A Curious Mask

I- Simply Curious

Finch stared past the reflection on the surface of the pond at his hook, where a squirming worm slowly drowned in the murky water.

Would a person drown slower or faster than a worm?

He looked up at his father as he announced he was going inside to grab a snack.

Will he grab bread or vegetables?

He looked over to his little brother, Jay, who was looking at the pond with his eyes slightly widened, his lips lifted, and his entire face lifted.

Why does he move his face like that?

"Jay?"

The boy looked at him, his eyes widening even more.

"Aye, Finch?"

"What does it feel like to breathe water?"

Jay's lips fell as his eyebrows lowered, making the lines Finch was more accustomed to seeing on his father.

"I don't know."

Finch dropped his fishing pole and reached for his brother, grasping his shoulder. "Do you want to find out?"

Jay breathed in deeply, looking down at the water, his nostrils flaring as his eyes widened again.

"I don't want to, Finch! You can, but I will keep fishing."

Finch tilted his head, looking at his brother. Can I make him do things because I'm stronger than him?

He jumped at his brother, knocking the fishing pole aside as he grabbed the back of his neck, shoving him into the water. The yelp that left his brother's lips answered the question of whether or not Jay was expecting to be thrown in the water. Before Jay could do much more than that yelp, Finch spun him around so he could see his face before he grabbed him by both shoulders and plunged his head underwater.

Why is he fighting me? Does he think he can hurt me?

Finch easily held his struggling brother in the water, attentive eyes unhindered by the murky water and mud stirred up by Jay's flailing limbs. He watched Jay's mouth open and close, bubbles rising from his mouth and nose, eyes as wide as saucers and locked onto Finch's. Finch moved a hand from one of Jay's shoulders to hold him down by the chest, feeling the air cavity pump rapidly now moving water instead of air.

Jay's movements slowed as his face relaxed, and within one hundred seconds, Jay stopped fighting, his eyes closing. His chest stopped moving. Finch had all of his senses focused on his drowning brother, so he didn't expect the large, calloused hand that grabbed the back of his shirt and threw him into the air.

Why did Father throw me? Where will I land? How will I land?

He hit the ground on his side, the air escaping his lungs. He didn't care at the moment, since he heard water falling upon water. He moved to look and saw his father putting his brother on the land, deep lines around his quick moving, blue eyes. His father started pushing on Jay's chest, so Finch crawled to where he could see past his father's body. He felt air rushing down his throat as he heard and saw water gurgling out of his brother's. Besides the constant beats his father placed on Jay's chest, the boy didn't move.

What is Father doing? Why isn't Jay moving? What does it feel like to be in Jay's position? Why is Father hurting Jay?

He crept forward but stopped when his father looked up at him with a look Finch could only describe by thinking it kin to the wolf he once ran across.

Why is he looking at me like that? How does he contort his face like that?

Finch's eyes were drawn back to his brother as he heard a difficult intake of breath. Jay coughed and rolled to his side, shivering.