The air was crisp and the snow cracked under the
weight of her boots as she moved to get a better
view. The blueness of the sky was iridescent with
orange and yellow highlights which sparkled as the
sun began to rise over to the east. She could see
the warmth of her breath as it drifted into the
nothingness that surrounded her. Wrapped up in a
plaid blue shawl, it was in sharp contrast to the
grey flowing skirt and heavy grey sweater. She
pulled it up tighter around her making sure that
the cold didn't get in.
Closing her eyes she dreamed of the way things were.
From the mountain side she could see all that was
around her and if she did strain hard enough, she
thought or dreamt that she could see the village of
where she'd grown up. But somehow, by keeping her
eyes closed, she saw all the lines of the trees, every
nook and cranny more vividly than with her eyes open.
She really missed home. But this was her new home
now and she had to learn to like it.
Taking a deep breath, she believed she could smell the
garden, the smell of the roses, the smell of the
lilacs, the smell of the freshly grown dill... the
warmth of the sun.. It was always warm there. And she
could almost hear the music that came from within the
walls of her home; the happy laughter. That's what
she missed most. The carefree days when things seemed
so much simpler, so much easier.
Feeling a tug at her dress, she finally refocused on
the noise about her, "Brieanne.. Brieanne.. Come on.
We have to get going if we're going to get the
firewood. It's a long walk down and if we don't have
it, we'll surely freeze as the fire will go out."
It was Brieanne and her sister's turn to go down to
get the wood... a trip that they made once a day
carrying as much as they could up the narrow path to
their still new home. It was a treacherous trip too
as the trail was sometimes of ice and they had to get
out early to retrieve the wood. Bethany handed her
one of the burlap sacks and the axe to carry as their
mum didn't approve of Bethany having it. She was far
too young but was a good hard worker. In another sack
was a couple of chunks of flat bread which were made
with the root of the bullrush plants they foraged for. It was plain, but it filled an empty stomach. Bethany always had a smile on her face and it was with her spirit that Brieanne knew she had to keep going so that her sister wouldn't forget what it was like to smile.
"Ok squirt. Mum knows we're going now does she?"
"Oh yes, she told me to get you moving and to stop
your daydreaming again. Whatchya daydreaming about?"
"Oh nothing. I was just thinking again aye."
"You're missing home aren't you?"
Brieanne nearly answered yes but then said, "This is
our home now and we're all together." That seemed to
satisfy her sister. Bethany was too young to really
remember a lot of the old home. They'd been there
for nearly two years now but Bethany was only four
when they fled. Maybe she didn't want to remember.
She used to wake up in the night screaming but as the
time passed the images that disturbed her had begun
to fade. Brieanne felt she shouldn't really tell her
of the home they'd left behind. She didn't want to
upset her; make her remember. She loved her smile,
her bubbliness and didn't want to take that chance.
As they moved along, the snow squeaked.. Bethany
giggled. "You know.. I think the snow is ticklish."
Bethany hopped up and down making it squeak more.
"Come on.. Don't be so silly you! And you have to be
more careful. It's a long way down you know and you
might slip." Bethany glanced out of the corner of
her eye, "Kill joy," she retorted.
The rest of the trip down the mountainside was done in
silence. They both knew they had to move quietly the
further down they got... the trees that looked like
blades of grass became closer and closer, larger and
larger. As they neared the treeline they could see
branches that had fallen under the weight of the snow.
Both girls scooped them up quickly into the sacks
filling them up. By then the sun was high overhead
and the some of the chill had gone out of the air.
Bethany grabbed a handful of the pine branches too
as her mum made their tea before bed out of them.
It was an acquired taste and Brieanne didn't much
care for it but her sister hadn't known of the sweet
tea that she really missed. Finding a hidden spot
amongst the trees, under the brush, both girls crawled
in and started on their bread. Bethany could hardly
eat she was so excited. She loved watching everything
around them.
Looking out from the brambles they could see that
nature had tried to heal itself leaving few scars.
They could hear the sound of birds and squirrels as
they danced through the trees. They could see the
rabbits play amongst the fallen branches and the fox
as she tried to keep her babies in line making their
way through the forest. They could hear the burbling
of the river nearby that had the run off from the
mountains. Everything seemed so peaceful.
