Chapter 01: Let's Get Out Of Here
The sound of rapid footsteps on pavement broke the deadly silence that had permeated the world during the moments following the news bulletin that had just been released not four minutes ago.
War had broken out between Zik Zak and Zlin. Not just a minor skirmish, like the one that had been threatening during the time Theora had been abducted by the VFR, but a major war. One which had Zik Zak and Zlin loyalists in each continent gearing up for violence.
Missiles were coming! Swift and deadly. And the young genius had just enough time to get his friends to safety.
No time to program a year. He had to get Edison, Theora, Max and Murray to safety as well as himself.
"Max!" he exclaimed as he stared at the box beside him. "I've got less than an hour and I can't reprogram Max for solar power. Even if I could." He climbed into one of the company cars, which at sixteen he was too young to legally drive, and hot-wired it, speeding off to OvuVat.
The building was deserted, but he was able to hack the entrance code in five minutes. Rushing inside, he placed Max's box on a counter, then found the equipment used for the company's new cloning process.
Taking one of his own cells, Bryce followed the process outline, setting the age to 10. Within minutes, a ten year old body had formed. Now came the process of uploading the child's mind. Normally this would be done with a program that Zik Zak's scientists had invented, but this time it would be different.
Attaching Max's box to the system, Bryce Lynch turned his creation.
"Max, I don't have time to explain. But you need to upload your entire being into the brain of this child." Seeing the look of confusion on Max's face Bryce added. "There are missiles coming in twenty minutes. We need to get you uploaded to a body to take you where we're going. After that, we need to pick up Murray, Edison, and Theora and get to the time portal I've created. I just pray it works."
"Where are we going that the missiles won't get us?" Max asked as Bryce connected the electrodes. "Into the future?"
"If it's as bad as I think it will be," Bryce said as he attached the final wires to the head of the child that was technically his son, there will be nothing left in the future. No, Max. We're going to the past. Now," he told Max, "we're ready for the transfer. Remember, you have to move everything, your entire program, into the boy's brain."
Max vanished from the screen.
Bryce rushed over to the little body.
"Max?" he asked, hurriedly. "Max?!"
The child's eyes flickered open and he turned to Bryce.
"Bryce?" he asked. "Just out of curiosity, whose DNA did you steal to make this body?"
"I didn't steal any DNA," Bryce explained "I used my own.{"
Max threw his arms around Bryce. "Daddy!"
"O-kay," Bryce sighed. "Come on, Max, we don't have time to waste!" he led Max out to the car and drove the both of them back to Network 23."
"Ten minutes," Bryce told Max as they ran into the garage where the portal was set up. He went to the view phone that was stationed in that area, which was normally used to notify the various departments of deliveries, and contacted Control.
"Theora," he said, "You and Edison and Murray need to come to the car park. The portal is ready. It will take five people. No more. No less."
"We've got a problem," Theora said. "Murray refuses to go."
"I know someone who will," Bryce said. "You and Edison meet us here in two minutes!" he disconnected from Theora and contacted Network 66's Research and Development department.
"Bryce, I really don't…" Jenny began urgently.
"I know. I've created a time portal. I'm taking four people with me back into the past. I'd like you to come."
"I'll be there shortly," Jenny said.
"You believe in me that much?" Bryce asked.
"No," Jenny told him. "But at this point, I'm so desperate, I'll try anything."
"Hurry," Bryce told her, "we've got ten minutes!"
Edison and Theora rushed into the car park a moment later.
"Who's the kid?" Edison asked, looking at the boy whose mind now housed Max Headroom.
"Max Lynch," Max said, grinning up at Edison.
Bryce was startled at first, but quickly recovered.
"I didn't know you had a little brother," Theora said.
"He doesn't," Jenny said as she ran in to join them. "Hi, Max!"
Theora got it. "You didn't!"
"I used my own DNA, so I didn't steal anything," Bryce said, defensively. "Max has decided that it makes him my son."
"It does," Edison told him. "Congratulations, Bryce!"
