March's Mad Life

"March its time for bed, honey." Said Deer his Mum.

"Will you sing to me first?" asked five and a half year old march.

"Listen to your mum, you heard her, go to bed." Said farmer his pa from the table with cooper, rooster and Bushmen who were talking, they were the other men from the families that also lived there.

"March, go to bed," she said in a mock stern voice. "I'll be there in a min." she whispered, with a smile. He smiled and darted off to his room where daisy and rose were already sleeping, the daughters of Bushmen and lily. He closed the door but left it open a crack so he could hear what was happening in the other room.

"Deer I wish you would not stretch your self so, you need to rest, I don't want anything to happen to you or the baby."

"It's just a story love. How will that stretch me?"

"You really should be resting, deer." He said as she walked away.

"I am love." She said as she got to the door. March quickly rushed to his bed getting under his covers as he herd her coming.

"March, you better be in your bed or no song's." She said gently so not to wake rose or daisy. He tried to still himself so it looked like he didn't just jump in bed.

"Yup, I am."

"So what do you want to hear?" she said softly, sitting on the edge of his old bed.

"I don't care, anything."

"Okay, uh let's see…" she said tucking him in. "how about, child of the pure unclouded brow and dreaming eyes of wonder." She continued humming. "Thy loving smile will surly hail. The love-gift of a fairy-tale. I have not seen thy sunny face, nor heard thy silver laughter." She said tickling at his chin. "Now go to sleep."

"No one more, please."

"Okay one more. Hm the beggar's song?" he nodded with a smile. "I go my way, and have no cares all day! I go my way; I go my way!" she sang.

"I've nothing at all for clothing, save a single shirt, you see; the raindrops do my washing; fine weather dries for me!

My house is a hollow tree, with that I'm quite content; in such a house as that is; I'm never asked for rent!

The father of my grandfather the king of beggars was he; and I, in my rags and tatters, am happy as can be!

I go my way, and have no care all day; I go my way; I go my way!" she finished.

"Another one!"

"Fine but only a short one then bed, ay. Ok The Clock.

Ding dong. I am the clock.

The castle clock am I.

Ding dong, ding dong, tick tock.

Up in the tower so high.

From height of thy tall tower

Thy bell, O clock, now ring, and tell us, the hour

With thy ding dong. Ding! Ding!" she sang poking his stomach with each ding. "Close your eyes now, night my boy." She said kissing his forehead.

ooOOooOOoo

March and little hatter (hatter was just over a year old) were playing in there new room, they had moved to the out skirts of the city just a while ago, as pa got a royal job, as a harvester. March could hear pa and mum talking loudly, he left hatter to play with his blocks as he crept out the hall to hear better.

"I can't believe what you are telling me, farmer!"

"Its not that bad, love. They don't feel it anyway, and we only take a few. Were doing them a favor anyway, they have too much emotions, we are freeing them from that."

"You are not freeing them if they never go back!"

"Who said they never go back?"

"Well you don't do it and there was no job in the announcement to suggest that they were brought back to their world, JUST HARVESTERS, FARMER!

"What does it matter anyway? We have a house and a healthy baby boy." With that deer left the house slamming the door behind her. Saying something about being blind.

"She just doesn't get it! After all I have given her…" he spoke angrily to the empty room before going to his room.

Then the door bell rang, March got up to answer it but pa came out of his room in a angry rush.

"What do you want?" march could not hear what the visitor said. "March, bushmen's here! March!" he shouted. He had forgotten that Bushmen was coming to teach him about hunting.

"I'm here, I'm ready."

"Fine, leave me with the little hatter, will ya. What are you good for anyway?" he said walking past going to their room.

"Alright March, you good to go?" said bushmen, he was a very large man, he had to be march thought (it was) because he was a logger, and had to carry large logs.

"Ya." 'Good to get out of here.' he thought walking out the house. This has been happening the last few weeks now, started about a year after they moved.

"How's rose?" March asked.

"She's good, she started her apprenticeship at the bakery, she's very happy there."

"Wow already? I didn't know she was already able to get an apprenticeship."

"Not going to ask about daisy?"

"O, ya how is she." He never really saw her, she was a lot older and he always forgot rose had a sister.

"She's married to fisher, good guy. So got your knife?"

"Ya, where're we going?"

