The Ember In The Storm

Chapter 10: Recur

   During the summer days of every year, it had been the Anderson family tradition of having a getaway from their busy city lives and do something to ease all the work and school worries off.

In summer of mid eighteen century, the tradition was repeated and the family had decided on going camping, something new and a little challenging for them all, especially the young twins, Jackson and Luke.

Just as expected, the camp was not easy, even with having a cabin large enough to fit a family of ten inside. Although they were only four, their dependency on their workers and house servants was taking a toll on them. They had to do everything.

Chores as cooking were handled by their mother, Elizabeth, whilst the boys and father went into the woods to collect the firewood. To prevent themselves from sweeping too, they decided on not wearing shoes inside nor leaving the place untidy. They agreed on only sweeping as they would leave.

"I miss Scarlet already," Luke had once muttered at the table.

"We have only been here for three days," Elizabeth laughed at her son. She had a bright smile, still beautiful even in her late thirties. She had brunette hair, darker than Luke's but brighter than Jackson's. She had a pair of dimples, one on each cheek and her eyes matched that of the sky during dawn.

With two children, one would expect her body to weigh more than her slender figure. Her skin was tight and pale and formed no wrinkles.

When she had been younger, men would try to swoop her off her feet. Yet however, the only man she had ever truly found suitable, tolerable and lovable was her husband, Matthew.

He was the talk of the town and everything a woman needed; rich, handsome, romantic. She was new to Richmond and once they met, it was clear they were meant to be. Within a month of their first meeting, his father died and he asked for her hand in marriage, to which she gladly accepted.

Then a year later she gave birth to dizygotic twins. A surprise yes but even more a blessing as they both were boys. They prayed for their first child to be a boy but fate seemed to want to double the blessing.

"Dear, the boys and I came across a small lake earlier and we thought a small swim in there would not hurt for the afternoon, would it?" Matthew looked at his children who quickly agreed, saying the water looked clean enough.

"Are you sure? What of wild animals?" She asked worriedly. Her husband grinned before taking a gun out of his pocket, placing it onto his white handkerchief on the table. Everyone in the family owned a handkerchief alike to his. White and silk, the hem cut in curves with a golden stitch of A on the corner.

"We are well pre—"

"Matthew!" She screamed atop her lungs. "Get that off the table and away from the children," she said in horror, hitting his hand which knocked over his soup and onto the handkerchief, leaving a small yellow stain on it which at the moment he never knew would last forever.

"Eli' dear, they are not children anymore, are you boys?" He still put his gun away even as he said this. He always respected his wife's words and wishes.

"Father also taught us shooting," Jackson grinned proudly, only making his father receive a harsh look from their mother. She was going to snap and he knew this, so he had to act fast to change the topic.

"Oh, well!" He stood to his feet, leaving his empty plate on the table. "The meal was ravishing dear," he kissed her cheek and forehead, which always made her cool down. She smiled up at him with love. "Boys, I think it would be best we leave early so that we could be back in time to help your mother cook dinner."