Lawless Women: Jewel of the sea

Untitled Part 1

Knock, Knock, Knock, some one rapped on the door. Little Miranda, only twelve years of age, opened the door, the door that held back the horrific truth. Miranda knew her parents should have been home by now.

Before answering Miranda had put to bed her younger brother, Jackie, instructing him not to get up. Upon opening the door Miranda saw two stage coaches, one she knew to belong to the town mortuary. She looked up from the stage coach to the faces of the man who stood at the door.

His eyes were solum and dark. Silence stood between them for a while, only glances passed through; those spoke for themselves anyway. After Miranda adjusted to the tacit news she remembered her manners.

"come in, sir, please" Miranda managed.

The man came it and took a seat.

" I think you know why I'm here" The man inferred.

" I think so, but I would like to know how it happened, sir, if it's not too much trouble" Miranda requested.

"No trouble at all. Stage coach accident; they got hit, both dead. The other driver was unharmed" The man recited.

Miranda didn't speak; she knew it was no accident, many people disliked that her parents viewed women as equals. Miranda turned her thoughts to what would become of Jackie and herself.

"Sir, what is to come of Jackie and I?" Miranda inquired.

"well you'll probably be sent to the girl's home on the out skirts of town, and Jackie..." he began to explain.

"stop right there, Jackie and I are one package. I don't care if I have to raise him myself, we will not be separated" Miranda informed.

" I see" the man responded.

He then rose and left the house without another word. Miranda plopped down on the small, worn davenport. She didn't know what to tell Jackie; he was eight, how could he possibly understand? Miranda knew she had till morning to come up with an answer. If she let it all out tonight, she'd be calmer tomorrow to tell him.

She held her hands up to her face and let the tears fall down her cheeks. She crawled into a ball and stayed there all night. She woke at the break of dawn. She cleaned up her face and got ready for the job at hand. She figured the first step was to make him happy, then break it to him slowly.

"But not to slow, that it puts him in agony" thought Miranda.

She opened up the cupboards which were all but bear. She found minimal flour and lard. She went to their lone, sickly cow. Miranda milked every drop from that cow and still had little more than a glass. She gathered the one egg the chicken had laid.

When Miranda returned to the house, she realized just how cold it was. She then went to fetch stove wood. It wasn't long before she had a roaring fire in the stove and was making make-shift pancakes and egg for Jackie with a nice glass of fresh milk.

Jackie woke to his plate set on the table. He sat down without a word and started devouring his breakfast feast. It wasn't till after he had finished he turned to Miranda.

" Where's Mum? Where's Papa?" Jackie asked.

It broke Miranda's heart, so she just stood for a minute and searched for words.

"They're home" Miranda tried.

" I don't see them. Where?" Jackie interrogated.

" No honey, we won't see them. You know at church, how they tell us...tell us the great Papa in the sky has a home for all of us. Well, Mum and Papa went off to that home" Miranda explained.