The day didn't illustrate signs of being different from the last, and didn't bring promise of change happening the next. The sun stood at high noon, shining over a pair of boys that played together in a distant field. A house rested within close range of the children, and an adult stood on its porch watching them leisurely. The fields surrounding the modest farmhouse were filled with tall grass and corn stalks, all growing for the harvest season many months away. The boys laughed in the sunlight, chasing each other in a maze of corn. They were still fairly young, not even ten years old, and still enjoyed the simple pleasures of life.
While the two were not siblings, the boys did appear similar in body structure. The taller of the two wore a dirty blonde shade of hair that hung just above his shoulders. His bright blue eyes shone through the long locks like stars, showing the joyful spirit that resided within him. The shorter boy wasn't as bold as his friend. Unusual blue locks grew from his head, which often made people question if the color was natural or not. His large blue eyes were a darker shade than his friend's, but they contained a similar yet unique sparkle in them.
The atmosphere was relaxed, and the adult on the porch didn't make much effort to monitor the boys as they played in the brush. The tall woman leaned against the wood frame of the door to the farmhouse. She had a slim and healthy structure, and she wore her golden hair in a thick braid that hung over her shoulder. She wore light clothing, wanting to keep cool in the growing heat of the summer. While many would have thought that the blonde boy in the field was her son, he was not. The woman and boy may have been similar in appearance, but there was no blood relation between them. Instead the boy with the blue locks was her child, and she watched him with loving eyes.
Averting her gaze for just a moment, the woman slipped back inside the beige house to get herself a glass of water. The house held a humble mood as the woman drifted through it. Once in the kitchen, the woman acquired her water and decided to stay and enjoy it in the room. There was no need for her to hurry back to the boys; they were all right by themselves for a few minutes. Windows surrounded the room, letting natural light permeate the space. This made the room maintain a bright air, which made the woman smile. She'd come to this place as an act of desperation, needing to flee her home country.
When she had come, she knew life would not be easy for her and her son, especially when they had lived in such a different place. But after several years of life on the farm, she grew to like residing there. Her son seemed also happy, always playing with neighbors and friends, like the boy he was with at that moment. There were often times where the woman thought about staying in the country permanently, but she secretly knew that was not an option. They would have to leave one day, and every day she feared that time would come all too soon.
She worried about her son's welfare and how he would handle leaving this place. He was still so young, and most of his life had been lived peacefully on the countryside. Once he was taken from here, he would have to deal with the reality that this lifestyle did not exist everywhere. He wouldn't be able to have those home cooked meals or carefree afternoons anymore, especially if they were on the run, which is what the woman feared they would be.
Looking towards of the bright windows, the woman thought about what was to come for her and her son. She had no plans made, but hopefully there would be no need for any. She had already fled a great distance, and prayed that the threat hunting them would not discover them where they resided now. It wasn't likely that they would be found, but the possibility did always exist. This made the woman restless at times, so much so that she considered fleeing to a new safe haven. But after rethinking and regaining her composure, she would always assure herself that they were secure for the time being.
Lost in her thoughts, the woman failed to notice the sky start to darken outside of the house. At first the clouds covered the sky in subtle clusters, but as the minutes passed, darkness began to engulf everything it touched. The heavens continued to darken, finally forcing the woman to look out the window and noticed the graying earth. It appeared as if a storm had suddenly appeared over the land, threatening a downpour of rain. The woman continued to gaze out the window a minute longer, trying to remember the last time a storm had come like this. It couldn't have been long ago, for the rains came regularly in this season.
Thinking of the boys in the field, she decided to go out and ask them to come back into the house to avoid being rained on. The woman really didn't feel like washing rain-soaked clothes today. She made her way through the small house, not rushing to reach the door. When she was just steps from the entrance of the kitchen, a child's scream echoed from outside. For a split second, the woman stopped, but then panic over took her and she sprinted for the door.
"Caleb," She whispered in terror when she'd reached the porch. Her head snapped frantically in each direction, searching for the boys she'd left not long ago. They were nowhere to be seen.
"Caleb!" She cried, calling out for her son. The woman ran out into the field, still calling Caleb's name desperately. The grass came up to her waist, grazing up against her withered dress. Her hands shook as she pushed the brush aside in panic, hoping that Caleb was somewhere in it. Lightening cut the sky, momentarily lighting the pasture. When this happened, the woman looked about and caught a glimpse of something lying in a nearby patch of grass. She dashed over to the figure on the ground, falling once before reaching it.
"Caleb!" She shrieked, frantically hoping that she had found her son. But when she finally reached the figure, she found a boy with blonde hair and closed blue eyes. It was the boy Caleb had been with, who was now lying face down in the mud. She picked up the boy with shaky arms, feeling something warm and fluid dripping onto them as she did so. It was then that she noticed the huge gash at the top of the boy's head, which was the source of the blood falling onto her skin.
"Alec," She whispered in an unstable voice, causing the boy to open his eyes. "Where's Caleb?"
Alec looked around, before meeting her gaze with half closed eyes.
"He's gone." He choked, before falling back into unconsciousness. Tears started to form in the corners of the woman's eyes as dread pulsed through her. It was just as she had feared. They had come…and they'd taken her son.
Caleb was gone.