Chapter 3:Gabriel's Letter
Two years passed by, filled with dread and dark times. Thomas was afraid, though he never spoke aloud of it. Anna slept in his room, for company and comfort. At first, Father rejected the idea, but Anna wouldn't take no for an answer and did it anyway. He never spoke of it again.
Finally, the postrider brought them another letter from Gabriel, which was just as short as his first one, and was sent to Thomas.
"Dear Thomas:
Though many seasons have passed, it seems like only yesterday when we last saw each other in Charlestown. With sadness, I learned of its recent fall to the British under General Cornwallis.
I received a letter from Aunt Charlotte, telling me she had closed her home in Charlestown shortly after the city fell, and moved to her plantation on the Santee.
Here in the North, our campaign has been marked by defeat and privation. Our losses have been grievous. My good friend, Peter Cuppin, fell at Elizabethtown. His death has been difficult to bear. We will march south with General Gates to fight the Recoats under Cornwallis.
I envy you, your youth and distance from this cruel conflict of which I am a part. But I am fortunate to be serving the cause of Liberty. And though I fear death, each day in prayer I reaffirm my willingness to give my life in its service. Pray for me. But above all, pray for the cause.
Your loving brother, Gabriel"
Anna saw the look of wanting in her brother's eyes; he wanted to fight alongside Gabriel, to have his chance to prove himself. She squeezed Nathan's shoulder tighter, where he and everyone else except Father sat around Thomas as he read the letter. He folded it up carefully, putting it in his trouser pocket before standing up again.
"C'mon, we have to finish working," Father called, and they all split up. Thomas went to help the workers in the field, and Father returned to plowing the west field. Nathan and Samuel ran off somewhere, and Margaret and Susan shelled peas while Anna stitched up a pair of pants with Abegail. A loud whinny disturbed them, and Anna's mare raced from the barn, Nathan and Samuel behind it, laughing. Abegail pursed her lips.
"Margaret, go get your brothers, quickly." The girl stood up and ran from the steps, running behind them. Father looked up, watching the children running after the mare into the woods. Slowly grabbing his pistol, he set off after them, Thomas watching all the while with Anna.
Samuel and Nathan, meanwhile, had caught up with the black mare, who was grazing alongside the river contently. They stopped, frozen in their tracks as Margaret ran up behind them.
"Samuel, Nathan, come on!" she cried, frustrated. Then she stopped, sharing the horror of which her brothers were witnessing.
Floating down the creek were the bloody bodies of Redcoats. The river was tainted with blood, and the dead eyes of the soldiers seem to stare into the nothingness. Margaret started shaking when one of the eyes faced her.
"Children." Father paused, catching sight of the bodies. "Children, go on. Go on." Margaret wouldn't move, her feet paralyzed. He set his hands on her shoulders and she looked up at him. "Margaret, go back to the house." She nodded mutely and started to walk back up, tears streaming down her face.
Anna leapt up and raced over to the sobbing girl, dropping the almost finished trousers. "Meg, honey, what is it?"
"The.the.eyes.the d-dead eyes."
"What eyes? What are you talking about?"
"The dead soldiers. I-in the r-river."
"Oh, sweetie," Anna soothed, scooping her sister in her arms and crooning to her. She carried her back to the house, where Abegail took her and brought her inside. She met Thomas's eyes that clearly read What happened? She mouthed back, "Later." Father walked back with the mare, who looked quite unfrazzled. Father, however, looked disturbed and a bit frightened. Anna said nothing to him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
After supper, Anna helped Abegail clean up the dirty kitchen. Thomas was off some-where in the house, and the younger children were in bed. Abegail dropped a pot of dirty water all over the wood floor, and Anna jumped up in surprise at the loud clang.
"Damn my shaky hands!" she cursed. "Anna, go git your brother and go git the big tub, will you?"