"Okay, enough," Bryce said after a flurry of hugs. "Let's get into the portal. We'll celebrate later. If any of us are left to celebrate."
He tapped a button on a nearby console and a hole opened up in the space before them.
"Let's get out of here!" Bryce called as they ran without further thought and jumped through the glimmering hole.
The brightly flash that illuminated the world a moment later, revealed an empty car park which quickly began to crumble and melt.
CHAPTER TWO: Arrangements To Be Made
"Is the table set," asked Mrs. Alice Lloyd as she checked the pot of stew that simmered on the stove.
"Not yet, Mama," Sara replied, hurrying to the kitchen cabinets to fetch the dishes and tableware.
"Hurry up," Mrs. Alice Lloyd said as she brought over the hot pad Sara had recently woven and set it on the table, She returned to the stove a moment later with a pair of potholders that she herself had woven on the same day that Sara had made the hot pad and carried the stew to the table while Sara finished setting the table.
Aldwen, husband to Alice and father to Sara, walked into the house, pausing at the basin in the hallway to wash his hands and change out of his work boots and into his house shoes, a ritual insisted upon by his wife, who liked to keep her floors as clean as possible.
"Dinner is on the table," Alice told her husband as Sara finished setting the table and took her seat.
Aldwen sat at the head of the table, the traditional spot for fathers, and bowed his head to say grace, his wife and daughter doing likewise.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Aldwen paused for a moment to see if the visitor would wait until grace was over. A moment later, the knock came again.
"Excuse me," he apologized to his wife and daughter. He stood up and went to answer the door.
There were five people standing on the porch in clothing that looked absolutely scandalous!
The oldest male looked to be about twenty-seven. He was wearing a plaid shirt under a coat of some material that Aldwen did not recognize. His pants were also of an unfamiliar material. The oldest female was wearing a dress that showed her ankles quite distinctly.
"Hey, Mister," the voice was that of a boy who looked to be about ten. "Mister, can I have some water? I'm thirsty!"
"Max," said a boy of about sixteen, "don't be rude."
"Sorry, daddy," the boy called Max told the teenager, who looked far too young to be the kid's father, but who did not correct the child.
"I'm sorry," the first man told Aldwen. "My name is Edison Carter. As you may have guessed, my friends and I have come a great distance and we are in need of a place to stay."
"Your lady friend is hardly dressed appropriately for traveling," Aldwen said with a mouthful of scorn. "Nor is that younger lady. Perhaps you would like to explain yourselves?"
"We found ourselves in a bit of a crisis and were forced to flee our prior residence in the middle of the night," Bryce explained.
"I was not speaking to you, child," Aldwen corrected him.
"Sorry," Bryce muttered, irritably.
"Nevertheless, his explanation is the correct one," Edison intervened. "That was, indeed, why we find ourselves here in this state. We'd be willing to work in exchange for lodging."
"I'm thirsty!" Max reminded them.
"Come on In," Aldwen invited. "No point in letting the neighbors get an eyeful. You can all sleep in the barn. We're just sitting down to supper. Haven't said the grace yet, so you're welcome to join us. What faith do you follow?"
Most of the group noted that they followed Church of England, save for Bryce who remained silent.
"Well, child?" Aldwen demanded.
"Well, I acknowledge that God may exist," Bryce told him. "But I cannot say with any certainty that He would approve of one doctrine over another."
"Now's not the time, Bryce," Edison warned.
"It's okay," Aldwen smiled. "So you believe in God, but not in religion itself."
"I think the trappings of religion often distract the mind from the Word of God," Bryce replied.
Aldwen nodded. "You're not so bad. You dress weird, though."
Aldwen led Edison and his group inside. Looking at Theora and Jenny he added. "it's a good thing you're the same size as my wife and daughter. You can't wear those things to church tomorrow."
CHAPTER 03:
"Are we really going to church with those people, Mama?" Sara asked as her mother helped her with her hair.
"It's the charitable thing to do," Alice told her daughter. "Besides, they seemed like very nice people at dinner last night."
