Bridal Veil Mountain: A Tale of Three Brothers Chapter One
Jeremy was in the sleep tent at the camp. He was alone. He had a heated disagreement with Jason, his oldest brother, over how Jason and Joshua were running Josh's mayoral campaign. First Joshua had given the Seattle women the right to vote so they would vote for him. Then Jason began advising the men to tell their wives and girlfriends how to vote.
Out of loyalty to Josh, Jeremy tried to tell Candy to vote for him. Candy asked if he thought his brother was the best candidate for the job. All Jeremy could say was that Josh was his brother. Jeremy apologized for trying to influence her decision.
Before Jeremy left Lottie's on his way to the camp, he told Joshua that he was going to campaign for Miss Essie and vote for her too.
Now he was trying to sleep with the argument playing over and over in his head. Jeremy heard a familiar voice from a distance. He sat up on the cot.
"Hello! Is there a Bolt brother about?" Renee Carpenter called.
Jeremy stepped out of the tent. "Hello, Renee. It's very late for you to be out working, isn't it?"
Renee was the Children's Aid Society agent for Seattle and the smaller surrounding communities.
"Hi, Jeremy. Yes, it's very late for me to be out. That's the reason I took the short cut across Bridal Veil Mountain on my way home. Since it has been determined that Seattle doesn't legally exist, the Territory has decided that no families in the area are eligible for food vouchers." Renee said.
"What has Seattle not being legal got to do with the food assistance?" Jeremy was surprised.
"The Territory says that since Seattle isn't legal, the people who live here don't have a legal residence. Without a legal residence, a family is not eligible for government assistance." Renee explained.
"Oh, heck! So, the Territory is just gonna let kids go hungry, right?" Jeremy had his hands on his hips.
"That's right, Jeremy." Renee agreed.
Jeremy smiled. "You were working all day and into the night taking food to those families, weren't you?"
"Yes, I can't stand the thought of anyone not having food to eat especially children. Some people think families who get food vouchers are lazy and won't work. That's not true. Some of the hardest working people just don't make enough money to make ends meet." She answered sadly.
"You know we don't think like that, Renee. Jason keeps up with living costs so he can pay wages that the men can actually live on. And we understand what you said about some businesses don't pay enough." Jeremy replied.
"I wasn't talking about you and your brothers. I was just thinking out loud about how some people feel about folks who need help." Renee said. "I hope I didn't offend you."
Jeremy smiled. "Of course not, Renee. How about a cup of coffee? And speaking of food, I'll bet you didn't eat today because you were so busy. I can fix something if you would like."
"Thank you, Jeremy, but I'm too tired to eat. Coffee sounds good." She answered.
Jeremy poured two cups of coffee. They sat down at the table outside the tent. As they sipped their coffee, they were quiet for a few minutes.
"Jeremy, you and your brothers won't lose your mountain, will you?" Renee worried.
Jeremy was shocked. "Lose the mountain? Why would you think that, Renee?"
"If Mr. Stempel's property deed is not valid because Seattle doesn't legally exist, doesn't that mean that all other property deeds are invalid as well?" Renee asked.
The youngest Bolt gasped. "Oh, no! I had not thought of that! I wonder if Jason and Joshua have realized it. That means any squatter could take advantage of this and claim some of our property at least for a while."
"Yes, they could. Maybe no one will think of it in…what is it, Jeremy?" He stood up from the table looking behind her at the woods. Jeremy looked panicked. Renee looked behind her.
"Oh, no! Jeremy!" Renee exclaimed. A small area of the woods several yards away was on fire.
Jeremy dashed in the tent to grab the blanket off the cot. He came out of the tent running toward the fire screaming, "Fire! Fire!"
Corky,Sam, and McGee came rushing from their tents. Corky followed Jeremy as did Renee. Sam and McGee grabbed buckets and ran to the nearby riverbank to fill them with water.
Jeremy beat the fire with the blanket. Corky scouted around for any other signs of fire. He didn't find any.