Nodding, she picked up her skirts and ran outside into the warm summer air, shouting, "Thomas! Thomas, where are you? Thomas!" She angrily turned inside, hissing upstairs, "Thomas Martin, don't you dare make me look for you! Where are you?" She finally looked downstairs, calling, "Thomas! Thomas! You stupid git, where are you? Thomas-" She paused as she saw Father outside his study, staring at her with a mixture of hurt and a strange sadness. He slowly walked away. She peered in the study and saw Thomas put away Father's ax from Fort Wilderness. She stood in the doorway, simply saying, "Abegail needs your help."
Without a word, he shoved past her, pushing her hard into the doorframe, charging upstairs quickly and slamming his bedroom door. Grumbling underneath her breath, she lightly stepped upstairs and opened his door, ready to tell him off for being so loud, when she noticed he was crying. She quietly closed the door behind her and sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his back comfortingly.
"Thomas, what happened?" she asked quietly.
"H-he saw me try on h-his Redcoat uni-uniform. And he saw m-me with th-the ax."
"It could be worse," she comforted.
"He told m-me I couldn't f-fight until I w-was seventeen."
"WHAT?"
"I know! That's t-two years away!"
"How dare he! How dare he! You can't fight! Gabriel didn't fight until he was eighteen, and even that was too young!"
Thomas turned to face her, his face red from crying and hatred burning in his eyes. "You don't understand! You never will!"
Anna immediately realized her mistake, and crooned, "No, no. You don't understand-"
"NO, YOU DON'T! I've wanted to fight ever since Gabriel first spoke of war coming. I wanted to join up with him so badly, to just lie about my age and stay with him. But he said no! He said I couldn't and if I tried, he'd tell the truth!"
"He actually did something smart, now, didn't he?"
Thomas just cried harder. Anna moved him so his head was in the crook of her arms, and he buried his face in her shoulder and bawled. She gently rocked him and sang quietly, like Mother used to. Abegail poked her head in, looking cross, but immediately backed out when she saw Anna.
It was true that Anna didn't understand. But she soon would.
Two years passed by, filled with dread and dark times. Thomas was afraid, though he never spoke aloud of it. Anna slept in his room, for company and comfort. At first, Father rejected the idea, but Anna wouldn't take no for an answer and did it anyway. He never spoke of it again.
Finally, the postrider brought them another letter from Gabriel, which was just as short as his first one, and was sent to Thomas.
"Dear Thomas:
Though many seasons have passed, it seems like only yesterday when we last saw each other in Charlestown. With sadness, I learned of its recent fall to the British under General Cornwallis.
I received a letter from Aunt Charlotte, telling me she had closed her home in Charlestown shortly after the city fell, and moved to her plantation on the Santee.
Here in the North, our campaign has been marked by defeat and privation. Our losses have been grievous. My good friend, Peter Cuppin, fell at Elizabethtown. His death has been difficult to bear. We will march south with General Gates to fight the Recoats under Cornwallis.
I envy you, your youth and distance from this cruel conflict of which I am a part. But I am fortunate to be serving the cause of Liberty. And though I fear death, each day in prayer I reaffirm my willingness to give my life in its service. Pray for me. But above all, pray for the cause.
Your loving brother, Gabriel"
Anna saw the look of wanting in her brother's eyes; he wanted to fight alongside Gabriel, to have his chance to prove himself. She squeezed Nathan's shoulder tighter, where he and everyone else except Father sat around Thomas as he read the letter. He folded it up carefully, putting it in his trouser pocket before standing up again.
"C'mon, we have to finish working," Father called, and they all split up. Thomas went to help the workers in the field, and Father returned to plowing the west field. Nathan and Samuel ran off somewhere, and Margaret and Susan shelled peas while Anna stitched up a pair of pants with Abegail. A loud whinny disturbed them, and Anna's mare raced from the barn, Nathan and Samuel behind it, laughing. Abegail pursed her lips.
