Life Was... Good

July 7th, 1742, 3:32 PM

             Cyrus slowly opened his eyes, only to be partially blinded by the sunlight shining through the cracks of the cellar door. He immediately looked down at his pocket watch and squinted his eyes to look at the fading numbers. “Thirteen hours, I slept for thirteen hours?” He questioned himself. He closed his pocket watch and put it back into his pajama pants pocket, and he looked over at his son, who was already awake. Nathan looked over at him and pointed up.

              “You hear that?” Nathan looked at his dad questioningly. Cyrus looked at him, confused, and looked up. After a moment, he looked back at Nathan and shook his head. It took him a second, but Cyrus realized what Nathan was referring to. It was silent. No gunshots, no screams, no cannons, nothing. Cyrus looked back up and smiled, ready to go back outside. He stood up, his bones aching from being stuck in the same position for the last sixteen hours, and he reached his hand out for Nathan to take. Nathan immediately takes his father's hand and stands up, having to take a moment to find his balance. They both walked over to the entrance of the cellar and opened the double doors together, the rusted metal hinges speaking as they did so. The lingering smoke in the air immediately found its way into Cyrus and Nathaniel’s lungs, causing them to begin coughing. They both surveyed the aftermath of the battle. Their house was somehow left untouched by the bloody conflict that had been going on for half a day, and that made Cyrus incredibly hopeful. Cyrus smiled softly as he stared at his house, but then he turned and looked at the landscape ahead of him, it wasn’t too bloody, but it definitely wasn’t great. At least twenty Spanish soldiers were lying on the grounds of the marsh, and they were accompanied by English soldiers. There were definitely more casualties on the Spanish side than on the English side, but that didn’t matter in the sense that someone had to clean it up either way. Cyrus glanced back over at his son and was about to say something, but he was cut off as he and Nathaniel heard barking coming from the wooded area to the left of them. Cyrus had to take a moment to process what was going on, however, Nathaniel did not. The brown-haired boy immediately started sprinting toward the sound of the barking, and Ranger came running out of the woods toward him. Nathan practically collapsed onto the ground as he felt Ranger in his touch, and those tears he had been holding in for so long immediately began pouring down his cheeks like tiny rivers, soaking his pajama shirt with dark spots of salty happiness. Cyrus looked over at his son and the moment he saw his tears flowing down his face, he felt his own begin to fall. Cyrus looked away from his son and looked back at the now bloody marsh. That was going to be a lot of work to clean up.

               The rest of the day was smooth as a hot knife to a stick of butter. Cyrus had his son take Ranger out for his usual walk so he would have time to clean up the remnants of the battle that had taken place that morning. Cyrus was about to begin dealing with the casualties before he heard the sound of horse hooves hitting the dirt that was considered their road. He turned around and saw a group of mortuary affairs making their way over to him. He breathed a sigh of relief, happy to know that he wouldn’t have to clean up the stiff bodies from his land. Cyrus nodded in acknowledgment and thanks towards the mortuary affairs as he walked back over to his house. As he walked in, he was met with his son’s eccentric smile as he cuddled with the large, coffee-colored mastiff on the floor of the living room. Cyrus smiled and sat on the couch. Neither Cyrus nor Nathaniel had fully comprehended what had happened that morning, so they were mostly silent the rest of the day. It didn’t take long before the mortuary affairs had all of the bodies loaded up and gone, and Cyrus was glad to have that weight off of his shoulders. Before long, the father and son were already in their pajamas, ready for the next day.

             Cyrus entered his son’s room and walked over to his bed. He sat on the foot of the bed and looked at his son, who was already under the covers.

             “I love you, Nathan,” Cyrus looked down at his drowsy son and smiled softly. It was a full moon outside, and the light was shining through the blinds, highlighting Nathaniel’s cinnamon-brown hair.

               “I love you too, Dad,” Nathan responded, his voice quiet and soft as he attempted to keep his eyes open while looking at his father, who was looking at him with love.

               That night, Cyrus and Nathaniel slept serenely. This time, the sound of battle wasn’t booming in their ears, and was instead replaced with the calming sounds of nature that surrounded them and their home. The night sky was painted with hues of dark blue and black, which were highlighted by the full moon. Nature was singing in perfect harmony, regaining what was taken from it during the battle. It was truly wonderful. Life was good.