"I’ll make sure they're all safe.
William stepped closer and offered his hand to the other man. As they clasped in a strong shake, the younger of the two said, "Thank you, Garrett. Keziah is lucky to have a friend like you." William smiled wider, stressing, "I'm lucky ... to have a friend like you."
"If you have any sort of idea of where you're going to be … well … I can try to send word when the child is born. You deserve to know."
"New York," William said without hesitation. He glanced toward Keziah, wondering whether she would think he was again contemplating finding his ancestor, or more specifically the rifle that two and a half centuries from now would be responsible for bringing him here. Trying to reassure her that he had no intention of leaving her, William added, "No particular reason ... only that I ... I know a little bit more about New York than many do. I, um ... I might be able to fair well there ... begin preparing for a future that will include a wife and two children."
William glanced to Keziah's massive belly, then reached out to caress a hand over it. He moved closer to her, whispering, "I'll see my son soon enough." He laughed. "And if it turns out that my son is a daughter ... then, I'll see her soon instead."
He took Keziah into his arms again, holding her for a long moment, then exchanged his farewells and helped Garrett to get her into the carriage. He watched the two of them depart over the rough road, tears filling his eyes as he realized that he'd likely never see his family again. He'll take care of them, he thought of Garrett, still believing that the man had intimate designs -- or, at least, marital ones -- on Keziah. Maybe it was better that way: the likelihood of William and Keziah rejoining one another was small, so maybe it was good that she had a strong, stable, land owning male who loved and cared for her so close at hand.
.....................
William kept busy for the next few hours. As Garrett had promised, Gabriel did indeed arrive, though he arrived with two neighbor men William recognized from the church's congregation. William feared for a moment that perhaps they'd come to take him into custody. Had Garrett's love -- maybe lust? -- for Keziah gone to extremes? Did Keziah know that her long time friend was conspiring to have her husband taken off to the Redcoats, to the Patriots, or to any other Authority who happened to be handy?
But no such fear manifested, and the men explained that they were simply here to escort the boy and help William with his last tasks. As he and Keziah had discussed during their time together before her departure, anything and every thing that could be hauled away would be. The cattle were lashed together, as were the goats. William had already filled a horse cart with some of the Black Family's most sentimental possessions, and those that couldn't be hauled away immediately he'd taken off into the woods and hidden below layers of cut pine bows for later retrieval.
Though it was a solemn event, there was a bit of humor as Gabriel spent almost an hour chasing down and caging the chickens, ducks, and geese. By the time he was done, the cacophony of avian noise was almost deafening. William thanked the men, then gave one a slip of paper he wished to be given to Keziah the next day. It told her that he'd contact her soon, but that if she didn't get a letter from her before his child's first birthday, she was to forget him and go on without him. Then, cryptically, it ended with the line, "Don't believe everything you read."
For the second time that day, William stood before the Black homestead, watching others depart it...
.....................
Three days later:
A mounted Militiaman approached Garrett's farm at a full gallop, pulling up on the reins to literally slide the horse across the recently rained-upon packed dirt as he dismounted with great riding skills. He rushed up to the house and was about to reach out for the door when the home owner opened it wide and asked with concern, "What is it?"
The Corporal encouraged the home owner outside. Garrett stepped onto the plank porch and -- glancing back at Keziah -- closed the door behind him. The two men chatted for a moment, and then -- just as quickly -- the Corporal mounted his horse again to depart. But he paused when he caught sight of Keziah at the now open door and let his lips widen in a wicked bit of a satisfied smirk. He kicked his horse's sides and shot off down the road again.
Garrett turned to his guest, a rolled scroll of paper in his hands. He glanced to the paper, then summarized what the man had told him. "The, um ... the Massachusetts Fourth Regiment ... General Arnold's unit ... they ... they've had men searching for William ... a full division it seems. The messenger said--"
The words caught in his throat as he contemplated how this was going to affect Keziah. He drew a deep breath, exhaled, and continued, "He doesn't know exactly who found him ... who caught William ... but ... they brought him back to the farm ... to your farmstead..."
He unrolled the paper and offered it out to Keziah. It was rough, dirty, and tattered, with a rip in it from where it had been hung around something from a string or line through a hole in the paper, then later ripped off. It was stained with fire ash, like finger prints, as though someone who had recently touched a burnt object had handled it.
"The messenger says they hung William from the--" The words again stuck in his throat, and he repeated his deep in and out breathing before continuing, "From the tree ... the elm near the end of the road ... then ... they burnt him ... and ... after the flames were gone ... hung that around his neck."
The piece of paper simply said, EXECUTED FOR TREASON!
..................
No, don't be silly. You post as little or as much as you want! :)
I'm so tickled to be writing with you.
