Man of the House
Disclaimer: Read first chapter.
Narrator: Five days after the boy's mother died, they buried her.
The boy stayed behind after everyone left since he needed time alone with his mother. He and his father couldn't afford a proper burial, so all he had left of his mother was a pile of dirt. Two twin streams ran down his cheeks as he clutched a small bag in his hands. Ella had given him the bag with her condolences.
He had no idea what was in the bag, but it meant a lot to him that she had the heart to give it to him. She stood by him through the entire funeral which was more than what his father did. In fact, his father left halfway through the service.
Everyone that the boy new personally showed up. Anne and her parents, the Dairyman's wife and Jack, the sartor and her newborn daughter Amy, and of course Ella's family. The boy cringed at the thought of Ella's new family. Her sisters, or rather step-sisters, were snobby and mean. They did nothing but boss Ella around. He learned today that their names were Florinda and Lucinda. He also overheard her step mother calling her a name that sounded suspiciously like Cinderella.
He also caught a glimpse of the witch hiding in the trees holding a bundle in her arms. Upon seeing that she had the gall to show up, he clenched his fists so hard the cracked. He had no idea why he was angry at her, because technically she did nothing to him. She was just strange, ugly, and he had no idea why she was with his mother when she died.
Most of all though, he was angry at his father. He may be young, but he was smart, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that his mother spent the last weeks of her life hating his father. He also saw that the witch seemed to also harbor those feelings as well. The boy knew that in order for his mother to hate, his father had to have done something irreparable.
Pushing that thought aside, the boy kneeled onto the cold ground and opened the small bag clutched in his hands. Inside there were many tiny seeds and a note.
There are other ways to remember your mother
Love, Ella
The small streams on his face turned into rivers when he read the note. Ella understood what he was going through, since she herself had lost her mother not to long before. He remembered watching from a distance as Ella planted a branch at the head of her mothers grave.
Understanding what he had to do, the boy spread the seeds over the freshly turned soil and left to return home.
The walk seemed longer than it actually was, and the cold air that penetrated his clothes didn't help, but alas he reached his destination. Walking through the front door he stopped dead in his tracks. His house was destroyed. The kitchen had been gutted by fire and there was no sign of his father.
"Joseph?"
The boy whirled around at the sound of his name and watched as Anne walked over the threshold with a basket of flowers hanging from one of her hands.
"What happened?" She asked.
Joseph shrugged. "It looks like a baking accident. I don't know where my father is."
The young girl nodded and took the flowers into the bedroom which was remarkably untouched by the fire and returned wearing his mothers apron. "I'll help you clean this up until your father gets back." She said as she grabbed what was left of a chair and hauled it outside.
Pushing an uneasy feeling of loneliness aside, he followed her actions and began the process of rebuilding.
AN: I know this was another short chapter, but it was necessary. Hopefully I'll update soon!!!