"But they were dressed so oddly," Sara complained. "And the way that little boy called that other boy Daddy. It's just so strange. He can't really be his father! He's no older than me."
"Well, they said there was some kind of tragedy they escaped from," Alice reminded her. "Perhaps this is the child's way of coping with the loss of his actual parents?"
There was a tap on the door.
"We're just about ready," Alice said to the door.
"It's Jenny," Jenny's voice said from the other side, "I just wanted to thank you for letting me borrow your dress, Sara. It's very nice."
"You're welcome, Jenny," Sara replied, politely. Jenny might be weird in her opinion, but she did have nice manners.
"Would you like me to do your hair?" Alice offered. "I'm just about finished with Sara's. It'll take me five minutes."
"That would be nice, thank you," Jenny said gratefully.
"Come inside," Alice invited.
Jenny opened the door and stepped in.
"Oh, that'll never do," Alice said, eyeing the way Jenny had done her clothing. "Have you never worn this type of dress?"
"Never," Jenny admitted.
With a rueful smile, Alice showed Jenny the proper way to button and layer her dress and corset.
"They're not very comfortable are they?" Jenny remarked.
"No, dear, they are not," Alice agreed. "But we must be proper, mustn't we?"
Jenny nodded. "Yes, I suppose we must."
"Hurry up, ladies," Aldwen called out. "We don't wish to be late for the service."
Edison's group and Aldwen's family met at the front door of the farmhouse.
"Well, we all look presentable," Aldwen remarked. He looked at Max who was still dressed in the attire he'd arrived at. "I'm sorry I don't have more suitable garments for you, Max. We will go into town and find something more appropriate after church."
"Thank you," Max replied.
They arrived at the small church after a ten minute walk.
A few of the other parishioner's looked at Max with curiosity. Bryce couldn't blame them. Max stood out like a sore thumb in his jeans, t-shirt and sneakers. The child looked downcast in embarrassment.
"It's okay,Max," Bryce said. "Mr. Lloyd said he'd take us out to get proper attire for you after church."
"But how will we pay him?" Max asked. "We don't have any way of paying him."
"Don't you remember?" Bryce said. "Last night we agreed to work on his farm to pay him back for his hospitality."
As they reached the door of the church, a man in his mid thirties greeted them.
"You must be new," he said in a friendly tone as he handed Bryce a leaflet of the morning's sermon and readings. "What is your name?"
"Bryce Lynch," Bryce replied. "And this is my son by circumstances, Max Lynch. Though I like to call him Little Max."
"You're quite young to have taken on such a burden," the friendly man told Bryce.
"Oh, Max is no burden," Bryce assured him as he went inside with Max and joined the others at their pew.
"Daddy?" Max asked. "What's the difference between a psalm and a hymn?"
"I'm afraid that's one of the few questions I don't have any answer to," Bryce admitted. "Perhaps you'll figure it out for yourself over time. Then you can tell me some day."
Max smiled. "Wow! You don't know something? It must be something really profound if you don't know it!"
"Hush, Max," Bryce said, smiling nonetheless. "Remember, I'm new here, too. So there's a great deal I don't know at the moment."
The priest took his place at the pulpit and cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
"Before we begin our service today," he said, "I would like to announce that we have several new parties attending our church as of this morning. I would like to extend a warm welcome to all of you, particularly to those who come to us out of dire circumstances. I understand that farmer Lloyd has agreed to offer shelter to you in exchange for work."
Edison nodded. "Yes, sir. He has been quite generous."
"I'm glad to hear it," the priest told him. "It would seem your youngest is still in need of proper attire. See me after church and I will see what we can provide from our charities."
"Max," Bryce prompted. "What do we say to the nice man?"
"Thank you, nice man," Max said to the priest.
"You're very welcome," the priest replied with a chuckle to his voice.
The priest straightened up and opened the church Bible.
Bryce and the others looked around and saw that the other parishioners had opened theirs as well. Checking the paper they'd been handed, they quickly found the correct page.
"James 4 verse 14," the priest stated, "You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."
"Of course we know what tomorrow will bring," Bryce whispered to Edison.
