To Us May Grace Be Given

3.

The next day I started the planting. It felt strange to be working, but as Mam said, it would be something to find ourselves rid of Bill Boyland only to starve next winter. I carefully tossed the seed onto the ground, whispering the prayers Da had taught me. Mam had mixed the seed sack the night before, adding the special powder Da had brought with us. He had said that the powder and praying made the ground more willing. We were nearly out of the powder now, but I wasn't sure it mattered; each year the crops were mean, enough to keep us alive but not enough to sell.

I thought Mam was going to follow me with the harrow, but instead she went into the goat pen with a rope. I stopped and watched her. The goats had been upset that morning; the horse was starting to smell and it was scaring them. Had they done something? I tried to see Mam but she was bent over. There was a lot of bleating and then she stood up again, leading one of the goats out and kicking the pen shut. I could just make out his uneven horns. She didn't lead Isaac to the road, towards Tom's place; instead she led him over to the water pump and the half-log where Da had done his cleaning. I didn't understand; why did she need to give him water? I had filled all the troughs fresh this morning.

I didn't understand, and then I saw the knife and the bowl, and then Mam seized Isaac by the larger horn. An awful sound filled the air, a kind of bleating but worse, as if he was screaming. I opened my mouth but there was only the screaming. I was running and halfway to the log Mam dragged the knife across his neck and his skin peeled open and the screaming became blood.

When I reached the log the thing on it was Isaac and not, he was some other kind of animal, something that had a throat gaping loose and bloody and a tongue hanging out. Isaac, I said, but nothing came out, like she had cut my throat too.

Mam steadied the bowl under him, catching every drop of his bright, bright blood. It was so cold. Behind us the other goats bucked against the wall of their pen and bleated and I tried to say Isaac again but I was shivering too much. It was so very cold.

"Idiot," Mam yelled, "you're dropping seed everywhere!"

I looked down and in my hand was the sack of seed and what was left was spilling onto the ground. I got down and picked up the seeds one by one until they were just a blur. Mam hated tears. I scraped at the dirt, feeling for the little shapes. Isaac. Everything went dark and I looked up to see Mam standing over me, the bowl on her hip stinking of blood.

"I don't dare take it to Tom," she said. "Skin it and quarter it; we'll figure out what to do with the meat later."

I couldn't speak for the pain in my throat, like there was a fist pressing everything down into my belly.

"What's wrong?" She frowned at me and I shrank back, swallowing and swallowing.

"Tom?" I finally croaked.

"Of course Tom." Her frown deepened. "Why, who else would we sell the carcass to?"

"I—I thought," I said, but I couldn't say any more. I hadn't thought. I had never thought.

"Are you thinking of that herd he sold to the railroads? There hasn't been anything like that for years now. More's the pity, he charged them a fortune for the lot, said they were getting the brush cleared and a winter's worth of meat besides." She laughed. "Shrewd old bastard. That was a good Christmas, do you remember? You ate yourself sick on the candy your Da bought." Steadying the bowl, she leaned over and touched my cheek. "Now be a help and skin it. I'll clean it and make a nice stew, we still have plenty of onions."

She went into the barn, bracing the bowl as she worked the door open and closed. As soon as the door shut I pressed my hand over my mouth so she wouldn't hear the noises pushing up. From the pen the goats bleated softly, as if they heard me, as if they understood.