Annie finished pulling up her first black stocking, she took her hand and flipped her long brown hair out of her face as she began to sit up straight. Standing up from her bed she took a few steps towards her dresser. Opening the wooden drawer she looked around her drawer for her second black stocking.
"Good Lord, where can one black stocking go?" She muttered to herself frustrated with the loss of the stocking.
She was always losing something. Digging through her drawer she stopped to feel something pointy stick into her finger.
Now what could have that been I wonder?She thought to herself.
Annie noticed a blue ribbon was laying on top of a familiar black stocking. What she had been holding in her hand had been attached to the blue ribbon and she instantly knew what the object that poked her finger was. Annie immediately pulled her hand out from the drawer revealing her mother's necklace in her hand. She smiled and sighed in relief.
Thank God she thought, she had been looking all over the place for her mother's necklace and now she had found it. She knew her father would be pleased to find out that she had found her mother's necklace. He was rather distraught when she had told him she could not find it when he had asked about its whereabouts.
Annie pulled her hair over her right shoulder letting it fall just at the small of her back almost reaching her buttocks. she carefully began to tie her mother's necklace around her neck making sure strands of hair were not getting caught in the bow of the ribbon she was now tying. She dropped her arms to her sides and flicked her hair back behind her. She sighed and turned to face a mirror that was straight across from her. She gazed at herself, she had slight bedhead her hair would need to be brushed and pulled back but none the less she thought she looked fine. It mattered little what she looked like around her family except when her father had guests over or her oldest brother's friend, Peter Cuppin would show up to their house. There had been a few times when Peter would show up unexpectedly and caught her looking, Indecent. How embarrassing that always was for her. Especially at the age she was now. She was now seventeen years old, and men would soon be approaching her and wishing to have the privilege of courting her. She wondered if Peter Cuppin would ever court her, they had known each other since birth. Did he think of her as more of a sister? Or something more? She wondered. He hadn't been bad looking, he had long red hair that was always tied back and had blue eyes that would always light up when he saw her. Annie decided to stop thinking so much and began tending to her hair.
She would of course start the day off by her usual ride through the Santee forest with her horse. Everyday she would do the same she would get up as early as she could. So she had some time for herself before her youngest brother would wake up. She would soon have to return home after her ride and tend to her younger siblings, she had the duties of teaching and entertaining her little sisters and brothers. Her other two brothers, Thomas and Gabriel. (Thomas being four years younger than her and her oldest brother Gabriel being a year older than herself) could always be found in the forest hunting.
Annie finished braiding her hair and finished off the braid by tying the end with a white ribbon. She began to walk towards the door of her room to let herself out of her room. When opening the door she could smell the pleasant smell of their maid Abigail's freshly cooked food. She could feel her stomach growl she had woke up just in time for breakfast. walking out of her room she noticed her left foot was still bare without the second black stocking she had forgotten about once she had found her mother's necklace. Annie just sighed and gave a slight smile, she turned and went back into her room
Benjamin Martin sauntered down the stairs of his home reaching the bottom of the stairs he made his way to the kitchen to where he could smell breakfast was being made, as he made his way through his home he looked around through all the rooms and even looked out the windows of his house in hopes he would find his daughter Annie. He thought he had heard her leave her room, but he couldn't find her anywhere since he heard her leave her room. Benjamin Martin entered the dining room and saw Abigail beginning to set up the dining table for the Martin family. Abigail looked up from a plate she had just set on the table in front of Annie 's usual spot where she sat at the table. Abigail gave a large smile to Mr. Martin who was standing in-front of her. Benjamin Martin took in a large inhale smelling the aroma of food he smiled.
"Now doesn't that smell wonderful. Abigail you never fail to provide us with such lovely meals everyday. You are indeed such a wonderful cook. Thank you Abigail." Benjamin said with a smile as he adjust and rolled the cuffs of his sleeve back.
Abigail returned a warm smile back. She enjoyed serving under Mr. Martin and his family as a maid he was a good man and a such a loving father. He had owned a Plantation but had not owned slaves. Free men were working among his land. Abigail herself was a free women Benjamin Martin treated her with dignity and respect. She was an equal to him in his eyes and she was thankful for that. It was a blessing.
"Well thank you Mister Martin. I'm so thankful that you appreciate all the hard work I put into every meal. Now breakfast isn't quite done yet so I will be sure to call on you when it's done mister Martin." Abigail said as she began to walk back to the kitchen but stopped when she heard Benjamin ask her something.
"Abigail" He called after her.
"Yes?" She asked as she turned to face him.
"Have you seen Annie anywhere? I thought I heard her leave her room but I can't find her down here she didn't go riding yet did she? And without eating breakfast? She must be starving right about now, she should know better."
"Well those two boys of yours Gabriel and Thomas hardly eat nothin' when they leave this house to go huntin' every mornin'. They are always getting the cold leftovers of breakfast… And no I can't say I've seen Annie this mornin' have you checked her room?" Abigail asked she looked into the kitchen when she began to smell some burning food she then began to look impatient as she waited for Benjamin's reply.