"Shh," Edison admonished.
Bryce returned his attention to the priest.
"What James was saying," he told them, "isn't that you should just sit around as if your life isn't important. He was telling us that we don't have a lot of time in this world, so we should use what we have to make as much of a difference as possible."
Edison smiled and looked at Theora to see that she and Jenny were trying their best to smile, though he doubted that the multi-layered dresses they were not used to weren't giving them much reason for smiling.
How did the women of this era put up with all these layers?
Little Max was tapping his fingers on the pew and clearly longing to make some kind of remark. Bryce gave him a warning look that clearly said "Not in church, Max," so he remained reluctantly silent.
"Daddy," he asked, finally, in a whisper that carried around the church, "do you think God ever wishes we'd read another book to Him?"
"We can read other books to Him at home, Max," Bryce replied. "Church is for the Bible."
The priest smiled at the exchange and continued with his sermon.
"Time is one of God's greatest gifts to us. For without time, we would have no life. Time is the minutes, hours, the very centuries in which man has accomplished all his deeds. We waste it in the commission of sin and the creation of those things which do harm to our fellow man. We celebrate it in the creation of children and the things which bring joy. Tell me," he looked around at each of them, "what do you think is the biggest waste of the time that God has given us?"
"War," Bryce replied.
"Yes," the priest agreed. "War. There are many who would make excuses for war, but it is man's greatest evil. For war seeks to make excuse for the commission of murder. Fathers, sons, nephews, and uncles are lost on the field of battle, often for no more than the want of a gem."
Jenny frowned. "Or in our case for the greed of advertisers." she whispered to Bryce.
"Stupid if you ask me," Bryce whispered back.
"Yes," the priest told them. "War is stupid. A waste of time, and a waste of life. And many of those who survive do not escape its touch. But even in times of war and strife, God is there watching over us, offering comfort. If we but stop to listen and set aside thoughts of battle, then we will hear His voice in the midst of the noise."
Theora listened as she remembered her abduction by the Video Freedom Alliance. She had been frightened. Afraid that she would never see her friends again. But there had been a small sense that she was not truly alone in her struggle.
Edison looked at her and realized what she must be thinking. He put a consoling hand atop hers.
Theora looked down at his hand, and did not withdraw her own, touched by his sympathy.
Aldwen Lloyd listened to the priest, but a part of him also listened to the whispers of his guests.
Yes, he decided, they were an odd bunch indeed.
Chapter 4
"You know," Sara remarked to her mother as they joined the other parishioners for refreshments after the service, "if he wasn't so weird, that Bryce would almost be rather attractive."
"Sara!" Alice admonished. "Hush. The boy has taken on a child as though he were a father. Even if he's not really the child's parent, you can be sure your father will be much less than pleased."
"If you're speaking of our young guest," Aldwen told them as he caught up with them, "your mother is right. I do not approve. We haven't seen them at work yet, so I do not know how the rest of them are at manual labor. But that boy has never seen a day of it in his life. Not a single callus on those hands of his."
"Besides, dear," her mother added, "he came to us with a girl his own age. You can bet there's probably some relationship between them."
"I doubt she means that much to him," Sara said, glaring back at Jenny.
Jenny looked confused at the look she was getting from the girl she had just been on friendly terms with that morning. She wondered what had changed Sara's attitude towards her.
Sara glanced over at Bryce with a possessive look in return for which Bryce gave no response whatsoever.
The only response came from both of Sara's disapproving parents who were suddenly of the opinion that they would give the group a month on the outside, and then would send them on their way.
Or they would make sure that Bryce decided he preferred Jenny.
Father Matthews walked with Bryce and Max. He noticed that Bryce was either oblivious toward the looks that were being cast in his direction, or he simply chose to ignore them.
"Daddy," Max asked Bryce, "do you like Jenny?"
"Of course I like her," Bryce told him. "She's my friend."
"No, Daddy," Max said, "I mean do you like like her?"
The priest smiled. "I believe the child is curious about your feelings for the young lady."