Jeremy got most of the fire out with the blanket. Sam and McGee brought the buckets of water quickly. They doused the remaining fire with the water.
"Thanks guys, for your help." Jeremy told the men.
They said you're welcome and returned to their tents. Jeremy stood looking at the charred area. Something at the base of a tree caught his eye. He walked over and picked it up. It was the remains of a piece of burlap with the scent of kerosene. Jeremy was furious. Someone had started the fire intentionally.
"I'm so sorry, Jeremy. Who do you think started the fire?" Renee asked.
"It could have been anybody" Jeremy told her. "Come on, let's go finish our coffee."
Just as they were turning to go back to the table, they heard a loud voice.
"Hey, Bolt! Get off my property!" Johnny Bennett shouted.
Renee and Jeremy turned around. Johnny Bennett was walking toward them. He was carrying a bucket. Jason fired him last month for drinking on the job.
"Why are you calling this your property, Bennett? You know that's not true." Jeremy said emphatically.
"It's my property alright. I'm claiming squatters' rights, Bolt. I heard how Seattle isn't legal and that makes property deeds invalid." Bennett snarled.
"That's just temporary! We are going to elect a mayor and make Seattle a legally recognized town!" Jeremy shouted.
"Well, I can do a lot of damage in a short time to my property." Bennett laughed.
Suddenly, Johnny Bennett took a kerosene-soaked piece of burlap from the bucket. He threw it on the ground close to Jeremy. As Jeremy reached down to pick up the burlap, Bennett threw a lit match on to the material.
Renee screamed and Jeremy jumped back. It was too late. The fire caught Jeremy's shirt sleeve and moved quickly up his left arm.
Rachel shoved Jeremy to the ground screaming, "Roll, Jeremy! Roll!
He rolled and bounced down the pain in his arm was excruciating. The scent of burning skin was terrifying and sickening.
After a minute or two, Jeremy's descent down the hill came to a halt. Renee had run behind him with a lantern in her hand. She was relieved to see that the flame which had injured Jeremy was out.
Jeremy lay in a heap. He gasped and moaned. "Jason! Help! Josh! Where are you?"
"Oh, Jeremy! I will get help, fast!" Renee cried.
She ran back to the camp screaming for Corky, Sam, and McGee. They hurried from their tents. Renee told them that Jeremy was seriously injured. The men moved fast to get Jeremy from the woods and in the back of the buckboard. Renee got in the back with Jeremy. Corky and Sam got in the front of the wagon. Corky drove and made the horses take off at a hard gallop.
McGee stayed at the camp to be on the lookout for Johnny Bennett. Due to Jeremy's quick action of grabbing the fuel-soaked burlap, the woods did not catch fire a second time.
The buckboard went down the mountain at a blistering speed. Corky glanced briefly at the back of the wagon. "How is he, Renee?"
"Not good at all, Corky. Hold on, Jeremy! Please hold on!" Renee said tearfully.
Looking back at the trail, Corky popped the reins shouting, "Yah! Yah!" making the horses move even faster.
As they were passing the Bolt cabin in town, Sam jumped from the wagon. He ran to the door. "Jason! Josh! Wake up! Jeremy's hurt bad!"
Sam pounded the door as he shouted.
Jason and Josh came to the door pulling their pants on. They rushed to Dr. Wright's office with Sam. They got there just as Corky pulled up to the door.
The two oldest brothers looked at Jeremy in the wagon. "Great God in Heaven!" Jason bellowed as he reached to lift his brother.
"What the blazes happened?" Joshua exclaimed running to open the door.
Renee and Corky got out of the wagon. Joshua asked Corky to go get Candy. Corky made haste to get her.
Renee followed Joshua into the clinic explaining what happened. Joshua was seething with anger.
"Allyn! Allyn! Hurry! Jeremy is seriously injured!" Jason screamed as he placed him on the exam table.
The doctor scurried into the room. "Oh, Jason!" She said when she saw Jeremy.
"He's our brother, Allyn. You must help him, please!" Jason begged.
