Things never seem to go right for Arthur Kirkland.
Whether it was his pet hamster dying in elementary school, his older brothers bullying him, or his mother going mentally insane, it was safe for Arthur to say God was not in his favour.
His mother had been bedridden ever since he was six. Nobody knew what was wrong with her, but every time she saw Arthur she would cry and scream and pull her hair out, calling him the 'Devil child'. At first she would refuse to hold Arthur as a child, refuse to breastfeed him, but as the years went on it got worse. Eventually she would accuse him of being the devil, faint and vomit and cry whenever he was near. It got so bad that she couldn't leave the bed, couldn't eat or relieve herself, and as a result, she was deemed-mentally insane.
His father wasn't really his father. Arthur's mother had Arthur from an affair with another man, some say he was a professor, others said he was an occult member but no one really knew. Arthur had only seen his biological father once. He recalled him having a sickly thin face and a hooked nose. He wore round, gold-rimmed glasses and a deep scar ran down his right eye. Over time his eyes and face faded from memory yet the gold glasses and scar stayed.
Since mental illness was considered a taboo and was never talked about, the story of Arthur's insane mother and Arthur's birth-father's alleged connection to the occult quickly spread rumours around the village like the black plague. Kids at school would bully him and he was vilified and defamed by the adults. Stories of him talking to imaginary people or having a frail body would be used as proof that he was a devil child. Arthur didn't know what to do. It wasn't like he killed anyone or attempted to. All the adults in the church, surprisingly, pitied and comforted him, telling him that his mother was just insane and didn't know what she was saying. Despite that, Arthur could still sense the tension whenever they came close. Even though they acted nice, he knew they feared him a little.
As a result, Arthur and his three older step-brothers lived with their grandparents. Since it was a one-story house, Arthur would have to sleep in the shed outside while his brother lived inside with their grandparents. He understood it was because he and his grandparents weren't blood related, and he understood because he was seemingly bad luck. Whenever his step-brothers visited his mother back in their old house, he would always have to wait outside on the porch. Apparently, his mother could 'sense' whenever he was inside and go bat-shit crazy and he would be ushered out. Arthur would sit by himself on the porch steps, but he wasn't alone.
There was a man who always sat there with him. A tall figure in a black coat with a scythe would hover next to him as he sat and waited for his brothers so they could go home. The man's hood covered his face and he had a familiar and surprisingly calming voice. He had no name so Arthur would call him the hooded man. From the start, the green-eyed kid knew this man was not human, but at the same time, he did not seem dangerous.
His step-father was a lighthouse keeper, gone for many days and only returning on a few. Arthur had heard many tales of lighthouse keepers going insane but he never believed them. He considered his father to be the sanest person in the family- he was the only one who didn't believe that he was evil. His step-father, despite not being blood-related, was the only member of his family that he loved. Not Alistair, Seamus, or Dylan, not even his mother who birthed him, but his step-father. After the death of his hamster, it was his father who gifted him a stuffed animal in the shape of a mint bunny, which was destroyed many times by his brothers but sewn back together. Arthur loved that bunny, it reminded him of himself. Despite being broken so many times it was forcibly stitched back to look presentable.
Whenever his father would come home for a break from the lighthouse, those days would be the best. He would teach Arthur how to fish, take him canoeing and eat mint candy everyday- it was their favourite snack. He would play ball with Arthur, and unlike his brothers, would not deliberately kick it super far and hard. Even though his brothers bullied him, as long as his father would come back once a month to love him, everything was calm.
That was before the storm hit. Arthur didn't think twice when his father asked him if he wanted to go to the lighthouse with him, he would go anywhere to be with his father. Anywhere where he didn't have to pretend to ignore the stares he got in public, the whispers of his neighbours and the distaste on his grandparent's faces. It was reality however, that people would choose to believe an adult, a mentally insane one, over a child.
"Yeah you better go with our old man, maybe gain some muscles when you're there." Alistair, his eldest brother grunted. Out of his three brothers, Arthur disliked Alistair the most.
"Just don't go even more insane than mum!" Seamus yelled while ironically laughing insanely.
"Are you gonna bring your little green bunny along?" Dylan grabbed the stuffed animal from Arthur's arms and dangled it above his head.
"He's not green, he's mint!" Arthur hissed, jumping up to retrieve what was his. "Give him back!" Dylan rolled his eyes and dropped the bunny after their father opened the door, his arms full of suitcases.
Arthur flipped his brothers off and left with his father. However, when they reached the little island by boat, Arthur did not expect to see such a drab and gloomy place. He was expecting a get-away haven however, there was no sand and sun, only gargantuan rocks and short patches of grass, no trees and flowers. Anyone could have literally slipped off the rocky shore and fallen into the water. But nevertheless, wherever his father was, was home.