"Margaret, go get your brothers, quickly." The girl stood up and ran from the steps, running behind them. Father looked up, watching the children running after the mare into the woods. Slowly grabbing his pistol, he set off after them, Thomas watching all the while with Anna.
Samuel and Nathan, meanwhile, had caught up with the black mare, who was grazing alongside the river contently. They stopped, frozen in their tracks as Margaret ran up behind them.
"Samuel, Nathan, come on!" she cried, frustrated. Then she stopped, sharing the horror of which her brothers were witnessing.
Floating down the creek were the bloody bodies of Redcoats. The river was tainted with blood, and the dead eyes of the soldiers seem to stare into the nothingness. Margaret started shaking when one of the eyes faced her.
"Children." Father paused, catching sight of the bodies. "Children, go on. Go on." Margaret wouldn't move, her feet paralyzed. He set his hands on her shoulders and she looked up at him. "Margaret, go back to the house." She nodded mutely and started to walk back up, tears streaming down her face.
Anna leapt up and raced over to the sobbing girl, dropping the almost finished trousers. "Meg, honey, what is it?"
"The.the.eyes.the d-dead eyes."
"What eyes? What are you talking about?"
"The dead soldiers. I-in the r-river."
"Oh, sweetie," Anna soothed, scooping her sister in her arms and crooning to her. She carried her back to the house, where Abegail took her and brought her inside. She met Thomas's eyes that clearly read What happened? She mouthed back, "Later." Father walked back with the mare, who looked quite unfrazzled. Father, however, looked disturbed and a bit frightened. Anna said nothing to him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
After supper, Anna helped Abegail clean up the dirty kitchen. Thomas was off some-where in the house, and the younger children were in bed. Abegail dropped a pot of dirty water all over the wood floor, and Anna jumped up in surprise at the loud clang.
"Damn my shaky hands!" she cursed. "Anna, go git your brother and go git the big tub, will you?"
Nodding, she picked up her skirts and ran outside into the warm summer air, shouting, "Thomas! Thomas, where are you? Thomas!" She angrily turned inside, hissing upstairs, "Thomas Martin, don't you dare make me look for you! Where are you?" She finally looked downstairs, calling, "Thomas! Thomas! You stupid git, where are you? Thomas-" She paused as she saw Father outside his study, staring at her with a mixture of hurt and a strange sadness. He slowly walked away. She peered in the study and saw Thomas put away Father's ax from Fort Wilderness. She stood in the doorway, simply saying, "Abegail needs your help."
Without a word, he shoved past her, pushing her hard into the doorframe, charging upstairs quickly and slamming his bedroom door. Grumbling underneath her breath, she lightly stepped upstairs and opened his door, ready to tell him off for being so loud, when she noticed he was crying. She quietly closed the door behind her and sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his back comfortingly.
"Thomas, what happened?" she asked quietly.
"H-he saw me try on h-his Redcoat uni-uniform. And he saw m-me with th-the ax."
"It could be worse," she comforted.
"He told m-me I couldn't f-fight until I w-was seventeen."
"WHAT?"
"I know! That's t-two years away!"
"How dare he! How dare he! You can't fight! Gabriel didn't fight until he was eighteen, and even that was too young!"
Thomas turned to face her, his face red from crying and hatred burning in his eyes. "You don't understand! You never will!"
Anna immediately realized her mistake, and crooned, "No, no. You don't understand-"
"NO, YOU DON'T! I've wanted to fight ever since Gabriel first spoke of war coming. I wanted to join up with him so badly, to just lie about my age and stay with him. But he said no! He said I couldn't and if I tried, he'd tell the truth!"
"He actually did something smart, now, didn't he?"
Thomas just cried harder. Anna moved him so his head was in the crook of her arms, and he buried his face in her shoulder and bawled. She gently rocked him and sang quietly, like Mother used to. Abegail poked her head in, looking cross, but immediately backed out when she saw Anna.
It was true that Anna didn't understand. But she soon would.