"I will do everything I can for him, Jason, Joshua." Allyn said as she gently touched Jeremy's injured arm.
Jeremy cried out in pain just as Candy ran into the room. She was dressed in her nightgown. Her quilt had been wrapped around her when she left the dormitory. It had fallen off on her way to see about Jeremy. She hadn't spared the few seconds to pick it up.
"Oh, my sweet sweet Jeremy! Oh, dear God!" Candy walked to the exam table. She tenderly brushed his hair from his eyes. "Jeremy, I'm so sorry for fussing at you about that stupid election. I behaved as though it was the most important thing in the world, and it isn't. You are most important, sweetheart. You and nothing else. Jeremy, I love you. Please hold on. Please."
Jeremy was so weak; he could only whisper a few words. "Candy, love. Brothers, love too." Jeremy tried to make a fist with his right hand and hold it out.
Joshua realized what Jeremy was trying to do. He closed Jeremy's fingers gently into a fist and held his right arm out a bit. Joshua made a fist and put it on top of Jeremy's. Jason followed suit. The Bolt brothers' sign of solidarity. Jason and Joshua looked at their three fists. Then they glanced at each other with tears running down their faces.
"Love you both, f-f-forever." Jeremy whispered.
"Jason, I have to debride Jeremy's burn. The damage to his left arm is so extensive that he needs to be under anesthesia." Dr. Wright said.
"Alright, doctor. You have my consent to put him under. His arm will get well, won't it?" Jason asked.
"I'm not sure, Jason. If the injury has decreased the blood flow to Jeremy's arm, it might be necessary to…." Allyn hesitated.
Jason stood as straight and tall as he could. He spoke in a calm but firm voice. "Necessary to what, doctor?"
Dr. Wright swallowed hard. "It could be necessary to amputate Jeremy's arm."
"Hell, no! Jason, you can't let her butcher our brother!" Joshua shouted.
"Hold on, Josh! Let's hear what the doctor has to say." Jason gulped.
"Joshua, I am going to do all I can do to save Jeremy's arm. But the blood flow has to be good. If his arm doesn't receive an adequate blood supply, Jeremy's arm will die. That is gangrene will set in. If that should happen, it would be necessary to remove Jeremy's arm to save his life. There is no treatment for gangrene. If a limb with gangrene is not removed, the affliction will spread to healthy tissue and the patient will die." Dr. Wright explained.
"Jeremy wouldn't want to live without his arm. He used to tell me when we were kids that he felt like a freak because he stuttered. He wouldn't want to be a one-armed freak who stutters!" Joshua said angrily.
"Well, Joshua, do you think Jeremy wants to be a corpse with two arms who can't speak at all!" Jason bellowed.
"Don't fight. Please. Love. We're brothers." Jeremy whispered haltingly.
Jason and Joshua looked at Jeremy and then at each other. Jason went over to the exam table.
"We are sorry for upsetting you, Jeremy." Jason said calmly as he stroked Jeremy's hair.
"Yes, Jeremy, we are sorry." Joshua agreed as he clasped his younger brother's hand.
"Thanks. No fights. Tired. Pain." Jeremy moaned.
"I must administer the ether now. Jason, will you take Jeremy into the operating room, please." Dr. Wright asked.
"Certainly, doctor." Jason reached to pick up his ailing brother.
"Wait just a moment, please!" Candy rushed to the exam table. "Jeremy, I love you with all my are going to be fine." She gave him a quick kiss on his lips.
Jason lifted Jeremy from the table and walked toward the operating room. "Love you, Candy. Might die. Might not." Jeremy murmured.
Candy gasped. "Don't worry, Candy." Joshua said. "That's just his Bolt stubbornness talking.
Jason, Joshua, Candy, Renee, and Corky settled in the waiting area. A while later, Biddie and Lottie came in to wait with them. Joshua and Jason were still fuming at each other. Candy spoke up to them.
"So, I suppose the two of you lied to Jeremy, didn't you?" She scolded. "Your brother who hates lying. Your brother who is so honest that the last thing he said before going into surgery was might die. Might not."
