The solemn days passed by as if nothing had happened. The dewy surface on
the windowpane shows nothing but pure freshness. If anyone has a choice on
deciding his or her fate, one person on Earth would need it the most than
anybody else. That would be the most unfortunate soul on Earth, Jared who
was lying near on death's door.
Jared, a sacred name given to the most sacred soul, yet here he was,
shivering on the doorstep of the wealthy that lives on the poor.
Pneumonia could have got to him, but luckily, the old midwife working there
took pity on him and brought him in. Ragged and tattered clothing on his
back clung to his shrivelled body. His teeth was chattering uncontrollably
as the downpour outside took no care to the world and came down with a
vengeance upon the sinful world.
The old woman tore off Jared's meagre clothing and built up the warmth of
the cottage by adding more firewood. Shrouded by a thick blanket and the
warmth of the fire, Jared's laboured breathing ceased tremendously. The
woman's bony hands patted Jared's hair comfortingly then she went about
doing her daily chores while taking care of Jared at the same time. It was
tedious work for a 60 year-old woman. But she was still robust and healthy
as she goes about cleaning her little cottage that was dirtied by mud
brought in when she brought Jared in.
As the 5-year-old boy slept on, the old woman sat in front of the fireplace
pondering on what to do with the little lost boy that she found. Like every
woman, she possesses the motherly instinct inside her, which comes
naturally. But, conflicting thoughts and emotions swam inside her head.
What if his mother is looking for him? Is he running from something?
All thoughts and more disturbed her but she knew that she would not let him
die. It is just not inside her to let anyone die.
"Mother! Look! Ain't this a baby bird?" Jared called out excitedly to his mother. "Yes son. And say 'isn't' not 'ain't'." His mother corrected him lovingly as she ruffled his dishevelled hair. As she did so, his wayward locks came tumbling down. Jared pursed his lips as he mumbled something incoherently as he tried unsuccessfully to tuck his wayward locks back onto place. He picked up the little baby bird slowly in his small fingers and brought it to his mother to show it to her. She put down her knitting needles as Jared approached and looked at what he presented to her. She smiled at him and kissed him on his chubby cheeks as she said to him.
"Don't you think you should put it back to a safe place? His mother may be looking for him." Jared nodded obediently and walked off slowly with his hands held several inches away from his body, afraid of hurting the small bird. For a 9-year- old boy, Jared is already growing into a handsome lad. With dark brown eyes and dark shades of brown in his hair, he is a boy filled with pride and honesty.
"I'll see you later mother, I'm going to play swords with Alex!" Jared shouted over his shoulders as he ran towards his friend's cottage located near the river.
Sighing contentedly, the old woman looked on until she saw Jared went into Alex's house. Picking up her sewing paraphernalia, she went into her house to cook up lunch for her robust 'son'. She still remembered when she took Jared in 3 years ago. When he was getting well, she found out that he doesn't know who his parents were. Sympathetic to the little boy demesne, she took him in and regarded him as her own son. She fed him and clothed him and she had never regretted even one day of her days with him. Instead, it had filled her with such joy and happiness. Lucky for her, the owner of the plantation was ignorant about an extra tenant living on his land.
They ate in comfortable silence and suddenly Jared looked up from his bowl of potato stew soup and asked his mother questioningly.
"Who is the girl I saw today coming out of the carriage mother?"
She was surprised at first but she answered him.
"Mr. Alvarez's, the owner of this plantation, daughter."
At age sixteen, Jared is a sight to the eye. His tall and muscular frame has attracted most of the village's girls. With his determined outlook on life, his mother knew that she had brought him up successfully. He pushed himself from the table and took his plate to the sink to be washed.
"She's lovely don't you think mother?" Jared said.
He still remembered when he saw her, his heart was thumping fast as he saw how beautiful she was with her dark auburn hair flowing down from her shoulders and her green eyes which reminded him of the heathers in Scotland which he had seen in a book.
"Yes she is." His mother answered while looking at her son's back curiously.
"What's her name?" "Josephine and she is 12-years-old, I think. Yes it was 12 years ago when I brought her into this life from her mother's womb."
Jared tried that name on his tongue. 'Josephine' he mouthed. His heart did a little flip-flop as he did so. He loves that name. Somehow it fits her he thought to himself.
As he came back to the table, he sat down on the rickety chair and sipped on a cup of hot chocolate. "Where has she been living all this years? I've never seen her until now."
Sipping on her cup, his mother finally answered him.
"She has been studying abroad near Winconster Spring."
He nodded in understanding and as he kissed his mother goodnight, his mind was elsewhere. On a girl named Josephine.