"I'm sorry Mister Martin but you're going to be eatin' a burnt breakfast if I don't tend to this food right away."
Without a second thought Abigail was running into the kitchen to tend to her food. Benjamin stood in the same spot he had been standing in and looked out the window for a moment to look outside. It was partially gloomy. But the morning sun was trying to poke its way out through the clouds. He then noticed the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs there were more than one pair of footsteps he could hear. He turned and walked back towards the stairs of their entrance way.
Annie walked down the stairs with her five year old sister Susan and her ten year old sister Margaret following behind her.
"There are my beautiful little girls." Benjamin said proudly as he beamed. His arms were outstretched towards the girls as they made their way down the stairs, as if he was ready to give each of them a large embrace. Each of the girls gave their father a warm smile and each of them said "Good morning" Except for little Susan the youngest of the girls.
She had not spoken since their mother's passing it had been too much for her and she had been at such an awfully young age when she had passed. Annie and the others often tried to get her to speak but as always she would refuse to do so.
"Susan… Good morning? can you say good morning for me sweetheart?" Benjamin ask enthusiastically he waited.
Both Margaret and Annie looked down to their little sister to see if she would respond but as always she simply responded with a simple shake of her head indicated that she would not speak.
"Abigail almost has breakfast ready why don't we start heading into the dining room. I can hardly wait to eat, and that food smells awfully delicious." Benjamin said as all three of his daughters reached the bottom of the stairs. Annie nodded her head in response to her father.
All three girls stopped in-front of their father. Susan looked up to Benjamin and lifted her arms up in the air she rose up on her tippy toes. Indicating that she wanted to be picked up. Benjamin just gave a smile to his daughter
"I don't know what you want sweetheart, you are going to have to tell me what you want." Benjamin laughed playing dumb hoping Susan would at least say something.
"Go on Susan" Margaret said, prompting her to say something.
Susan whined. Benjamin just sighed then proceeded to reach down to pick up the toddler and hold her in his arms.
"That's good enough, come on darling. Up we go" He replied
"And Annie once you have finished breakfast and finished your ride. I want you to sit down with William, and do some teaching, William is going to go through the alphabet. He's getting better he'll be reading in no time soon enough. And soon hopefully we will be teaching little Miss Susan how to read isn't that right?" Benjamin smiled as he gave a small gentle kiss to Susan's forehead. She smiled.
"Of course, Father." Annie agreed. Annie would spend most of her time everyday looking after and teaching her younger siblings.
The only time she really ever had to herself was when she would go riding, she was the women of the house, since their mother had passed. It was hard for her sometimes she had to grow up and become a women so fast by the time she was thirteen years old. Their mother died too young it saddened Annie that she would not be able to physically be with her younger siblings to watch them grow up and be apart of their lives.
"Now. Lets eat shall we? " Annie heard her father say before they began to make their way to the dining room to eat.
Annie listened to the sound of her horses hooves clunk on the hard dirt ground with each step it took she took in her surroundings. It was calm, it had still been gloomy out but the sun was still trying to make its way through the heavy dark overcast. She had looked around to see if she could spot her brothers or hear the sounds of musket fire from their guns. But she heard nothing and saw no one. Almost everything had been quite. Annie kept on riding through the brush's path but then slowed her horse down nearly into a halt to look at a fawn and its mother walking through the brush of the forest. They had craned their long necks down towards the ground to eat the grass below them. How beautiful they were, Annie thought to herself. She smiled as she focused her attention to the fawn, the fawn was so small and darling. And the mother so beautiful and peaceful. She could hardly imagine her brothers let alone herself killing such a peaceful creature, rabbits and other rodents were different. But if her brothers did not bring home food they would starve.
Annie finally took her gaze off of the mother and its offspring and turned her head when she heard the sound of rustling in the bushes in the distance. Her eyes then widened when she noticed two men aiming their muskets towards her she could make out who they were.
"Oh my-!" She said her voice quivered in fear.
She quickly raised her hands in defence as if that would protect her from a few musket balls. She waited but nothing happened she could hear from behind her the mother and baby deer take off, and the sound of a man laughing. Annie lowered her arms from her face. She focused her vision on the two lads that crouched behind a log supporting their muskets on-top of the log. She finally recognized who the two males. She should have known it were her brothers who else would it have been? She sighed in relief.
"You just scared away our dinner Annie! You know how long we have waited for a nice deer to come along?" One of her brothers called out he was rather annoyed with her. Annie just laughed at his remark.
"Thomas, you two nearly scared me to death!" She called back. Her older brother Gabriel began to laugh once again then spoke to his younger brother.
"There, there Thomas there will be more, we've not finished hunting just yet!"
Annie then dismounted her horse and lifted the reins of the bridle over the horse's head. She then began to walk her horse further down towards a tree, so if they should shoot their muskets off, her horse would not be spooked. Annie then stopped when she saw her brothers get up and walk towards her. Finally reaching their sister they stopped in-front of her. Thomas still looked displeased with her.