"Good lad, the hills today." March smirked at him saying lad, he saw Bushmen as a father, even when they moved in when he was three.

As they got back to the house Bushmen asked, breaking their silent walk. (He Had taught March to be quiet when hunting or tracking)

"Have you thought about what you want to do when your 10?"

"I was thinking about the messenger path."

"Sounds good for you." He then quickly changed the subject. "I like the fact you are out of the city, easy to get to the bush fast. Next week we will go out for a few days in Wabe." 'Brilliant!' march thought. he had heard a lot about it from his mum, she had told story's of her pa there. His grandpa had been poor though became a fantastic tracker, he had died of a heart attack when March was three (They had lived with him tell then.)

A few days later march went into the city by him self for the first time to see rose. His mum took hatter with her to visit lily and his pa would never notice if he was gone, he has not her sense they moved out, almost a year and a half ago.

It had taken him some time to get to the right level. He never paid much attention (him being just a small child) back then. He walked and walked looking for the bakery; never getting tired. Then he smelt it, the breads and cakes in the hot ovens. The bakery was under an upper level pathway hidden in the dark. There were a small group of people gathered around it. He had forgotten the demand of food. In the city most people that could, started to grow gardens inside.

He waited for the crowd to get smaller but It never seemed to thin. He then decided to just wait for closing; it was only 2 hours tell then. He sat him self down on the edge of the path swinging his feet, he was not afraid of heights. No one seemed to take notice of him. The time seemed to fly by as he watched the people pass, on all the levels but his thoughts always drifted back to his parents fighting.

"March, is that you?" asked a sweet voice behind him. He had been lost in thought about what his pa said days ago, 'how come he just said 'have a house and a healthy baby boy.' Was he not also his son?"

"O yes, hi rose." He said jumping up. "I wanted to surprise you." He said slightly embarrassed.

"Well this is a surprise, how you been?" she said with a smile "um I do have to get back home." She added.

"O we can walk and talk, ya." He said walking to the left.

"Um, it's the other way."

"Right, so you asked me something, o I have been super, well ok. Mum and pa have started fighting a lot."

"Ya she seems stressed." She said thinking.

"How would you know?"

"She's been around a lot, with hen and her two brothers." She said going up the stairs.

"Cooper and rooster?" she nodded. "Your pa never said anything to me about that."

"He wouldn't know about it, he's never home when they meet at the apartment. I've heard some of what they were saying but it didn't make much sense."

"Like what?"

"Let me think 'if they were only cleared away' said your mum, and cooper 'it's not right, to have them brought out so far, and trot so quick.' Then they saw me, and told me this was adult stuff."

"Maybe it has to do with what they were fighting about…" he said thinking. "You are not freeing them if they never go back, mum said."

"Still doesn't make sense." She said as they got off the stairs and went down a corridor to her apartment.

"I guess." He said looking around; he was having flashes of when they use to play in these halls. He then remembered his mum and little hatter were visiting lily. He really didn't want to have his mum see him, as he was supposed to be at home with pa.

"Um I think I should go, mum said she was going to be here and I'm not suppose to be out."

"She won't be here, mums out. She went to see daisy with hen and cooper."

"No, she said she was going out to visit lily."

"Well may be they all went to see daisy. If so, you don't have to go yet, come on, come in just for a min." she said pulling him in, before letting him answer. He was going to protest, but as he was pulled in, he didn't hear his mum or hatter crying and thought it was ok, to come in for just a bit.

"And where have you been?" his pa yelled from behind, just as he got close to the house. "You know you aren't to be out by yourself! What were you thinking?" 'I was thinking you wouldn't notice.' He thought.

"I don't know…"

"Get in the house." He gruffly said leading him to the door. An hour passed before deer walked in the door with a sleeping hatter.

"You must have had fun with lily." Said farmer from the kitchen who was making soup.

"Ya…" She said gently putting hatter on the couch next to march. "I lost track of the time, hm that smells good."

"How's rose?" March asked.

"She's good, O that reminds me she gave me some plum cake, here it is." She said pulling the bundle from her bag. "What's with the face, honey?" she said looking at marches confused expression.

"Uh, why would she give you plum cake?" 'and when did you see her?' he thought.