"Shh! Quiet Alex!" Jared shushed his best friend. They were crouching near the bushes overlooking Josephine's bedroom balcony. For several days, Jared came to the usual spot with Alex to try to catch a glance of her. Alex, who doesn't believe in love, finds his best friend thoughts and emotion annoying.
"For goodness sakes Jared! She's not for the likes of you!" Alex said annoyed.
"Oh god! She's there!" Jared exclaimed. His eyes fixed on the most beautiful goddess standing on the bedroom balcony, her gown fluttering around her like angels enveloping and worshipping her.
Alex was surprised but wasn't shock with Josephine's beauty since he was brought up here since a baby, he knew enough about her which doesn't surprised him much. Unlike Jared, Alex has no whatsoever feelings for the beautiful Josephine.
After several minutes and Josephine went back inside, then does Jared came back to reality when jolted by Alex.
"How I wish I'm able to talk to her."
"I can take you to meet her but for a favour of course!" Alex said smugly.
"What? I swear I will!"
"Promise me not to annoy me with your lovelorn looks!" Alex shouted.
Jared quickly clamped Alex's mouth shut with his hands and pushed him onto the grass.
"What do you think are you doing!" Jared exclaimed.
Alex mumbled something about lovelorn puppies and sat up to dust off the grass of his pants.
"Meet me at the gazebo tomorrow in the afternoon and she'll be there. See you later, I gotta run!"
Jared sighed and dusts of his hand on his pants. So like Alex to be running off when he has done his job. Smiling inwardly with Alex's promise, he decided to go for a dip in the river to cool himself. Stripping off his shirt, he dived into the pool and came up sputtering. He scrubbed himself from his head to his navel since he still has his pants on. Call it propriety, or decency, but he did it out of respect to not to offend anyone.
"Hello." A soft and gentle voice appeared from behind him. Turning abruptly, he stood there rooted to the ground as he stared at the vision. Josephine. She was dressed in a light green gown that hugged to her frame perfectly. Amusement flickered in her eyes as she slowly sat on the grass. Feeling suddenly embarrassed of his near nakedness, he came out of the water and quickly donned on his shirt that clung wetly like his second skin.
"Hi. How are you?" Jared stammered.
"Great. And you?" "Good."
Sitting there, a few feet apart separating them, they sat in uncomfortable silence. Suddenly, Josephine asked.
"Where are you staying? I've never seen you before."
"I stay near the river with my mother, Mrs. Holloway."
"Mrs. Holloway? I didn't know that she has a son?" Interested, Josephine patted the empty space near her indicating Jared to sit beside her. Nervous at her invitation, Jared stood and went to sit beside her. He picked up a blade of grass and began to shred it into tiny pieces in his hands. He began to tell her the whole story of how he met Mrs. Holloway.
"There. I am forever grateful to her."
Josephine turned and looks at him. Really looked at him for the first time. His features are not polishly perfect like the other boys in the city, yet he has the rugged look about him that had attracted her in the first place. An aura of mystery surrounding him makes her wants to get to know him better. Was it the intelligent look in his eyes or was it the twinkle in his eyes that appears whenever he talks to her or was it the tiny dimple that appears near the corner of his mouth when he smiles?
"Mother! Look! Ain't this a baby bird?" Jared called out excitedly to his mother. "Yes son. And say 'isn't' not 'ain't'." His mother corrected him lovingly as she ruffled his dishevelled hair. As she did so, his wayward locks came tumbling down. Jared pursed his lips as he mumbled something incoherently as he tried unsuccessfully to tuck his wayward locks back onto place. He picked up the little baby bird slowly in his small fingers and brought it to his mother to show it to her. She put down her knitting needles as Jared approached and looked at what he presented to her. She smiled at him and kissed him on his chubby cheeks as she said to him.
"Don't you think you should put it back to a safe place? His mother may be looking for him." Jared nodded obediently and walked off slowly with his hands held several inches away from his body, afraid of hurting the small bird. For a 9-year- old boy, Jared is already growing into a handsome lad. With dark brown eyes and dark shades of brown in his hair, he is a boy filled with pride and honesty.
"I'll see you later mother, I'm going to play swords with Alex!" Jared shouted over his shoulders as he ran towards his friend's cottage located near the river.
Sighing contentedly, the old woman looked on until she saw Jared went into Alex's house. Picking up her sewing paraphernalia, she went into her house to cook up lunch for her robust 'son'. She still remembered when she took Jared in 3 years ago. When he was getting well, she found out that he doesn't know who his parents were. Sympathetic to the little boy demesne, she took him in and regarded him as her own son. She fed him and clothed him and she had never regretted even one day of her days with him. Instead, it had filled her with such joy and happiness. Lucky for her, the owner of the plantation was ignorant about an extra tenant living on his land.