"Feelings?" Bryce remarked. "Hardly something to get involved in at this point. We've got a million things to do. I've got to learn how to use farming equipment for the first time. I don't have time for feelings."
"Don't sell feelings short, my friend," Father Matthews warned. "If you don't open yourself up to relationships, you may find yourself a resentful and lonely man in the future."
"Maybe later," Bryce amended, looking at Max, and then at Jenny who was glaring at Sara.
He saw the look Sara was giving him and shook his head.
Sara, clearly thinking the gesture was a refusal from him, glared daggers at Jenny.
"Did I do something wrong?" Jenny asked Theora as she finished her biscuit.
Max joined them. "Hi."
"I thought you were talking with Father Matthews and your dad." Edison said.
"They're talking about icky feelings," Max said. "I guess Sara likes Daddy, but Daddy likes Jenny. But Daddy says he doesn't want to like like her because he's got important stuff to do first."
Jenny smiled a melancholy smile.
"So, that's it," she said. She noticed the glare the Aldwens were giving Bryce. "I have the feeling our hosts would prefer it if he liked me better."
Theora noticed it as well.
"I suppose they're not too keen on the idea of a teen parent. Even if the child is, in their eyes, adopted."
"I suppose you're right," Jenny agreed, smiling a little more brightly.
Chapter 05:
"You'll start working the farm when we get back home," Aldwen told Edison's group."This little trip will put us behind schedule by a few hours, so you'll need to work twice as hard."
"What will we be doing?" Bryce asked.
"You're going to be a shepherd," Aldwen replied. "I've got a large flock of Cheviot you'll have to look over. About thirty at this point. I'll go over what you need to do."
Bryce gave a small chuckle and Aldwen raised an eyebrow.
"I once knew a man named Cheviot," Bryce explained. "You just made me think of him is all."
"What will I be doing?" Edison asked.
"You'll be helping me harrow the fields," Aldwen decided. "Jenny can help Sara with the housework. I suggest Miss Jones help Little Max with preparing for school since he'll be starting tomorrow."
"So soon?" Bryce asked. "I was hoping to integrate him into this town's population first."
"What better way than to have him interact with his own age group in school?" Aldwen asked.
"Jenny," Alice asked. "Perhaps you would like to help me make dinner?"
"I would love to," Jenny replied. "If Sara doesn't mind."
"Oh, she'll be helping as well," Alice assured her. "Us women must all help out."
"Except Miss Jones," Sara complained, watching Theora who was sitting at a table in the family room with Little Max and a book.
"She's teaching Little Max and getting him ready for school." Alice pointed out.
"Shouldn't his father be doing that?" Sara asked.
"That young man is currently watching over our sheep," Alice reminded her daughter.
"We'll be eating mutton for a month," Sara remarked.
"Oh, I'm sure he won't have that much of a problem." Alice reassured her.
Bryce had walked past the farm house and saw the many acres of half-plowed farmland. About a few hundred rows had been plowed and was ready for harrowing. The rich earth showed, brown and full of health.
Not far away were the sheep pens, the Cheviots baaing noisily as they Aldwen and Bryce approached them. They were a large flock, their white coats dirty with the dust and muck of the pen, which had been rained upon a bit during the night. There was an indoor pen as well, but Aldwen liked to take them out into the sunshine just before church. After that, he, and as of today Bryce, would take them into the fields just beyond the tree belt and let them graze as he kept watch upon them. Bryce watched a few clouds float by. None of them seemed to portend a rainy day, so he was sure he'd be spending a few hours with the animals. The field had a brook running through it, so there would be plenty of water for the sheep. So there was no need to carry buckets of it.
His eyes followed the sheep as they roamed the field. Occasionally one would start to stray. When it did so, he was there with the crook dragging it back into the flock. It was okay for them to walk about the field. Once a patch of grass was finished, it was expected that they would go and find another to feed from.
Bryce was used to keeping his mind very active, to the constant considerations of the Network and it's viewers. Of the regular stream of data that filled the computers and his mind.