William stepped closer and offered his hand to the other man. As they clasped in a strong shake, the younger of the two said, "Thank you, Garrett. Keziah is lucky to have a friend like you." William smiled wider, stressing, "I'm lucky ... to have a friend like you."
"If you have any sort of idea of where you're going to be … well … I can try to send word when the child is born. You deserve to know."
"New York," William said without hesitation. He glanced toward Keziah, wondering whether she would think he was again contemplating finding his ancestor, or more specifically the rifle that two and a half centuries from now would be responsible for bringing him here. Trying to reassure her that he had no intention of leaving her, William added, "No particular reason ... only that I ... I know a little bit more about New York than many do. I, um ... I might be able to fair well there ... begin preparing for a future that will include a wife and two children."
William glanced to Keziah's massive belly, then reached out to caress a hand over it. He moved closer to her, whispering, "I'll see my son soon enough." He laughed. "And if it turns out that my son is a daughter ... then, I'll see her soon instead."
He took Keziah into his arms again, holding her for a long moment, then exchanged his farewells and helped Garrett to get her into the carriage. He watched the two of them depart over the rough road, tears filling his eyes as he realized that he'd likely never see his family again. He'll take care of them, he thought of Garrett, still believing that the man had intimate designs -- or, at least, marital ones -- on Keziah. Maybe it was better that way: the likelihood of William and Keziah rejoining one another was small, so maybe it was good that she had a strong, stable, land owning male who loved and cared for her so close at hand.
.....................
William kept busy for the next few hours. As Garrett had promised, Gabriel did indeed arrive, though he arrived with two neighbor men William recognized from the church's congregation. William feared for a moment that perhaps they'd come to take him into custody. Had Garrett's love -- maybe lust? -- for Keziah gone to extremes? Did Keziah know that her long time friend was conspiring to have her husband taken off to the Redcoats, to the Patriots, or to any other Authority who happened to be handy?
But no such fear manifested, and the men explained that they were simply here to escort the boy and help William with his last tasks. As he and Keziah had discussed during their time together before her departure, anything and every thing that could be hauled away would be. The cattle were lashed together, as were the goats. William had already filled a horse cart with some of the Black Family's most sentimental possessions, and those that couldn't be hauled away immediately he'd taken off into the woods and hidden below layers of cut pine bows for later retrieval.
Though it was a solemn event, there was a bit of humor as Gabriel spent almost an hour chasing down and caging the chickens, ducks, and geese. By the time he was done, the cacophony of avian noise was almost deafening. William thanked the men, then gave one a slip of paper he wished to be given to Keziah the next day. It told her that he'd contact her soon, but that if she didn't get a letter from her before his child's first birthday, she was to forget him and go on without him. Then, cryptically, it ended with the line, "Don't believe everything you read."
For the second time that day, William stood before the Black homestead, watching others depart it...
.....................
Three days later:
A mounted Militiaman approached Garrett's farm at a full gallop, pulling up on the reins to literally slide the horse across the recently rained-upon packed dirt as he dismounted with great riding skills. He rushed up to the house and was about to reach out for the door when the home owner opened it wide and asked with concern, "What is it?"
The Corporal encouraged the home owner outside. Garrett stepped onto the plank porch and -- glancing back at Keziah -- closed the door behind him. The two men chatted for a moment, and then -- just as quickly -- the Corporal mounted his horse again to depart. But he paused when he caught sight of Keziah at the now open door and let his lips widen in a wicked bit of a satisfied smirk. He kicked his horse's sides and shot off down the road again.
Garrett turned to his guest, a rolled scroll of paper in his hands. He glanced to the paper, then summarized what the man had told him. "The, um ... the Massachusetts Fourth Regiment ... General Arnold's unit ... they ... they've had men searching for William ... a full division it seems. The messenger said--"
The words caught in his throat as he contemplated how this was going to affect Keziah. He drew a deep breath, exhaled, and continued, "He doesn't know exactly who found him ... who caught William ... but ... they brought him back to the farm ... to your farmstead..."
He unrolled the paper and offered it out to Keziah. It was rough, dirty, and tattered, with a rip in it from where it had been hung around something from a string or line through a hole in the paper, then later ripped off. It was stained with fire ash, like finger prints, as though someone who had recently touched a burnt object had handled it.
"The messenger says they hung William from the--" The words again stuck in his throat, and he repeated his deep in and out breathing before continuing, "From the tree ... the elm near the end of the road ... then ... they burnt him ... and ... after the flames were gone ... hung that around his neck."
The piece of paper simply said, EXECUTED FOR TREASON!
..................
((Forgive the post. I'm very tired.))
No, don't be silly. You post as little or as much as you want! :)
I'm so tickled to be writing with you.