They ate in comfortable silence and suddenly Jared looked up from his bowl of potato stew soup and asked his mother questioningly.
"Who is the girl I saw today coming out of the carriage mother?"
She was surprised at first but she answered him.
"Mr. Alvarez's, the owner of this plantation, daughter."
At age sixteen, Jared is a sight to the eye. His tall and muscular frame has attracted most of the village's girls. With his determined outlook on life, his mother knew that she had brought him up successfully. He pushed himself from the table and took his plate to the sink to be washed.
"She's lovely don't you think mother?" Jared said.
He still remembered when he saw her, his heart was thumping fast as he saw how beautiful she was with her dark auburn hair flowing down from her shoulders and her green eyes which reminded him of the heathers in Scotland which he had seen in a book.
"Yes she is." His mother answered while looking at her son's back curiously.
"What's her name?" "Josephine and she is 12-years-old, I think. Yes it was 12 years ago when I brought her into this life from her mother's womb."
Jared tried that name on his tongue. 'Josephine' he mouthed. His heart did a little flip-flop as he did so. He loves that name. Somehow it fits her he thought to himself.
As he came back to the table, he sat down on the rickety chair and sipped on a cup of hot chocolate. "Where has she been living all this years? I've never seen her until now."
Sipping on her cup, his mother finally answered him.
"She has been studying abroad near Winconster Spring."
He nodded in understanding and as he kissed his mother goodnight, his mind was elsewhere. On a girl named Josephine.
"Shh! Quiet Alex!" Jared shushed his best friend. They were crouching near the bushes overlooking Josephine's bedroom balcony. For several days, Jared came to the usual spot with Alex to try to catch a glance of her. Alex, who doesn't believe in love, finds his best friend thoughts and emotion annoying.
"For goodness sakes Jared! She's not for the likes of you!" Alex said annoyed.
"Oh god! She's there!" Jared exclaimed. His eyes fixed on the most beautiful goddess standing on the bedroom balcony, her gown fluttering around her like angels enveloping and worshipping her.
Alex was surprised but wasn't shock with Josephine's beauty since he was brought up here since a baby, he knew enough about her which doesn't surprised him much. Unlike Jared, Alex has no whatsoever feelings for the beautiful Josephine.
After several minutes and Josephine went back inside, then does Jared came back to reality when jolted by Alex.
"How I wish I'm able to talk to her."
"I can take you to meet her but for a favour of course!" Alex said smugly.
"What? I swear I will!"
"Promise me not to annoy me with your lovelorn looks!" Alex shouted.
Jared quickly clamped Alex's mouth shut with his hands and pushed him onto the grass.
"What do you think are you doing!" Jared exclaimed.
Alex mumbled something about lovelorn puppies and sat up to dust off the grass of his pants.
"Meet me at the gazebo tomorrow in the afternoon and she'll be there. See you later, I gotta run!"
Jared sighed and dusts of his hand on his pants. So like Alex to be running off when he has done his job. Smiling inwardly with Alex's promise, he decided to go for a dip in the river to cool himself. Stripping off his shirt, he dived into the pool and came up sputtering. He scrubbed himself from his head to his navel since he still has his pants on. Call it propriety, or decency, but he did it out of respect to not to offend anyone.
"Hello." A soft and gentle voice appeared from behind him. Turning abruptly, he stood there rooted to the ground as he stared at the vision. Josephine. She was dressed in a light green gown that hugged to her frame perfectly. Amusement flickered in her eyes as she slowly sat on the grass. Feeling suddenly embarrassed of his near nakedness, he came out of the water and quickly donned on his shirt that clung wetly like his second skin.
"Hi. How are you?" Jared stammered.
"Great. And you?" "Good."
Sitting there, a few feet apart separating them, they sat in uncomfortable silence. Suddenly, Josephine asked.
"Where are you staying? I've never seen you before."
"I stay near the river with my mother, Mrs. Holloway."
"Mrs. Holloway? I didn't know that she has a son?" Interested, Josephine patted the empty space near her indicating Jared to sit beside her. Nervous at her invitation, Jared stood and went to sit beside her. He picked up a blade of grass and began to shred it into tiny pieces in his hands. He began to tell her the whole story of how he met Mrs. Holloway.
"There. I am forever grateful to her."
Josephine turned and looks at him. Really looked at him for the first time. His features are not polishly perfect like the other boys in the city, yet he has the rugged look about him that had attracted her in the first place. An aura of mystery surrounding him makes her wants to get to know him better. Was it the intelligent look in his eyes or was it the twinkle in his eyes that appears whenever he talks to her or was it the tiny dimple that appears near the corner of his mouth when he smiles?