Now his mind was at rest. It was something he wondered if he could ever get used to. As he minded the sheep, he found himself inwardly calculating things, like how much grain each sheep ate, how much wool they could produce (he stopped that when he realized he knew nothing about shearing or processing wool by hand.), or what percentage of sheep would be killed for mutton, how many would be bred to produce future flocks, or how many would continue to be used for just their wool.
One of the sheep began to run and Bryce led it back to the others with the crook.
"Oh, no, you don't," he laughed. "You stay right here with the rest of your family. You guys aren't as easy to look after as I expected you'd be. Whoever said sheep are easily led never led a flock like you guys. Now come, let's go down to the stream and get some nice fresh water. I bet it's better than the stuff I used to drink where I came from."
He guided the sheep to the stream, watching over them to make sure they didn't fall in. He watched as they drank happily, baaing their approval.
"Well, I'm glad you're happy," he told them. "Honestly, I kind of miss where I came from. It was hard living there, but I still miss it. I don't know if I'll ever get used to the tranquility of this place. It's nice, but I'm not used to it. I don't know if I'll ever get used to it. What do you think?"
Of course the only answer was "Baa!"
Chapter 06:
"Time to set the table for supper," Alice told Jenny and Sara. "Miss Jones, could you go tell the men it will be time to eat soon?"
"I can do that," Theora replied. "Max, come, you can go tell your daddy it's time to eat." she led Little Max outside and pointed to the row of trees. "He's over in the field with the sheep."
Max ran happily over to the field, tripping on a rock and getting a little dirty in the process. Frowning slightly, he stood up and hurried to get Bryce.
Shortly after, he arrived at the field and saw Bryce trying to pull a few strays back into the flock.
"Trouble?" he asked.
"A bit," Bryce replied. "I take it your being here means it's dinnertime."
"Yup," Max agreed.
"Now, Max," Bryce warned. "We should always remember to speak in the nuances of the period. No "awesome", no "wicked", no "cool", and definitely no "yup". Okay?"
"Okay, Daddy," Max agreed.
"Now, come, you can help me lead the sheep back to the farm."
"How do I do that?" Max wanted to know.
"Well, every time one of them starts to wander off, we push them back toward the others." Bryce told him.
The two of them, father and son, began leading the sheep back in the general direction of the farm.
"Uh, daddy," Max asked, pointing toward a row of bushes. "is that…?"
Bryce heard a loud low rumbling sound from the bushes and saw a thing that made his heart almost stop.
"Get behind me," he said, urgently.
The thing in the bushes, which was a Siberian Tiger, seemed to be trying to decide if Sheep or Man was on the menu that night. Or maybe it was trying to decide which to have as dinner and which to have as dessert.
In any case, Bryce had no idea how to handle the situation.
"They didn't give me a gun or anything to scare off animals like this," he said, half to himself and half to Max. "The only thing we can do now is keep still and hope it gets bored. Where did it come from, though? Did it escape from a traveling circus or a zoo?"
A few minutes later, Edison's voice came to them from a short distance away.
"Bryce! You coming?"
"Tiger!" Bryce shouted back. "Need a gun to scare him off!"
"We're coming," Aldwen said, fetching his gun and loading it as he ran. Reaching the field, he pointed his gun in the air and fired off a shot.
The tiger, as they had all hoped, ran off.
Bryce breathed a sigh of relief and hugged Max.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yes, daddy," Max agreed.
"Thankfully none of the sheep got hurt," Bryce remarked.
"I"m just glad neither of you got hurt," Aldwen told them. "I should have given you a gun just in case. Tomorrow I'll make sure you have one. I'll have to show you how to use it, though."
"Can I have one?" Max asked.
"Not even in your dreams, Max," Bryce replied.
The table was set by the time Bryce, Max, Edison, and Aldwen walked in.
"Smells delicious, Mrs. Lloyd," Edison said appreciatively.
"Thank you, Mr. Carter," Alice replied. "You can thank Miss Jenny and Miss Sara for the vegetables. They washed and chopped them for me."
Edison turned to Jenny and Sara.
"Thank you," he told them as he and the others sat down.