The first few days were amazing, he and his father went fishing as usual and played hide in seek inside the lighthouse. Arthur could eat as much mint candy as he wanted. His father didn't blame and punish him whenever something went missing, like his grandmother did. At night, his father would bring him up to the very top of the lighthouse and show him how the lantern worked. He watched, green eyes widened in excitement, as the rays of light shone across the wide ocean, revealing obscure ships. It was the best time of his life, just him and his father, no one else. He told his father about the hooded man, and while his father looked concerned, he logically figured it was just a drifter who wore a dark hood.
One day, the already grey skies were looking even gloomier than possible. Arthur was playing with his flying mint bunny outside on the grass, pretending his bunny was able to fly and bring him along to places. He noticed a dark shadow over him and looked up. The hooded man was hovering next to him once again.
"Good morning sir." He greeted the man. By now he was used to the strange figure's presence. "What brings you here?"
"Your father is calling for you." The figure replied.
"No he isn't-"
"Arthur! Come back inside!" His father suddenly called. Believing his father only needed him for a second, Arthur left everything outside and ran inside to his father.
"What is it?" The younger asked, even he could tell his father was acting off. "Are we leaving today?"
"No," His father answered, closing all the windows. "A huge storm is gonna come, we gotta stay inside." Arthur didn't sense anything wrong but trusted his father's trepidation.
"We can't play in the rain?" Arthur pouted, wanting to continue playing outside. He couldn't play outside at home since his grandparents wanted him to stay inside most of the time, away from society.
"No Arthur. With huge storms comes huge waves." His father corrected, starting up a fire in the fireplace. "We can stay inside and read books." Arthur nodded obediently as he could already hear the raindrops patter on the windows. He wouldn't want to get wet anyways. The Briton figured he might go to bed early as there was nothing to do inside the lighthouse, and his father seemed occupied with writing in his logbook. As he changed out of his dirty clothing into his night wear, Arthur suddenly realized he left his mint bunny outside.
He ran downstairs and looked out the rusty window. The mysterious man was gone and his bunny was sitting alone in the rain, it's sewn-over skin wet from the rain. Maybe it was because Arthur really loved the bunny, or it reminded him of himself, all alone in the rain, isolated and marginalized, that he figured nothing bad would happen if he ran out quickly to get his bunny. It would be quick and his father wouldn't even notice.
He quickly unlocked the bolts on the front door and the moment he did, the wind blew the door wide open. The sound immediately alerted his father and Arthur quickly ran out before he was noticed. He ran barefoot across the sloppy grass, his hair being blown in all different directions. He heard his father cry out his name, but he was so close to his bunny. As soon as his tiny arms grasped it, Arthur turned around and came face to face to a large wave of water.
As soon as a tiny squeak left his mouth, Arthur felt himself being knocked back with such powerful force he felt all the air leave his lungs. He felt his body hit multiple rocks and his head go underwater before coming back up shortly. He couldn't even scream for help or keep his head above water, the water gave him no opportunities to scream. Suddenly, strong arms pulled him up and he immediately grabbed his father's shoulder.
"ARTHUR!" Arthur looked to see his father go underwater to grab his feet and literally push him up.
"FATHER!" Arthur cried as he felt himself being lifted and thrown closer to the island. He doggy-padded and his finger managed to cling onto a rock. He was lucky he wasn't blown too far off.
"ARTHUR GET ON LAND!" His father ordered and Arthur quickly scrambled up the rocks before another wave came. He tripped over his feets, his legs numb and grabbed onto a railing that led up to the lighthouse.
The shivering kid watched as his father swam and climbed up onto a rock until another wave washed over them. Arthur immediately lost his sight but clung onto the railing as tightly as he could. He felt his feet fly off the grass and for a split second, he felt like he was flying. After what felt like an eternity, the wave passed over and as Arthur's eyes were no longer shrouded by water, he realized that his father was no longer standing on the spot he last saw him. He was gone.
Arthur gasped as he woke up from his dream. Sitting up abruptly, the Briton gathered his thoughts as he felt his bed shifting ever so slightly, reminding himself that he was on a ship. It happened all the time, whenever he was near water the nightmares would come back like a loyal dog to their owner. Sitting up from his small bunk bed, he noticed that most of his other cabin mates were up and about, definitely not affected by the time zone.
"What's wrong Kirkland? Another one of your wee nightmares?" A fellow soldier asked in a belittling manner. Arthur rolled his green eyes and simply left the room he shared and went out to the deck. He had purposefully left England to America to escape his past. No one in America would know who he was or the stigma that surrounded the Kirkland family, however, as Alistair was a General in the British Army, it seemed all his supposed allies already knew.
The sun was just beginning to set as another soldier approached him. "Lieutenant Kirkland, we will be arriving at the United Colonies in a few minutes." Private Kensley said. Arthur liked the certain Private a lot, he was the only subordinate who actually respected him and wasn't mutinous.
