wanting to get into trouble for stalling. He felt like the pit of his stomach had fallen out and the impending doom made shivers run down his spine. Grant followed, covering his face. This was all his fault. He felt the weight of if grow heavier with each step. Once he saw where they were headed he tried again to reason with his pa. "Oh! No pa please, please can't you just give him a whuppin? He won't do it again. I promise." "Porter, gather everyone at the poles. Everyone." Joahna ignored his son for now. "Caught this one reading." "Joahna, you can't be serious.. He's not but a baby.." Porter frowned seeing who it was. "He's the same age as my own.." "Save your preaching for church Porter, a rule is a rule." Porter sighed and went to ring the town bell, shaking his head as he went. Nicolas zoned out as the town gathered around and Master Joahna gave a speech. He wasn't really listening, the speech wasn't for him, it was for all the others.
He glanced at the crowd, taking them in for a moment. Some people looked horrified, others didn't seem to react at all. Why was everyone so complacent? Not just people like him, but the dogs and cats too. 'It's just part of life' their looks seemed to say. Not all of them were happy with it but they all accepted it. Was this just how it was going to be? Was that it?
The thought made him want to cry, he didn't want to keep going in a world like that. Maybe he would die from this, he'd seen it happen to grown men before and he was just a boy. If he died then he wouldn't have to suffer any more, he wouldn't have to be in a world like this one anymore. These were his thoughts as he was tied to the whipping poles by his wrists. His arms weren't long enough to reach but they just used longer rope.
He didn't want to live in this world anymore. But it wasn't fair, it wasn't fair that only he got to escape while others stayed to suffer. It wasn't fair that he would leave a good friend, even if he was a dog, to feel guilty for this. He didn't want that. He just wanted to live in a world that made sense.. Could this world ever be like that? Was he being complacent himself just accepting his fate and leaving it behind? "Are you listening?" Some one slapped him out of his haze of thought and fear. "If you turn in any reading you have and never do it again you'll only get ten lashes. Say you'll never read again." "I won't." Nick was only eleven, and he was told often that children make stupid mistakes. If this was a mistake then so be it. "I won't ever stop." He felt the sting before he even heard the sound of the whip cracking.
Nick woke from a phantom pain in his back. He sat up and wiped the sweat off his face, at least the dream ended there and he didn't have to relive the whole thing again. These dreams really had to stop. He'd been having them off and on since that day, but this month had been particularly bad. He looked to the space beside his sleeping mat and saw his note book was still there. Sighing he grabbed it up and held it to him, feeling better when he did.
'Like a child with a beloved blanket.' he thought. And maybe it was, but better than having nothing for comfort.
He got up and put the book down on what served as his table as he got ready for the day, reflecting on his dream and the event that happened six years ago as he did.
Life was a strange thing, that was all the insight he could gather from his thoughts and memories. A perfectly reasonable conclusion that any one could come up with, yet no less profound to him in it's simplicity and truth.
"Alright Nicolas Freeman, you better get yourself together before you start your day." He told himself and washed his face.
It was something he did everyday. Talked to himself as he got ready and ate his breakfast. It was a bit lonely out here but he liked the peace of it. he would get enough interaction when he went into town to work.
Nick sat down at his table and cut a chunk of bread off the loaf he had before starting to write. 'Other than the increase in nightmares about the past, it has been a normal uneventful week. Yesterday it rained again and the river looked about to run over. Grant's idea of filling old grain sacks with dirt and setting them around trouble areas since the flood we had last year seems to be working. My hand is almost completely healed, it barely even hurts to write anymore. I plan to start writing every day again starting today.' He put the book down and ate some bread, letting the ink dry. He wasn't being completely honest with the book though, his hand still ached, he wasn't sure it had healed right, but he just couldn't take not writing for so long. He could work through it. He'd managed some what passably trying to write with the other hand, but it was such a struggle.