After grace, Edison turned to Bryce as Aldwen carved the ham. "So? Anything interesting in the world of sheep today?"
"We saw a tiger," Max said, excitedly. "Didn't we, daddy?"
"Yeah," Bryce agreed. He turned to Mrs. Lloyd. "Is there a circus in town?"
"Her majesty is rather fond of exotic animals," Alice replied. "She has just ordered the building of a local zoo. I suspect the tiger has escaped its transportation on its way to that zoo."
"The ham is very good," Theora remarked.
"You should thank Farmer Turner on the next street over," Aldwen told her. "He's the one we get the hog meat from."
"I'll remember that," Theora said.
"I always thought farmers were self-sufficient," Edison remarked.
"So did I," Bryce agreed.
"On larger farms that's true," Aldwen agreed. "But in areas where farmers have limited space, we have learned to share both our labors and their fruits. For example, our farm raises sheep as well as produce. And when the time comes, some of those sheep will be used for wool and others will be sent off to be used as food."
"And Farmer Turner will receive some of the mutton in return," Edison observed.
"Yes," Aldwen replied. "And tomorrow morning before breakfast Max can help Jenny collect eggs from the chicken coop."
"Are the chickens mean?" Max asked, cautiously.
"Well, I've never known a chicken to be happy about her eggs being taken," Sara replied. "But you can distract them with their feed while Jenny collects the eggs."
"Okay," Max agreed.
The group fell silent as they focused on the delicious meal of ham, parsnips, and potatoes.
All in all, it was a very good supper.
Chapter 07:
Bryce yawned as he woke up the next morning. The sun was still low in the sky, but there was just enough light to see and get dressed by.
He slipped into an empty stall and dressed, then went over to the haystack which Max was resting against. He shook his son and spoke while Edison, having also just awakened, slipped into the stall Bryce had just used and changed into his day clothes.
"Wake up, Max," Bryce said. "Rise and shine."
Max opened his eyes and sat up. "Good morning, Daddy."
"Good morning," Bryce replied.
Max looked around. "Where's Theora and Jenny?"
"They must've got up a little while ago," Bryce said. "You'd better hurry. I believe you have some chickens to feed this morning."
Max got dressed quickly and ran to the chicken coop where Theora, Sara and Jenny were standing and waiting patiently for him.
"Sorry," he called out to them. "I'm sorry."
"You're not late, Max," Sara said, handing him a bucket of grain. "All you need to do is take a handful of grain and toss it like this…" she showed him and he smiled.
"I can do that," he said confidently. He took a handful of grain and tossed it out in the general direction of the chickens who happily clucked and strutted up to the feed, eating their fill while Max went to scatter some grain in another area.
One of the chickens noticed that Max had stopped feeding her. She was not happy about this. She wasn't full yet. No. She wanted more food and was determined to get it.
As Max started to go to put the food away, he turned and saw the little mad hen.
"Uh oh…" he said as he did his best to escape the irritable hen. "Hey, little hen. I'm sorry. You can't eat everything now. You won't have anything later if you do. Shoo! Go on! Shoo! You have to wait until later for more!"
Sara tapped on the water dishes, distracting the chicken and her friends from Max who breathed a sigh of relief.
"Come on, then," she said. "We've collected enough eggs for breakfast. Let's get up to the house. Max, you go and change into your school clothes that Father Matthews gave you. Hurry! You don't want to be late."
Max ran off to change while Sara, Theora, and Jenny brought the eggs up to the house so that Alice could make breakfast.
Once the meal was finished, and the girls were washing the dishes, Aldwen turned to Bryce.
"Don't worry," he said, "I'm sure Max will do well today. Won't you, Max?"
"Yes, sir," Max beamed cheerfully. "I'll do my best."
"Good to hear," Aldwen smiled. "Well, shall we go?" he turned to Bryce. "I'm sure you'd like to join us."
"I'd like to meet Max's teachers, yes," Bryce agreed. "And I'd like to learn about the school he'll be attending."
"Very well," Aldwen agreed. "The school isn't far so we'll walk."
