Plymouth Colony, January 1621
David pulled the remaining corn stock, now frozen together, out of the bottom of the barrel. His teeth chattered loudly together and he could no longer feel his hands or feet as of two weeks ago. He was too scared of the sight he might see beneath the shrewdly made gloves so he never removed them. He found it difficult to believe the corn supply was already out, hadn't it only been a few days ago the barrel was full? Had it all disappeared so shortly?
Quickly, he ran back up the stairs to his wife who was huddled by the fire.
"Here," he said sitting the corn next to her and the fire to thaw. She looked up at him with red puffy eyes and a pink nose. For a few moments she merely stared at him, she had been doing that lately. David worried silently that she was loosing her mind, she rarely said anything these days.
"Food," he whispered and pushed it lightly to her, "you need to eat". Again, she did not reply and instead turned back staring into the fire.
"You need to eat," he tried again, "For the baby". Currently, his wife was 6 months pregnant and yet only looked as big as three. She needed more food and sleep badly but David could see in her eyes that she no longer cared what she needed, she had given up hope back when the Winter began and their fellow Puritans began dropping dead like flies.
"Elizabeth," he whispered and reached a hand up to turn her back to him, "Please"
For a moment she stared at him, into his eyes, before responding: "No"
Such a small word it was but it packed so much with it and he could feel it in his heart as soon as she spoke the simple syllable.
"Honey you must…the baby," he tried to tell her but his own stomach blocked out the last word. When was the last time he had eaten? It was long ago for sure, he had been giving all his food to her for the baby, not that it was much to offer.
"No," she spoke again, eyes deep into the fire as if she were no longer even speaking to him, as if she wasn't even aware she was there.
"Elizabeth…" He could hear the desperation in his voice loudly. She refused to respond then, or the fifty times afterward.
David was like many Puritans, not overly brooding to their wives. Some still were rather hurtful towards their mates but David could never find the heart to hurt his Elizabeth like that, she meant too much to him. He often tried again and again to make her completely happy and she used to laugh at him about being too nice, her laugh just made him smile more. Lately there was no laughter. Lately, there was no smiles, no caring, no hugging, or words. Lately, his Elizabeth did not feel like his at all.
Still, he tried again and again to satisfy her. All he really wished for was a smile in return, so he knew she was happy, even in the conditions. It was kind of ironic, she was actually the one to push him to come to the colony
"There will be adventure!" she exclaimed, her blue eyes wide with excitement
"We don't know what it'll be like, I heard the Natives are quiet animalistic," he told her in response, although he couldn't hide his smile at her happiness
"But we'll finally have freedom," she threw her arms up, "Freedom to practice what we believe…as Puritans…a safe haven!"
"Elizabeth I don't think…"
"David!" she interrupted him, something that wouldn't be tolerated in any other marriage but theirs, "Just imagine what it will be like…there's so much waiting for us there. Imagine our children being raised in such a nice community, with so much waiting for them"
To that, he had no legitimate argument and after a week of debating, he finally agreed. Two months later they were aboard the ship and on their way to the New World, where they worked and began building their new community. Unfortunately, no one encountered the horrors the winter would bring, and well over half the population was now dead. Snow barricaded the doors and they were stuck with only one more ear of corn. It seemed as though they would die in there, not that Elizabeth seemed to care in the least as to what happened to them.
Somehow they didn't die that winter, and 3 months later David were out and about, Elizabeth refused to come. She remained staring intently at the fire, eyes drawn to another place. The baby was due any day and he was excited for his first child, he was secretly hoping a boy. It was nothing personal against girls, he just wanted more for his family. He knew what would more then likely happen to the girl: she would be off to the highest bidder…thanks to him. It wasn't that he would want to do that, he just was unsure how desperate he was for land and cattle, the idea of a daughter was both tempting and sickening.
Elizabeth began labor a week later, yet it was far different then a normal women. She did not pant or scream, she remained quiet calm and silent as the baby prepared to make its way out.
The males were told to leave the birthing room and only the midwives would remain, but David refused. He hated to see her look so…bizarre…and even feared for his unborn child life, he no longer knew just what she was capable of.
Elizabeth was in labor for 25 hours, and still no child. Frantically David received every doctor in the nearby radius and had them look at her, none had diagnosis. On the 26 hour, he woke up to find his wife holding a newborn securely in her arms, the doctors asleep on the floor, it appeared as though she did not give birth with them helping her. Stunned, he hugged her and looked closely at the child.