Candy paused to take a deep breath. "How will you two feel if your last words to Jeremy were the lies you told him?"
"It wouldn't be a good feeling, that's for sure. But Jason just gave permission for the doctor to cut off Jeremy's arm without thinking it through." Joshua growled.
"What! I did no such thing, Joshua! Why do you want to perpetuate such an outrageous lie?" Jason shouted.
"Oh, yeah, Mr. Know It All can spout big words like perpetuate, but he can't say a simple little word like no. As in no don't cut my brother's arm off!" Joshua shouted back.
"Now see here, boy…!" Jason yelled.
"Don't call me boy!" Joshua screamed.
Just then, Dr. Wright stormed into the waiting area. "I don't believe I have ever been so furious in my life! What the hell is wrong with the two of you?"
Jason and Joshua hung their heads like naughty children. They didn't say anything.
"Jeremy came through the surgical procedure fine. His arm looks a little better than I had first thought. I think there is an excellent chance of saving his arm. It is going to take time for Jeremy's arm to heal. He will need more debridement of his arm which will be painful." Dr. Wright said calmly.
Dr. Wright stopped talking for two or three minutes. She sighed and looked up at the ceiling. After a minute, she took a deep breath and looked around at the group in the waiting area.
"Jason, Joshua, and Candy, please come with me to my office. Everyone else, you should go on home, please. Jeremy will be asleep until sometime in the morning." Dr. Wright said.
The others who were waiting went home. Renee got a room at Lottie's since it was to late for her to go home to Clearwater. Corky agreed to take care of her horse, Queenie for her until tomorrow.
The oldest two Bolts and Candy accompanied Dr. Wright to her office.
When everyone was seated, the doctor began talking.
"I don't have Jeremy's permission to discuss this with you, but as his doctor, I feel that it is imperative to his health and well-being that the three of you are aware of this." Dr. Wright spoke seriously.
Candy and the brothers exchanged worried looks.
Jason leaned forward in his chair. "This sounds serious, doctor. It also sounds as if you aren't talking about his arm."
"You are correct on both counts, Jason. I have been seeing Jeremy as a patient for several months now. Were any of you aware of that?" She asked.
The three shook their heads no. Candy had tears in her eyes. Both brothers were frowning.
"Jeremy has what is called Irritable Heart Syndrome. The diagnosis was developed by a doctor back East treating soldiers during the Civil War. I know Jeremy was not a soldier, but a person doesn't have to be to have this condition." The doctor said. "The symptoms include smothering sensations, palpitations, chest discomfort, and fatigue. Prolonged worry and nervousness can cause this."
"Great God in Heaven! Joshua!" Jason shouted.
"Jason! It just can't be! Things like this are not real!" Joshua yelled.
"Well, Josh, Dr. Wright is a real doctor and we both heard what she just said." Jason told him calmly.
Allyn and Candy exchanged a glance.
"What are you talking about, Jason?" asked Candy.
Jason looked questioningly at Joshua.
"You might as well tell them, brother." Joshua advised.
"I suppose so. Many years ago, we had a baby sister. She was Jeremy's twin. Her name was Jennifer. We called her Jenny…..."
"Jeremy has never told me he had a twin sister!" Candy exclaimed.
"He doesn't know, Candy." Jason replied. "The reason we never told him was so we would not have to tell him what I'm about to tell you and Allyn." Jason sighed.
"One night when Jeremy and Jenny were about one year old, there was a knock at our door was very late. Dad opened the door to find a gypsy woman there. She had been to our home before but never at such a late hour. Our parents were awake rocking the twins because Jenny was restless. Jeremy wouldn't sleep unless his sister was in bed with him, so he was up as well." Jason looked sad.
