Chapter 1: The Post
A/N: I got tired of role-playing make-believe characters in movies, so I decided to write about one instead. This is from the movie The Patriot, with Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger (*sigh*), and Gregory Smith (*squeal* from "Everwood", you ignoramuses!). In this short story, Anna is the oldest sister instead of Margaret. So it's like this: Gabriel, Anna, Thomas, Margaret, Nathan, Samuel, unnamed boy, and Susan. I'll try to make it good.
The young horseman came galloping up the dirt path, eager to get his job done and be heading back home. Nathan and Samuel, working in the south field, looked up at the sound of the horse's footsteps.
"Samuel! A postrider!" Nathan cried, and the two boys ran from the field. Margaret sat on the porch, teaching the youngest boy to read.
"An 'R'," he said when she showed him the letter card.
"Very good," she said encouragingly.
Inside, Abegail and Anna worked feverishly to make bread. Abegail had just pulled out a loaf and carefully set it on the wood table; Anna worked to finish kneading the dough, her dark green dress sleeves rolled up to the elbows, flour changing her skin from tan to white.
"Done kneading, Abegail," she said triumphantly, rubbing her hands on her dark blue apron.
"Good. Put it on the stick and set it in the oven," she said, looking up at the sound of hooves. Anna did as she was told and quickly followed Abegail to the porch, where Margaret, her student, Nathan, and Samuel were waiting. The rider walked quickly up the porch and handed the thick wad of assorted papers to Anna's eagerly waiting hands.
"Thank you," she said politely.
"You're welcome," the rider said quickly, turning away and jumping on her horse. Anna stared in wonder at the papers, wanting very much so to read them. No. Must wait for Father. Grumbling to herself, she set them in his study and went back to the kitchen.
Outside, Nathan and Samuel ran after the postrider, en route to the barn to get Father. Gabriel and Thomas, emerging from the woods with guns and pheasants for dinner, saw the postrider leaving the house. Thomas turned to Gabriel eagerly, his dark brown eyes (the same as his older brother's) sparkling excitedly, and began to sprint back to the house. The smaller boys reached the barn, calling, "Father! Father, a postrider!"
"Did you finish planting the south field?" he called back.
"More than half," Nathan replied.
"Yeah, those midday swims really get to you," he mumbled, looking right at the boys.
Samuel elbowed Nathan. "Told you so," he whispered, and Nathan grabbed him by the collar and pulled him away.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Meanwhile, Thomas dumped the birds on the table with his gun and ran to Father's study where he knew the papers would be. Anna, hearing the thuds, came to investigate. Thomas was almost ripping the paper open.
"Thomas." He looked up at Gabriel's voice. "Wait for Father."
"Cheater," Anna told him bossily. She was only half-joking; Thomas was her closest brother and she loved him dearly. He gazed at her stonily before setting the envelope back on the table and stomping upstairs. Anna sighed and shook her head, scooping up her apron and following her younger brother. She paused outside his and Gabriel's room. She opened it hesitantly. He looked up from his soldiers; he loved painted metal soldiers and creating made-up battles where the Continental Army always won against the Redcoats.
"What do you want, Anna?" he asked.
"How many birds did you shoot?" she asked quietly, settling her skirts on his bed, not taking her deep blue eyes away from him. She could've easily been mistaken for his twin sister. They had the same thick, brown hair as Father and the same thin body frame. Anna was the only girl who wasn't blond like Mother once was, but other than that, she looked more like her than any of her other siblings. She even sang like Mother, with a beautiful soprano and alto voice. Aunt Charlotte used to come over and she would play the piano and sing while Anna played the violin. Father always had tears in his eyes when the two played together.
"A few," Thomas replied, turning to his soldiers. "I only missed two."
"That's better than last time," she said hopefully.
"Gabriel didn't miss any."
"He's had more practice, more time to learn."
"He'll be good in the army."
"Father won't let him join it, you know that."
Thomas looked determined. "He said he will; he told me if they vote for war, he'll be first to join."
Anna froze at this. She didn't want her brother to go to war. She knew that more people died in battles than she was told; she was far from stupid. She shook her head.
"Father will stop him."
"You know nothing can stop Gabriel once his mind's made up."
Anna closed her eyes; she knew it was true. Shaking her head, she left her brother's room, her heart aching at the fact that her older brother might be killed in war.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Thomas slowly moved his metal soldier across the polished wood board, raising his head as Father came down the stairs, candles in hand. Gabriel peered over the top of the book; Anna looked up from her stitching. Father merely ignored his oldest children and walked slowly into his study. Thomas slid across the floor to see if Father would open the mail. His hand paused over the envelope, then he pulled it away. Anna leaned over to see better, dropping her needle. Father looked up from his desk and said nonchalantly, "So what came in the mail?"
There was a stampede into the study, the boys leading and Anna close behind. Gabriel ripped open the envelope and gave a ribboned note to Father before snatching the newspaper. Anna snatched two pages of it and gave one to Thomas to read. Gabriel's lips moved as he read the names of new soldiers.
"Peter Cuppin joined the Continentals," he announced, watching Father's reaction. Anna and Thomas watched as well. "He's seventeen, a year younger than I." They waited for Father's reaction; he knew what his oldest son wanted. He ignored him, reading the note in front of him. Anna shared a worried look with Thomas. Gabriel looked defeated, something that didn't happen often.
"Well, I've been called to the council board, so we're going to Charlestown."
"Charlestown? We're going to Charlestown?" Thomas asked again, excitedly.
"We're going to see Aunt Charlotte?" Anna cried, and Father nodded; she squealed excitedly.
"We leave in the morning, so get to bed."