Bethany pulled out of her pocket a tiny string which
she always kept in there to play. She really loved
playing Cat in the Cradle. She really loved the way
she could create designs with just this simple bit of
string.
"Come on Brieanne.. Just one game...
pppplllllleeeeeeaaasssssseeeee. Just one before we
head back up home"
Brieanne couldn't resist the urge to play with her
sister especially when she got that little pouty look
on her face. She knew it was an act to get her
attention and she loved the way her eyes sparkled
when they found a way to make up a new design.
"Ok, But just the one... we've got to start back in a
few minutes. It's a long walk and this stuff is going
to be heavy to carry."
As they played Cat in the Cradle, they heard the
squeals of the boys that had gone down much earlier
to do a bit of fishing. Bethany turned her attention
to the noise. Dropping the string from her delicate
fingers and losing the pattern they'd created, she
quickly stuffed it back into her pocket.
"Let's go see what they're doing. They always have so
much more fun than we do. They get to play by the
water and we're always getting the firewood." And
like a flash she was up and moving. Brieanne wanted
to warn her to be cautious but followed her as her
sister bounced out from under the brambles. Bethany
quickly grabbed the burlap bag and started running
towards the river.
"Bethany! Slow down. Don't go so fast." Brieanne
grabbed the two remaining bags and threw them over
her shoulder. Quickly straightening her shawl, she
ran off trying to keep up with the energy of her
sister. Her sister certainly never seemed to tire.
As she caught up with her, they made their way to
the river's edge. She could see the three boys, one
very very wet from falling in, all laughing. The
fish on the river bank were jumping and the smallest
of the boys was frantically trying to get them into
the sacks. The fishing had gone well today.
"Come on Jimmy. They don't bite." Arthur laughed as
he watched the boy struggle and Stephen broke out
into a song, and old song that Brieanne had head
around her home when things always seemed brighter but
one Bethany couldn't remember. As he sung, Stephen
danced to the tune in a way you could see the waves
crash, a way you could see as the drama unfolded.
Bethany dropped her sack and ran to join the boys
as she began to dance about too. Brieanne sat down
upon a large rock watching as they all pranced under
the sun. She loved those times. She loved that they
could still remember to be carefree. But she was also
guarded. She eyed the terrain about them. She hoped
no one was near. No one could hear.
Jimmy had managed to get most of the fish into the
sacks. They were packed in and must have been 2 dozen
of them in each bag. There would be fine eating for a
while. Brieanne used to never like fish but out of
hunger had learned to like it. Her mum would take the
fish and clean them. She would smoke some of them so
they'd keep longer and would bury a fish baking it
under the heat of the coals and serving it with the
tubers of the bull rushes and the wild vegetables
they had gathered earlier in the year. And she knew
that they'd each have an apple as dessert. These
meals were always a feast of sorts, with mom taking
out the few plates she managed to salvage before
fleeing. They were most certainly going to eat on
the china tonight.
She sat there soaking up the sun. Her mind began to
wander again, to the time when she was Bethany's age.
Her dad had taught her that very same song. She found
herself humming to the tune. She and her older
brother used to dance to the song. Her mother would
be making her dillbread and she could even smell the
aroma from the kitchen. With her eyes closed, she
could see the fire dancing in the fireplace and the
oil lamp welcoming friends caught out in the night.
There was always someone coming to visit to dance
with them, share supper with them and also share their
stories; stories of old, of princes and princess' and
of the magic of the world that surrounded them. She
loved those stories too for it was with these stories,
she was able to dream.
"Brieanne.. Come dance with us. Come on," as the little
hand grabbed hers shaking her back out of her dream
world. Bethany stood there tugging at her, her
cheeks red with the coolness of the air, gasping for
air heavily but not giving up the dance.
"Oh no. What time is it. We can't. We have to get
going now. Mum needs the wood." As she turned to
Arthur she said, "Let me take a sack of the fish up
so that your meal will be ready for when you get home
too."
Arthur smiled. "OK. We have to finish up here before
heading back up and that will make it easier for us
to get more. Will you tell my mum that we'll be home
in a couple of hours too. It shouldn't take too much
longer."