"O she's working at the bakery now, she got to take home some of the older things today." She said putting the loaf on the counter. "I should take you to see her; it's been a long time." 'I didn't see her with any plum cake?' He thought.

"He's not going anywhere anytime soon, with his little disappearing act today."

"What?"

"Your son decided to go off on his own all day. I didn't need the stress; he knows I'm leaving for a harvest tomorrow."

"O yes it's always about you isn't it and don't give me that face, I will deal with March. You just go on with your harvest go to your room."

"But I'm hungry."

"You should have thought of that before." Little hatter woke up crying at all the noise. "go." She said pointing down the hall. March very slowly got off the couch dragging his feet to his room.

He could still hear them talking, from his room, he got his mums nursery book to distract him from the raised voices. It was filled with songs and story's she wrote. He liked to look at the pictures his grandpa made to go with them. After a while all the crying from hatter and the talking became silent and he fell asleep on top of the book on the floor. (He woke a few hours later to hatter in his crib and him in his bed with the book back on the shelf and His tummy gurgling. He decided to sneak out and get some of the soup.)

The next day was uneventful; March was really looking forward to going to Wabe with Bushmen though, so he found it hard to sit still.

"March would you look after hatter for a moment, I will just be outside." He nodded as she closed the front door. Hatter started to cry at his mum leaving.

"Its okay hatty, she's just out side, its okay." He said patting hatters back, but to no avail he cried even harder. Little hatter tried to crawl over to the door.

"No hatty, stay away from the door." He went to block him, then he saw his mum through the window, she was giving cooper some papers. March picked up hatter as best he could, and took him to the window to let hatty see mum and stop his crying.

"Look hatty, its mum, you see her?" his crying lessened a bit. Hatter started to call for her in his baby language and hitting the glass with his small pudgy hands. She and cooper both looked at them, but continued their talking. Hatter's cries grew again because he could not get to his mummy.

"Its ok, um you want to plum cake?" but little hatter wriggled his way out of marches grip and tried to open the door. Deer must have heard this cause she opened to door slowly.

"What's the matter sweetheart?" she said picking him up. "Mummy's here. March will you get the nursery book? I have something new to put in."

March was woken early the next morning to Bushmen's big voice.

"We have a long way to go son, you best be getting up now." He jumped out of bed and got dressed as fast as he could and rushed out to the living room.

"Hey, you aren't going anywhere with out breakfast, put your tush down right here." She said to pulling out a chair, with a bowl of oatmeal in her other hand. "Eat, then you can go."

"This is your boat?" march said in wonder, as they got to the east shore, it was so simple and unnoticeable.

"Ya I made it just for you, you know if you ever want to go off on your own; made from the scraps of my trade, perfect for hiding." After a few hours bushmen teaching him to clime the trees for a better view and safety, March had this feeling like he could sense where the creatures were, but it would shift the closer and further from the animal they were.

"What is that?" he asked after a time.

"Looks like a borogove." Bushmen said looking at some scat.

"No, the shadow thing." He didn't any better way to explain it.

"It's just the trees; sometimes they can make you think you see things." March nodded, but wasn't sure if he answered his question or had no idea. March spent the rest of the trip thinking about this.

"Can animals leave behind other things besides tracks?" he finally asked on their way back to the boat the next day.

"They leave smells, but our noses are not sensitive enough to smell most of them. Lets get back." march knew that this meant that it was time to be quiet.

When he got back to the house he could hear his pa yelling about something, but the strange thing was that he did not hear his mum or even hatter.

"Pa?" march said warily closing the door behind him. He was still wearing his work clothes; mum didn't like him to wear them in the house.

"What do they think they were doing?" he was saying to the room not hearing march. "Betraying the queen, they must have known what would happen?" there was a knock on the door. March answered it seeing as he still was next to it. He was loomed over by 5 suits.

"Number 8, the queen has asked for an assembly with you about the oyster's delivery."

"Pa, what's happening?" Farmer left not even looking at March; leaving him alone in the house. 'What am I suppose to do? Where's mum and where's hatty? He decided to go to Bushmen, maybe he knew. But before he left he saw the nursery book on the small table next to the door, it had a bow on it and a note. Read me. He grabbed the book and went to Bushmen's.

This was supposed to be done in one chapter but there is too much, this is just the beginning of March's story.

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