A/N: I got tired of role-playing make-believe characters in movies, so I decided to write about one instead. This is from the movie The Patriot, with Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger (*sigh*), and Gregory Smith (*squeal* from "Everwood", you ignoramuses!). In this short story, Anna is the oldest sister instead of Margaret. So it's like this: Gabriel, Anna, Thomas, Margaret, Nathan, Samuel, unnamed boy, and Susan. I'll try to make it good.
The young horseman came galloping up the dirt path, eager to get his job done and be heading back home. Nathan and Samuel, working in the south field, looked up at the sound of the horse's footsteps.
"Samuel! A postrider!" Nathan cried, and the two boys ran from the field. Margaret sat on the porch, teaching the youngest boy to read.
"An 'R'," he said when she showed him the letter card.
"Very good," she said encouragingly.
Inside, Abegail and Anna worked feverishly to make bread. Abegail had just pulled out a loaf and carefully set it on the wood table; Anna worked to finish kneading the dough, her dark green dress sleeves rolled up to the elbows, flour changing her skin from tan to white.
"Done kneading, Abegail," she said triumphantly, rubbing her hands on her dark blue apron.
"Good. Put it on the stick and set it in the oven," she said, looking up at the sound of hooves. Anna did as she was told and quickly followed Abegail to the porch, where Margaret, her student, Nathan, and Samuel were waiting. The rider walked quickly up the porch and handed the thick wad of assorted papers to Anna's eagerly waiting hands.
"Thank you," she said politely.
"You're welcome," the rider said quickly, turning away and jumping on her horse. Anna stared in wonder at the papers, wanting very much so to read them. No. Must wait for Father. Grumbling to herself, she set them in his study and went back to the kitchen.
Outside, Nathan and Samuel ran after the postrider, en route to the barn to get Father. Gabriel and Thomas, emerging from the woods with guns and pheasants for dinner, saw the postrider leaving the house. Thomas turned to Gabriel eagerly, his dark brown eyes (the same as his older brother's) sparkling excitedly, and began to sprint back to the house. The smaller boys reached the barn, calling, "Father! Father, a postrider!"
"Did you finish planting the south field?" he called back.
"More than half," Nathan replied.
"Yeah, those midday swims really get to you," he mumbled, looking right at the boys.
Samuel elbowed Nathan. "Told you so," he whispered, and Nathan grabbed him by the collar and pulled him away.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Meanwhile, Thomas dumped the birds on the table with his gun and ran to Father's study where he knew the papers would be. Anna, hearing the thuds, came to investigate. Thomas was almost ripping the paper open.
"Thomas." He looked up at Gabriel's voice. "Wait for Father."
"Cheater," Anna told him bossily. She was only half-joking; Thomas was her closest brother and she loved him dearly. He gazed at her stonily before setting the envelope back on the table and stomping upstairs. Anna sighed and shook her head, scooping up her apron and following her younger brother. She paused outside his and Gabriel's room. She opened it hesitantly. He looked up from his soldiers; he loved painted metal soldiers and creating made-up battles where the Continental Army always won against the Redcoats.
"What do you want, Anna?" he asked.
"How many birds did you shoot?" she asked quietly, settling her skirts on his bed, not taking her deep blue eyes away from him. She could've easily been mistaken for his twin sister. They had the same thick, brown hair as Father and the same thin body frame. Anna was the only girl who wasn't blond like Mother once was, but other than that, she looked more like her than any of her other siblings. She even sang like Mother, with a beautiful soprano and alto voice. Aunt Charlotte used to come over and she would play the piano and sing while Anna played the violin. Father always had tears in his eyes when the two played together.
"A few," Thomas replied, turning to his soldiers. "I only missed two."
"That's better than last time," she said hopefully.
"Gabriel didn't miss any."
"He's had more practice, more time to learn."
"He'll be good in the army."
"Father won't let him join it, you know that."
Thomas looked determined. "He said he will; he told me if they vote for war, he'll be first to join."
Anna froze at this. She didn't want her brother to go to war. She knew that more people died in battles than she was told; she was far from stupid. She shook her head.
"Father will stop him."
"You know nothing can stop Gabriel once his mind's made up."
Anna closed her eyes; she knew it was true. Shaking her head, she left her brother's room, her heart aching at the fact that her older brother might be killed in war.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
Thomas slowly moved his metal soldier across the polished wood board, raising his head as Father came down the stairs, candles in hand. Gabriel peered over the top of the book; Anna looked up from her stitching. Father merely ignored his oldest children and walked slowly into his study. Thomas slid across the floor to see if Father would open the mail. His hand paused over the envelope, then he pulled it away. Anna leaned over to see better, dropping her needle. Father looked up from his desk and said nonchalantly, "So what came in the mail?"
There was a stampede into the study, the boys leading and Anna close behind. Gabriel ripped open the envelope and gave a ribboned note to Father before snatching the newspaper. Anna snatched two pages of it and gave one to Thomas to read. Gabriel's lips moved as he read the names of new soldiers.
"Peter Cuppin joined the Continentals," he announced, watching Father's reaction. Anna and Thomas watched as well. "He's seventeen, a year younger than I." They waited for Father's reaction; he knew what his oldest son wanted. He ignored him, reading the note in front of him. Anna shared a worried look with Thomas. Gabriel looked defeated, something that didn't happen often.
"Well, I've been called to the council board, so we're going to Charlestown."
"Charlestown? We're going to Charlestown?" Thomas asked again, excitedly.
"We're going to see Aunt Charlotte?" Anna cried, and Father nodded; she squealed excitedly.
"We leave in the morning, so get to bed."