With that Brieanne smiled and nodded her head. Her
long blonde hair moved with her. Brushing it out of
her eyes, she grabbed one of the sacks and picked up
the ones she had to carry to. Bethany grabbed the
other one, muttering that she was no fun, but knowing
they had to make their way back up the mountainside.
As they turned toward the path, the boys began to
work again as Arthur began singing the song again.
As they moved further away, the song drifted into
her head and she found herself humming it.
"You like that song don't you?" Bethany questioned
her. "What does it mean. It feels like a happy tune
and it makes me happy but the at the same time it makes
me sad because the two people died in the end."
"But Bethany, they were happy because they were
together again. It's a love story and love stories
are like that." And with that, she sung the song to
her with the same zest and feeling her dad did.
The waves are high with large white tips
Rain pouring down today
A voice comes yelling from the town
Rain pouring down today
She stands there waiting all alone
Rain pouring down today
As sun's bright light begins a new
Rain pouring down today
And when dark falls over the land
Some say that if they look to sea
"I still don't think they should have died. I don't
think it sounds like it would be very nice."
Brieanne smiled. "Well they do say Heaven is a nice
place. And they are together again. That's the main
thing. They were kinda sad when they were apart and
now they're happy."
As they began their climb back up the path to their
home, Bethany began to hum the tune herself, but she
tried to change it some. "I think it's too slow," she
said as she took a breath. "If we make it a bit
faster, then it won't make me sad and they'll be
happier too." Brieanne loved her sister. She always
seemed to look at things in such a different way. It
was like nothing could make her unhappy.
The sun was now beginning to fade to the west as they
climbed higher and higher. Bethany swung her sack
from shoulder to shoulder while Brieanne tried to hold
on to the two filled with the wood keeping the fish
laden one away from her clothes. There was nothing
worse than the smell of dead fish and washing clothes
were difficult to do. The trees began to fade into
the land. She wondered how high they really were.
It seemed that everything echoed against the sky,
every little noise. But there was no noise, except
for the sound their boots made on the snow laden
path.
Suddenly the quiet was shattered. From below she
could hear the high pitched scream of gunfire. It
never had been so close. Then she thought she could
hear blood curdling screams. They were nearly half
way up the path now but she was sure they were human
screams. Bethany whirled around, nearly slipping off
the path. The sounds had startled her. "What was
that?" Her voice quivering.
"Don't worry about it.. Just go. We've got to keep
moving. And we've got to go faster." Bethany turned
and started back up the path. Her bounce was gone but
she did move as quickly as the rabbits they had seen
in the underbrush. Brieanne wondered if she really
knew what the sound was but didn't say anything.
Neither of them said anything. As they scurried up
the side of the mountain the sun began to position
itself to the west. When the reached the top, Bethany
ran to their special spot on the mountainside.
Brieanne took the fish to Mrs. Davis and relayed the
message that Arthur and the boys would be running
late. She gave her the fish to divey out amongst
the families and one of the sacks of branches and in
return Mrs. Davis handed her a fish for their supper.
Putting it gently into the remaining sack, she
skittered home fearing the worst.
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The sea it crashes, sea salt spray
The wind high in high, the trees they bend
She stands and waits for her special friend.
The gulls dare not venture to take trips
And at the dock down by the end
She stands and waits for her special friend.
The sea it crashes, sea salt spray
The wind high in high, the trees they bend
She stands and waits for her special friend.
They think the ship has gone down
The message from a boat did send
She stands still waiting for her friend.
The sea it crashes, sea salt spray
The wind high in high, the trees they bend
She stands and waits for her special friend.
With love and hope that he'll come home
The light begins to fade away
and on the dock, she will stay.
The sea it crashes, sea salt spray
The wind high in high, the trees they bend
She stands and waits for her special friend.
She's still there; she feels it's soon
As days begin to pass on by
She still stands and now she cries.
The sea it crashes, sea salt spray
The wind high in high, the trees they bend
She stands and waits for her special friend.
A voice it whispers "take my hand"
And when she does, she knows she's died
She meets her loved on in the sky.
Two people close as their souls leave
To rest in peace for eternity
Their souls in Heaven peacefully.