"Sorry Thomas." Annie said trying to hold back her laughter she could never take her younger brother seriously. He was always trying to act tough like he was a grown man or the man of the house. Thomas always looked up to their oldest brother Gabriel and aspired to be just like him. Whatever Gabriel had done Thomas would want to do as-well. He was a thirteen, almost fourteen year old boy going on twenty, he was getting too big for his boots their father would often say.
"Mhm..." Was Thomas's only response, his face softened. And he diverted his gaze from his sister to the ground. He kicked up some of the loose dirt from the ground. Gabriel then playfully ruffled Thomas's hair in between his fingers and gave a laugh when Thomas quickly turned and swatted Gabriel's hand away from his head.
"Stop it Gabriel." Thomas complained, Gabriel ignored him.
"Annie. Do you want to try?" Gabriel said holding up his musket. Annielooked up and down at the large musket Gabriel held out towards her. She thought for a moment, she had rarely accompanied her brothers when it came to hunting. She had only shot a handful of rabbits and other rodents in her life she did not enjoy killing such creatures. But this time she changed her mind she had only tried shooting a musket once, she'd only killed little animals with a slingshot her brothers had made for her when they were younger.
"Alright."
"Here I'll show you how it's done. Thomas stay with the horse and our kill while I show Annie how to shoot, we don't want him getting spooked." Gabriel said as he handed all of their recent kill to Thomas and turned to start walking back up the hill.
Annie followed after her brother. Thomas took the reins of her horse.
"Still Riding every morning I see." Gabriel said to his sister. Annie pulled her skirts up over her ankles as she climbed the hill with her brother.
" Yes. Of course. Everyday. I have been ever since mother passed. Do you remember when mother and I would take our rides early every morning together while Samuel and the others were asleep?" Annie asked as she pulled her skirts up higher so almost her knees were exposed she tried her best not rip her skirts from the twigs that lay on the ground.
"Yes."
"I still like to pretend every morning when I ride that she is still here. Like she is there riding beside me." She sighed.
"She was gone too soon..." She finished. they reached the top of the hill. Gabriel did not answer her. The boys only talked about their mother so much. She would mostly talk about their mother to her younger sisters.
"Now." Gabriel started as he crouched down behind the log that Thomas and himself had hid behind earlier. Annie joined her brother and crouched down beside him and began to listen to Gabriel.
"Watch me." Gabriel raised his musket and rested the barrel of the gun onto the log.
"Here take that musket there and do what I do." Annie nodded and took the other gun that was leaning against the log.
"Now put the butt of the gun to your shoulder, and rest the barrel of the gun on this log to keep it nice and steady. They are already loaded so you don't have to worry about loading them. Close your one eye and look down the barrel and the muzzle to aim. Pull the lock back and-see look there Annie!" Gabriel said in a quick hush voice and pointed to a small rabbit that was not far from them, rustling in the leaves and twigs. Annie nodded and did what Gabriel had instructed her to do. She adjusted the gun and aimed at the rabbit ready to shoot.
"You'll need to pull the lock back first Annie, or it won't be very effective." Gabriel chuckled. Annie nodded and then began to pull the lock back she aimed again.
"Aim small… Miss small Annie. Remember that when you're aiming at something." Gabriel whispered trying to keep his voice down. Gabriel then caught a glimpse of Thomas waiting impatiently down below the hill still holding onto the reins of the horse he dragged his foot on the ground, kicking up dirt
"Steady."
Annie focused on the rabbit she felt as if she couldn't breath, then she noticed she was holding her breath. She slowly let out a breath of air and then inhaled. The rabbit was oblivious to Annie. Annie then wrapped her finger around the trigger of the musket then pulled. A loud bang rang out. Annie turned her head as a cloud of smoke emitted from the muzzle of the musket. Annie 's horse gave a small whine. The smoke cleared and Annie searched for any sign of the rabbit, then she heard Gabriel give a laugh.
"Well look at that! My little sister got a kill for the first time with a musket. It's different than just a wooden slingshot now isn't it?"
Annie said nothing and just looked at the lifeless rabbit on the ground. She felt happy and proud of herself that her brother had been proud of her. But at the same time she felt sorry for the little rabbit, it was a defenceless creature that she killed. She had killed rabbits before but this time it felt different. She didn't know whether to be upset or happy.
"I reckon we better take that rabbit home and show Father, I'm sure he will be proud." Gabriel said as he stood up from the ground and started to walk towards the dead rabbit to pick it up and take it back to Thomas. Annie followed Gabriel.
"I don't think I like hunting very much Gabriel." Annie replied as she began collecting her skirts once again to walk down the hill to join her brothers.
"Don't worry, you don't have to do it again if you don't want to. Thomas and I will always be hunting every morning we won't starve if we don't have an extra hand to help us hunt. Maybe it's just best you stick to your riding ."
"Yes I would enjoy that much more than hunting."
"Thomas and I are going to head back home now we've done enough hunting for today. Are you coming back with us or..."
"I'll come back home with you two I suppose. I have to get home and continue teaching the alphabet to William today."Annie replied.
Thomas handed her back the reins of the horse she threw the reins back over the horse's head and mounted the horse. All three siblings then made their way back home to attend to other household chores and duties they had for the day.