Bryce nodded and followed the farmer with Max at his side until the came to a brick building with many angles and gables.
"This is St. Michael's Primary School," Aldwen said. "It was built just a few years ago in 1819. I should warn you that the teachers are very strict."
"Do they allow corporal punishment?" Bryce asked.
"If you're asking about caning, yes they do. But they only reserve that for particularly nasty children. And I don't think Max is a nasty child. Are you, Max?"
"No, sir," Max agreed.
"Just be respectful, Max," Bryce told him, "and all will be well."
They went up to the teacher who was standing at the door.
"Hello, dear," she said to Max. "My name is Miss White."
"My name is Max," Max replied. "It's nice to meet you."
"Such nice manners," Miss White smiled. "Your parents raised you well."
"I never met my Mum," Max told her. "My Daddy, Bryce adopted me under unusual circumstances."
"Bryce?" Miss White looked at Aldwen.
"Actually, he's Bryce," Aldwen indicated the teenager beside him. "They're new in town. Arrived a couple of nights ago after they escaped from some kind of tragedy. I assume Max's parents were killed and he latched onto Bryce for some reason."
"I see," Miss White looked at Bryce as if she were trying to assess what type of boy he was. Finally, she smiled. "Well, I'm sure you'd like me to tell you about our school. So let me show Max to his classroom and then we can talk for a couple of minutes before school starts. Please, come with me."
Max followed Miss White to a room where several ten year old boys had gathered around a single desk.
"What are you boys up to?" She asked, her voice stern but kind.
"William was just showing us a new toy his father made for him."
"May I see?" Miss White asked.
The boys parted and Miss White could see a toy model of a dribbler locomotive. "You know, you might want to show that to the science teacher. I bet he could teach you a lot about the full size ones."
"Ooh, that sounds like a great idea, Miss White," William said, stowing the model in his desk for the moment. With a skeptical tone he added, "who's he?"
"This is Max Lynch," Miss White said, introducing the new student. "Max this is William Cooper, James Wright, and Theodore Harrison."
William sized Max up for a moment, then stuck out a hand which Max shook. "You seem okay to me." he said, jovially. "You can sit in the chair next to mine."
"Nice to meet you, Max," Theodore said, also offering a handshake. "My dad runs the shop on the corner of Brigadier and Lancaster. It's not much, but he can't work our old farm anymore because of his knee."
"I thought you guys were selling the farm," James remarked.
"We did," Theodore said. "Or, rather, we sold the fields across the road. We kept the chicken coop and yard for the eggs. Mom and Betsy collect them in the mornings. We eat some, but most of them we sell at father's shop along with whatever the neighbors bring in for sale."
There was a rap on the front desk and all the boys turned to face the stern-looking man who stood there.
"Good morning, Mr. Taylor," the boys said in unison.
"Good morning, class," Mr. Taylor replied. "I understand we have a new student among us today." he turned to Max. "May I have your name?"
"Max Lynch," Max replied.
"Well, it's good to meet you, Max."
"It's good to meet you, too, sir," Max replied.
Mr. Taylor smiled. "Perhaps you can tell us where you're from and where you're staying?"
"Well," Max said hesitantly. "I'm from London originally, but we had a bad incident there, so my dad and I were forced to abandon our home along with some friends. Right now, we're living with the Lloyds just up the road aways."
"Aldwen Lloyd is a good man," Mr. Taylor said appreciatively. "I'm sure your father and friends must be working very hard on his farm."
"My father is a shepherd now," Max replied. "We saw a tiger yesterday. I was scared that it was going to eat me, but Mr. Lloyd scared it off with a shotgun."
"We've gotten a few tigers around here lately," the teacher replied. "Or it was the same one a few times. She comes in from the circus that's in town for the next month. Her majesty has also arranged for a new zoo, so there are bound to be more animal sightings." Just then the school bell rang. "However, now is not the time to be discussing them. Everyone to your seats. We will be starting our day with basic maths."
Max sat down next to William as he had been invited earlier while the others took their own seats.