Jason went on, "The sound of a different voice in the front room woke me so I got up and went to see what was going on. Mom thought the lady wanted some food, so she got some food items and filled a basket for her. Mother also gave her some of our clothes that we had outgrown. There weren't many pieces of clothing to give her because we usually wore our clothes until they were almost threadbare. For some reason, the gypsy was angry. She walked over to the blanket where Jeremy and Jenny were sitting, and she babbled some harsh sounding words. The only word we understood was curse. Then she took the food and clothing and left."
"So, you and your family thought she put a curse on Jeremy and Jenny, is that right?" Allyn asked.
"I don't remember it as well as Jason does. I was just five years old. But I remember the babies got terribly sick with pneumonia not long after that. Jenny died and Jeremy almost did. It seemed like the gyspy curse had worked. I know that sounds ridiculous but that's how it felt then." Joshua sighed deeply.
"Oh, how awful for your family. I'm so sorry." Candy said softly.
The brothers nodded their thanks to Candy. Jason pulled his wallet out of his pocket. He opened it and took out a small, folded piece of paper.
"A few days after Jenny died, the gypsy returned to our cabin. Dad tried to run her off immediately. She wouldn't leave. Mom was rocking Jeremy. She handed him to me. Then Mom got the shotgun and threatened to kill the gypsy. Dad grabbed the gun away from Mom. He told the gypsy woman in no uncertain terms to leave and leave now. The woman lunged at me. Mom snatched Jeremy away from me and ran in the bedroom. I was about to run when the gypsy thrust this piece of paper into my hand." Jason explained.
After a long pause, Jason spoke again. "The woman left the cabin, but she stopped in the yard. She yelled some unintelligible gibberish. Then she finally left. When I read what was on the piece of paper, I figured that was what the gypsy had said."
This is what was written on the piece of paper.
The Curse
A limb shall fall from his body
The heart within him shall fail
Loved ones will cry and cry
All to no avail
When his own mind is what he seeks
When his mouth won't let him speak
The end of his days
Shall he meet
Jason read The Curse aloud. Candy gasped. Dr. Wright looked perplexed. Joshua shook his head.
"I know it's foolish to believe such things. However… Jason hesitated.
"It sounds like Jeremy." Candy said somberly.
"Yes, it does, but it has to be a coincidence." Dr. Wright said.
"Doctor, tell us more about the Irritable Heart Syndrome. It probably wouldn't be safe to tell Jeremy about all of this now, would it?" Joshua asked.
"You are correct, Joshua. It wouldn't be good for Jeremy to hear this now. The stress from the past few months has affected him told me recently that he still has nightmares about Candy being kidnapped by Wakando's Tribe. This mayoral campaign has bothered him a great deal as well. Jeremy told me that he had even become ashamed of his own name. All these stressors can build up tension and depression in a person to the point it affects a person's heart. That is what has happened to Jeremy."
"Is there any treatment for this syndrome, Allyn?" Jason inquired.
"Yes, there is medication and rest and talking about your concerns helps a great deal." Allyn answered.
"That means that Jeremy can recover doesn't it, Allyn?" Jason was hopeful.
"Yes, but recovery takes time. You can't rush it." She replied.
"When the two of you continued to shout regarding Jeremy's arm earlier it was because of this so-called curse, wasn't it?" asked Candy.
"Yes, Candy, we were terrified that the curse was beginning to come true. Like Jason said, it's foolish to believe such things, however…"
Joshua answered.
Rachael Sullivan came into the office. "Doctor, Jeremy is awake. He is asking to see Candy and his brothers."
"Okay, you can all go in for a minute. Be very calm and very positive. Absolutely no arguing or raised voices. Do you understand?" Dr. Wright asked.
The three said yes. They went into the recovery room. They stood by Jeremy's bed.
"Hello, Jeremy." Jason flashed his bright smile.
"Hey, brother." Joshua said in a jovial tone.
"Hi sweetheart." Candy said tenderly.
"Hello, Jason, Josh, Candy. I love you all." Jeremy whispered.
"We love you too, Jeremy." Joshua said.
Jeremy looked at each one of them. He looked behind them for a few seconds.
Looking back at them, Jeremy asked, "Where is Jenny?"
"