The year is 1901 in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, sunrise; Elizabeth Dawson has already risen and is preparing breakfast. She is a simple, beautiful, blonde- haired, woman whose hair is usually kept in an untidy bun with a few strands that hung loosely around her face. She was wearing her favorite green summer dress that was old and worn out from the many years it had endured. Her husband Joseph Dawson was outside tending to the field wearing a dirty white shirt, mud covered overalls, and thick black boots that always seemed to make a thunderous noise every time he entered the room, making his presence known. He was a strong well-chiseled man, his body was usually tanned from the long hot hours he spent working in the fields he had long brown hair and a grizzly beard in which he never shaved. Elizabeth finally finished setting the table, proud of the meal she had prepared, she washed her hands and wiped them on the apron she was wearing. " Jack! Come on down for supper!" there was no answer. " Jack?" she called again, still there was no answer.
" Honestly, that boy" Elizabeth made her way up the stairs towards Jack's room, the wooden floorboards silently creaked as she walked on every step, she knocks on Jack's door. "Jack get up its time for breakfast" slowly she opens the door gazing at his figure bundled under a large amount of blankets Elizabeth pulls the covers only to be dumbfounded to find a stack of pillows underneath, she laughed to herself, " Oh Jack what am I going to do with you." Elizabeth went scurrying down the stairs to find her husband, " Joseph have you seen our son?" Joseph paused to wipe the sweat from his face, " No I'm afraid not honey" he continued to plow the field Elizabeth crossed her arms, " Well supper is getting cold don't you think we ought to find him?" Joseph laughed, " Don't worry I'm sure he'll come back when he's hungry" Elizabeth was growing more worrisome, " And when do you think that will be, he's only 8 years old Joseph." Joseph stopped plowing to look at his wife and placed his hands on her shoulders, " You know you worry too much, he'll be fine you know how Jack is, that boy can't sit down long enough for anyone to tell him anything." Elizabeth smiles in defeat, " He gets it from you, you know that." Joseph laughed placing a kiss on her cheek. " Well come on now its time to eat and wash those hands they're filthy" Elizabeth said teasingly. " Ah yes another fabulous meal prepared by the hands of my fabulous wife." Joseph pulled off his gloves tossing them to the side and walked back towards the house with his wife.
Jack Dawson was sitting in a tall oak tree over looking Lake Wissota daydreaming and enjoying the sound of the water and the ducks below him, he was a little boy with scruffy blonde hair like his mother that showed the same length as his father, he wore a white muslin shirt and brown cargo pants. Jack never felt the need to wear shoes so he spent most of his time wandering barefoot. Suddenly Jack could hear the sound of distant footsteps coming towards him he turned around to investigate and spotted a small girl with curly red hair tied in a neat bun wearing a bright yellow dress her name was Rose. Jack instantly thought she was gorgeous he couldn't take his eyes off of her she was so small and frail as if she were made of glass. He continued to watch as she played in the water and fed the ducks leaning in for a closer look, he finally spoke, " Be careful you might get your pretty dress all wet" Jack could hear the coolness in his voice, Rose was startled, " Excuse me?" Jack hung by his legs upside down on the tree branches trying to impress her, " I was just saying you don't want to get your dress all wet." She scoffed at his comment, "I'll be fine I don't need you to tell me what to do" Jack was now even more determined to get her attention he began to tease her, " Well I was just saying that because girls don't need to be doing guy things like playing in the mud for example" a sudden burst of anger could be heard in Rose's voice, "I'll have you know girls are just as good at doing the same things as boys maybe even better" Jack laughed, " Oh yeah prove it!" Jack enjoyed this game he was playing with her, he didn't really mean what he had said he just wanted the opportunity to talk to her, he was suddenly surprised to find her trying to climb the tall oak tree he was in, " Hey what are you doing get down you could hurt yourself." She wasn't listening she continued to climb, " Don't try and stop me now you're just afraid that I just might make it."
Jack was getting worried " Okay I'm sorry I take it back just stop!" As soon as he said that the tree branch underneath her foot snapped and she was sent hurdling towards the ground scraping her knee she cried at the sudden pain. Jack jumped down from the tree to her aid Rose pushed him away forcefully, " Get away from me its your fault I hurt myself anyway" Jack was still persistent, " Hey I told you to stop but you didn't listen now hold still!" she became quiet as Jack began to examine her leg, he proceeded to tear off a piece of his sleeve and used it as a bandage around her knee. Rose watched in awe as Jack tended to her knee she couldn't help but wonder why this strange boy was taking the time to help her but she didn't bother asking." There now that wasn't so bad" Both of them stared at each other not saying anything for the longest time as if they were in a trance. Jack was the first to speak, " C'mon I'll take you home" Jack helped her onto her feet he couldn't help but blush when she looked at him with her pretty greenish blue eyes. Jack turned around and hunched over, " Hop on" she looked at him confused, " You want me to get on your back?" Jack nodded and she reluctantly agreed to his terms.
They spent the entire time talking then most of the time there was silence but Rose didn't mind she was happy to have someone to talk to and she was enjoying his company. The walk ended when Rose pointed to a large white house Jack was amazed. " This is your house?!" Rose blushed slightly embarrassed and said nothing Jack carried her up the stairs and knocked on the door. He was surprised how quickly someone answered. It was an older lady with the exact same hair color as Rose she was wearing a large purple dress and her eyes shown nothing but anger it was almost frightening, Jack could only assume it was her mother. " Young lady where have you been it is close to lunch time do you have any idea how long you've been gone?!" Rose hung her head in shame, " I'm sorry mother I lost track of the time" her mother only scoffed at her reply " That's no excuse you know that you are supposed to be here dressed promptly for lunch at this moment in time, a girl like you doesn't need to be out in this sun anyway it won't do you any good and what on earth is that thing tied around your leg?" She was referring to Jack's makeshift bandage.
" I fell" Rose replied simply " You fell doing what did this boy push you?!" Jack was surprised to finally be acknowledged. " No mother I was climbing a tree and I fell" Rose said protectively. " What on earth were you doing climbing trees?!" before Rose could answer again her mother cut her off, " No matter, young lady you are to go upstairs and change you will meet your father and I in the dining room dressed accordingly and ready for lunch, is that clear?" Rose nodded in agreement slowly walking into the house taking one final look at Jack. " Now as for you," she said referring to Jack, " You are never to see my daughter again she will have nothing to do with the likes of you and I will not have her prancing around with some dirty ruffian such as yourself" She closed the door in Jack's face, he couldn't help but feel sorry for Rose and yet for some reason he couldn't help but feel attached to her, he hoped to see her again soon. Jack turned away and began walking home with thoughts of that beautiful red haired girl still fresh in his mind, which is when it just occurred to him, he never asked her name.