Chapter One
A scream pierces the silence of the night.
The sound of footsteps are heard thumping on a hard wooden floor. The door to the room where the scream came from flies open. In the archway stands a man. His shadowed frame fills the doorway. A single candle luminates the room from which the scream came. On the bed stationed on the floor is a woman. Her stomach big and round, showing that she is pregnant. Her face is covered in sweat and her black hair is matted to her face. The man in the doorway moves into the light. He appears to be about mid-thirties. His brownish red hair is kept away from his face by a head band. Around his neck is a golden chain. The man moves over to the woman. She screams again.
ÒDear, are you alright? Is the baby coming?Ó is all that the man can ask. With a look of pain the woman nods her head slightly while letting out a loud cry of pain.
Moving down to her lower body the man grabs his wifes legs. He bends them at the knees and pushes them apart. He bunches the womans dress around her waist and goes to help his wife deliver the baby.
After hours of pain and labor a new scream is heard. The scream of a baby. The father gets to his feet and walks over to his wife. In his arms he carries the newborn member of the family. Just as the woman reaches out to cuddle her baby son in her arms she lets out another scream.
ÒThereÕs... another... one...coming...out!!Ó she manages to say in between deep ragged breaths. Surprised the man hurriedly gets back to his feet. Searching around the hot, dry room for a clean cloth he soon finds one. He wraps the baby in the sheet and puts the baby next to him on the ground. The baby at this point has grown quiet. The man, seeing that his first son is okay, tends to helping his wife again.
Shortly thereafter the man produces another healthy baby boy in his arms. The man carries the second born child in his left arm as he bends down to scoop up the first baby in his right. The first born child looks up at his father with big blueish green eyes. The father takes his two young sons to their weary mother. Tears of joy are streaming down her face as she sees her sons for the first time. She extends her arms out and the father lays the children down onto their mother. She cradles their heads on her chest and kisses both of them on their bald heads. She then lays her head back and closes her eyes. Soon she and the two babies are all asleep. The father bends over and kisses his family goodnight. Then he walks out of the room.
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The sound of babies crying draws Julian from his slumber. At first he is startled by the sound, but than the events of last night begin to dawn on him. He picks himself up off of his straw bed and throws his blanket from his body. He makes his way to the room where his wife Helen gave birth to the two twin boys. As Julian opens the door to the room a smile crosses his face at the sight of his family. One of the babies is awake and screaming loudly. Julian bends down and picks him up.
ÒWell you must be the little one that woke me up. IÕm surprised that your mother and brother are still asleep,Ó Julian tells the little one in his arms.
As Julian cradles the toddler, the other baby wakes up, with his big blue eyes taking in everything around him. When he sees the other baby is getting all the attention he lets out a little whimper. Hearing the whimper, Julian looks down to see the other baby as awakened. He bends and scoops him up in his strong arms. Julian takes the two babies and exits the room, leaving Helen to get some well deserved rest.
He heads to the dining area of the house and looks for some milk. Upon finding some in a pail that he had just milked from the family cow yesterday, he pours two cups full. Than he sits down in a wooden chair. He places one baby on each knee. Than he carefully feeds the babies their milk. All the while Julian has a big broad smile on his face.
ÒThis is my family. I wonÕt let anything happen to them,Ó Julian promises to himself as the babies finish their milk and close their eyes for a nap.
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