"Thank you." Arthur muttered quietly and the two silently stood, watching the distant colonies come into view. He dug into his pocket for some peppermint candy. He always carried some with him and ate it to remember and commemorate his father. "Would you like some mint candy?" He offered.
"Uh, no thank you sir." The Private denied and Arthur sighed to himself. Years of alienation had diminished his social life. Why did he ever think he could make a friend? Noticing the awkward tension, the Private quickly came up with a terse excuse to leave. "Well, I should go and wake the others up."
The Lieutenant sighed as he put his candy back into his cartridge box, having lost his appetite. He saw the United Colonies come fully into view and sighed in relief. He was preparing for his suicide for a few months now, however, as he was religious, committing suicide was a great sin in Britain. Arthur had overheard many stories from Alistair, apparently the British soldiers were allowed to do anything they wanted in Africa. Any blasphemous crimes were not counted as sins as long as they were not in Britain, besides, the Briton had figured that if he were to die, he did not want his heart to reside in Britain.
Even if he was dead, his name would still burden his family. If he were to die in America, they would count it as if he died in duty, no one would have to worry about him being a cursed child or hear his name again.
At last, the ship was docked and Arthur was allowed to leave the ship. He felt as if his heart was lifted once he was afraid of water. He hated being near the water, and as a result, he hated the colour blue. How could something so calm be so unstable? How could humans not live without water yet die easily from it? As he stared out into the harbour one last time, he remembered what his father saw for the last time. The colour blue was the last thing his father saw before he drowned.
Captain Cawthorne was his higher-up and supervisor. He was an overweight, burly man with a red beard and Arthur disliked him as he would always talk about Alistair with him and ask intrusive questions. He would talk about how great Alistair was, and why Arthur should have red hair just like him. "Maybe you would be a General like your brother", Cawthorne had told him. Arthur would laugh, he had not planned to live for that day.
As he and his fellow soldiers were led through the town of Boston, the Brit noticed that the majority of the townspeople were giving him a dirty look. Great. He was hated in Britain and now hated in America for a different reason. One because he was a supposed devil child, and second was because he was British. Both were things he had no choice over.
Ironically, he was quartered in a clergy house with a couple of his soldiers not too far from the harbour. Tonight was the night, he thought, quite disappointed that he wouldn't be able to explore a bit of America before perishing. Packing all of his most valuable belongings in his cartridge box, his candy and his silver cross necklace, Arthur left the clergy house with a lantern. He decided to take his cloak and rifle with him, the last thing he wanted was to be ambushed by rebels before reaching his destination.
"Kirkland!" A booming voice cried out, causing the Brit to flinch. "Where are you going? We have a call for backup!"
Backup? As suicidal as he was, Arthur Kirkland was also a curious man. "Coming Sir." He responded to Captain Cawthorne with piqued interest and gripped his musket. As he followed his captain and a flock of men towards what seemed to be a busy street, Arthur noticed the burning building from a distance and distant figures running away. Angry shouts were heard from inside the building as well as frightened witnesses nearby. Nobody knew if the rebels were armed so everyone chased with muskets ready to aim.
Carrying his lantern into the forest, the Brit wasn't too committed to chasing down any rebels. Once the curiosity of the situation was over, he was back to searching for a perfect suicide opportunity. He wasn't too keen on dying by the hands of an American, although it would be his last resort, he was prepared to die by drowning.
As he walked briskly through the forest, blowing out his lantern, the suicidal man could hear the remote sounds of waves crashing violently against one another. He knew he was close to the Massachusetts shore and walked closer and closer til he was standing on the edge of a sheer cliff. He gulped as he watched the waves oscillate back and forth from the shore, indubitably if he didn't drown then the strength of the billow would knock him unconscious. Would he survive, he would probably be afflicted with severe head injuries and lose his memories, but maybe that wouldn't be that bad. The ocean was beautiful tonight.
"So you're here too." Arthur mumbled quietly as he felt a chilly presence beside him. "Have you come to say goodbye?"
The hooded man stood silently behind him. Arthur knew long ago the hooded man appeared whenever imminent death was near.
Unable to evoke a response from the hooded figure, the brit dropped his musket strap and began taking off his red coat. He threw them to the ground, as well as his hat and military knife. The only thing he left on was his cartridge box filled with his belongings. He wanted to die as Arthur Kirkland, not as a British soldier.
Taking a step back, Arthur was readying himself to jump. The hooded man stepped aside to make room, his scythe lowering to the ground for the first time. Closing his eyes and shivering from the cold, the British ran and jumped.
For a second, he felt like he was flying- the same as his flying mint bunny. His heart elevated as if it was going to burst out of his chest, his head ringing from the cold air, Arthur braced for the cold water. Instead, when he hit the water, it seemed as if the ocean was embracing him warmly, welcoming him into the abyss of the ocean. He was sinking, sinking ever so softly, until he felt the grip of a cold, rough hand.
Oh well, things never seemed to go right for Arthur Kirkland.