It was asleep, dark brown hair atop its head with a tiny button nose. It was a boy. Gingerly, he reached out to take the child from his wife's grasp. She held on.
"Elizabeth… may I see the baby?" he asked confused
Her arms tightened around the baby protectively, she stared at him with those vacant eyes as if daring him to try to take the newborn.
He had heard of the protective bond between the mother and the child, but her reaction was so bizarre, as if she literally feared him.
"Why do you withdraw so?" he asked bewildered
She didn't reply and he reached out again slowly. He touched the baby and a moment later he felt a sharp pain on his hand, blood began to trickle.
Quickly he withdrew his hand and observed the bite mark made suddenly from his spouse.
"What in God's name is wrong with you?" he roared as he cupped his bleeding hand around his shirt
"Get away from my baby," she snarled venomously, eyebrows pulled together and lip dripping lightly from the rather large amount of blood she managed to draw.
"B-but why?" he kept his voice loud but it softened lightly with confusion
"Get…away…from…my…baby!" she began to shriek as she repeated these words over and over again
One of the doctors sat up from the ruckus and slowly the others began waking also, soon 24 eyes were stairing at him and her.
The baby awoke and began to cry while she continued to scream. Confused and alarmed David ran from the room until the screams faded lightly to the background.
He tried making sense of it all, in the other room, while the nurses and doctors tried to calm his insane wife. It was time he stopped lying to himself: something was terribly wrong with her. After many minutes she quieted yet, according to the nurses, refused to allow anyone to so much as touch her baby. Finally, David ordered everyone out of the room as he decided to try to talk some sanity into her.
She was rocking the baby on the bed, feeding it with one nipple. As he walked in she withdrew from him, glaring at him.
"Stay away," she spat, "You monster"
"Monst- Elizabeth what are you talking about?"
"You…demon!" she screeched, "Demon! Devil's spawn!"
She began to shake violently and he had to grab her firmly to hold her still, but as soon as he touched her she threw herself onto the floor, holding the baby tightly against her and away from the floor.
"Stop it this instant!" David screamed back at her as he pointed his finger firmly
"Demon! Stay away!" she began reciting versus from the Bible while she made a cross with her two fingers
"Stop it!" he grabbed her hands so hard she whimpered lightly but he didn't care, not anymore
"Stop it! Stop it!" he smacked her hard against the face and she fell sideways from the blow, and from it, the baby fell to the floor.
"NO!" She screamed but he was at the baby first, he could tell by the odd angle of the head the child had died instantly
"No! No! No!" Elizabeth picked up the child in her arms and began to whimper before looking back up him with those insane eyes once again, "You did this! You monster! How dare you!" she leapt to her feet and began clawing at his face, kicking him, biting him… whatever she could
"It was an accident!" he tried defending himself but she was on a rampage and soon they were wrestling on the floor
"I said: STOP IT!" He kicked her violently against the wall and her head banged the loudest against the surface
Slowly she fell to the floor in a sitting position, "You…monster…"
He ran over to her, immediately distraught by the pain he caused his beloved but she was already dead. He stared down at her lifeless body without moving.
Finally, he found himself moving. He walked calmly out of the room, the house, and then the property. He found it quiet easy to move about, as if nothing had happened at all- as if he hadn't just killed his wife and son. He found himself climbing upon the small side of a mountain, just for fun. Although he felt no joy from it, no sorrow from the death, and no… emotions at all really.
This was bizarre, shouldn't he be crying or whatever that grieving process was?
He soon found himself miles away in a Native camp, or 'Indians' as the others continued to call them, although it was quiet obvious they weren't Indians.
As he approached the wives eyes grew wide and the men looked alarmed, but he felt no fear. In fact, he was lightly enjoying this. Soon he was surrounded with shrewdly made sticks and other assortments of weapons.
They attacked and he soon had each down in a pool of blood, but that didn't satisfy him. He walked further into the village, until he found what he knew would satisfy him: a young boy stood fearfully behind his mothers legs, he couldn't be older then 2.
The woman was half speaking and half pleading, in their language until he finally threw her aside. He knew what he wanted.
Smiling he knelt down to the shaking Native boy, taking his hands firmly in his he stared deep into the boys eyes. Slowly the boy relaxed and within moments he held the same expression David knew was on his own face: sorrow and unnerving.
Monster was what she had called him, but that was incorrect. He was so much more then that now.