Nick stumbled on his words as he was yanked off of the stump he was sitting on. The 11 year old dangled helplessly as he was pulled into the air by the back of his shirt. He looked to his friend with wide frightened eyes. This was bad.. "What is this?" Joahna asked Grant, giving the boy he held a shake. "Pa! It's um.. I was just.. it's not.. um um.." "There are rules in place for a reason. Do you know what the punishment for a slave reading is?" "Wha? No pa, not for Nick. He's mine, you said I co-" "I didn't tell you you could teach him to read!" "No pa he was teaching m.." As soon as he said it he knew he'd said the wrong thing. he couldn't think of how to back track out of it either.. "It's my fault I asked him to. Please don't punish him, it's all my fault." "A rule is a rule. We have to follow them like everyone else. You'd do well to learn that. We can't have these animals thinking on their own. Before you know it they'll start planing and thinking they're better than us and they'll go wild." "Please pa! Just this once, please punish me instead." "Don't think you aren't already going to be punished.." Grant tucked his tail under. He was going to get a whupping he wouldn't soon forget.. He wanted to cry just thinking about it. His pa had only struck him once before and it was enough to know he didn't want to be hit again. Nick was good to stay quiet, he didn't like being called an animal, he didn't want to get punished, but he knew if he said anything it would only get worse for him. If that was possible. Grant didn't know what the punishment was, but he did. And he was terrified. Joahna put Nick back on the ground, but didn't let go of his shirt. He gave his son a look to let him know he should follow and not drag his feet, then headed for the town, dragging the young skunk behind him. Nick tried to keep up, not wanting to get into trouble for stalling. He felt like the pit of his stomach had fallen out and the impending doom made shivers run down his spine. Grant followed, covering his face. This was all his fault. He felt the weight of if grow heavier with each step. Once he saw where they were headed he tried again to reason with his pa. "Oh! No pa please, please can't you just give him a whuppin? He won't do it again. I promise." "Porter, gather everyone at the poles. Everyone." Joahna ignored his son for now. "Caught this one reading." "Joahna, you can't be serious.. He's not but a baby.." Porter frowned seeing who it was. "He's the same age as my own.." "Save your preaching for church Porter, a rule is a rule." Porter sighed and went to ring the town bell, shaking his head as he went. Nicolas zoned out as the town gathered around and Master Joahna gave a speech. He wasn't really listening, the speech wasn't for him, it was for all the others.
He glanced at the crowd, taking them in for a moment. Some people looked horrified, others didn't seem to react at all. Why was everyone so complacent? Not just people like him, but the dogs and cats too. 'It's just part of life' their looks seemed to say. Not all of them were happy with it but they all accepted it. Was this just how it was going to be? Was that it?
The thought made him want to cry, he didn't want to keep going in a world like that. Maybe he would die from this, he'd seen it happen to grown men before and he was just a boy. If he died then he wouldn't have to suffer any more, he wouldn't have to be in a world like this one anymore. These were his thoughts as he was tied to the whipping poles by his wrists. His arms weren't long enough to reach but they just used longer rope.
He didn't want to live in this world anymore. But it wasn't fair, it wasn't fair that only he got to escape while others stayed to suffer. It wasn't fair that he would leave a good friend, even if he was a dog, to feel guilty for this. He didn't want that. He just wanted to live in a world that made sense.. Could this world ever be like that? Was he being complacent himself just accepting his fate and leaving it behind? "Are you listening?" Some one slapped him out of his haze of thought and fear. "If you turn in any reading you have and never do it again you'll only get ten lashes. Say you'll never read again." "I won't." Nick was only eleven, and he was told often that children make stupid mistakes. If this was a mistake then so be it. "I won't ever stop." He felt the sting before he even heard the sound of the whip cracking.
Nick woke from a phantom pain in his back. He sat up and wiped the sweat off his face, at least the dream ended there and he didn't have to relive the whole thing again. These dreams really had to stop. He'd been having them off and on since that day, but this month had been particularly bad. He looked to the space beside his sleeping mat and saw his note book was still there. Sighing he grabbed it up and held it to him, feeling better when he did.
'Like a child with a beloved blanket.' he thought. And maybe it was, but better than having nothing for comfort.
He got up and put the book down on what served as his table as he got ready for the day, reflecting on his dream and the event that happened six years ago as he did.
Life was a strange thing, that was all the insight he could gather from his thoughts and memories. A perfectly reasonable conclusion that any one could come up with, yet no less profound to him in it's simplicity and truth.
"Alright Nicolas Freeman, you better get yourself together before you start your day." He told himself and washed his face.
It was something he did everyday. Talked to himself as he got ready and ate his breakfast. It was a bit lonely out here but he liked the peace of it. he would get enough interaction when he went into town to work.
Nick sat down at his table and cut a chunk of bread off the loaf he had before starting to write. 'Other than the increase in nightmares about the past, it has been a normal uneventful week. Yesterday it rained again and the river looked about to run over. Grant's idea of filling old grain sacks with dirt and setting them around trouble areas since the flood we had last year seems to be working. My hand is almost completely healed, it barely even hurts to write anymore. I plan to start writing every day again starting today.' He put the book down and ate some bread, letting the ink dry. He wasn't being completely honest with the book though, his hand still ached, he wasn't sure it had healed right, but he just couldn't take not writing for so long. He could work through it. He'd managed some what passably trying to write with the other hand, but it was such a struggle.
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