Saturday

Saturday, the brothers worked on their new building. Like their other homes, it was one big room, and the layout was essentially the same. Of course, after a while Da had sectioned off a corner of the room to create a private bedroom in the first cabin. The brothers discussed doing something similar, and decided that was for maybe later. Might be a winter project, if they stayed there and not in town.

The building was snug and tight, and ready to be furnished, so they started work on the furniture. Jeremy found that work interesting and forgot to wander off.

Of course, having no time limits and fine weather, they could take as many breaks as they wanted. During the breaks, Jason and Joshua studied self-made maps and conferred often over them.

Jeremy usually continued fitting pieces of wood together, just to see how it all worked. Since he'd made his box for his baby trees, he'd been fascinated by that work. He did occasionally wander over to his brothers to see what they were doing, and decided he liked their funny picture of their whole mountain. He knew it to be a map; he wasn't really stupid. They weren't very good draw-ers, though. He added a few squiggles of his own that he felt they had got wrong.

Josh yelled at him, but Jason just laughed and messed up his hair and said Jeremy had as much right to add to the maps as they did. Then Jason would ask about what he'd added, listen thoughtfully, and nod agreement to the changes.

Or erase them, but that didn't happen often, and when it did, Jason usually just made a better drawing.

They spent their first night together in their new home that they built for themselves. It didn't matter that there were no beds. Yet. They could sleep on the floor. It was theirs.

"Our first project, " Jason said at supper.

"We've done other projects before," Josh objected.

"Not on our own or for ourselves. I've got to give Da credit. All those things he volunteered us for, they taught us a lot about working together."

"An' for other p-people."

Jason smiled. "And for other people, other purposes than our own. These are good things, brothers."

"If you say so."

"You don't like – what is it Da says? – civic service, Josh?"

"I like it when it's done. And everybody is so glad someone else did it so they didn't have to, and it's us they're grateful to."

Jason laughed at that.

Sunday

After breakfast, Jason said, "Alright, brothers, take me to your church."

"No church clothes."

"I don't think you've had church clothes on the other times you've been there."

"Well, no, but –"

"Sundays is – are – d-different."

"God didn't make clothes anyway. It's a man made construct." Jason watched his brothers think that over, thought over what he'd said, and added, "And, No. Just No."

Josh laughed. "That's what witches do, ain't it? Go outside and take off their clothes? I don' wanna be no witch."

"I'd l-like to ride a b-broom."

"Not without clothes. You'd get splinters."

"Oh."

The sun was shining, they had a roof over their heads (and clothes on their backs) and laughter. It was a good start.

Jason had a pretty good idea of the location – the mountain had been his playground before Josh was walking or Jeremy born. There were few of the old places that had an actual rock-walled well, and within walking distance.

If it was the place he thought it was, he was pleased that both his brothers felt the reverence that infused the place that seemed apart from time.

As they neared the place, the boys became quieter, more sober. They quit horsing around, speaking in whispers if they spoke at all, and assumed a solemnity rarely seen in either.

At one point, they stopped and stood silently, heads bowed. They remained that way until the birds and small creatures resumed their normal sounds.

They walked in, one at a time, entering into what, in any language and in every religion, would be considered a sacred grove.

Jason followed.

The place had changed little, as he'd expected. Such places took centuries to change noticeably, not a mere few years. The well, its stone wall standing, but crumbling. The fresh scent of the water therein. The golden sunlight filtered through layers of green. The sensation of growth as the air touched the skin. The huge tree – it always reminded Jason of a Bible verse – 'There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that.' These trees – seemed to be of those giants, turned to hard gnarled wood as punishment. A story echoed in ancient myths.

The echoes stirred at the entry of the brothers, but settled into a welcome as they settled into peaceful silence.

It was hard to say how long they remained there, but eventually Jeremy made his way to the well, took a handful of somethings from his pocket, and poured them into the water, before turning and walking out the way he had come in.

His brothers followed.

"What was that," Jason asked Jeremy, once they were in clear light and warm sunshine again. "Offerings?"

Jeremy smiled and nodded.

"We'll have to mark this place on the map," Jason said to Joshua, who agreed.

Jeremy didn't speak until they reached the new cabin. "Jason?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you gonna cut the big trees? Some people do. HE wants to."

"I wouldn't dare."