Off The Beaten Path

Darker Side of Me

The wind blew hot and acrid over the land. Bernell wiped the sweat from her brow, standing to ease the ache in her back from both carrying Terra and swinging the sickle to harvest the wheat. Her gaze scanned the trunks of the trees, the shade from the evergreens did little the ease the assault of the late summer sun. Lisa struggled with her barrel full of various vegetables that she had harvested earlier.

"The boys can hitch a horse to that." Bernell shouted, hand cupping her mouth to carry the words further.

Lisa kindly stuck a hand into the sky and raised her middle finger as she rested against the heavy load. Bernell smiled and bent back down to her work. Her arms screamed, the muscles sore. Terra squirmed uncomfortably on her back; the sweat shared between them was a miserable agony and a refreshing relief when the wind blew past. She ignored the squabbling of Ezra and Gabriel as they tied another harvested bundle into a sheaf using sturdier wheat stalks. She paused again, groaning. They had to get the wheat harvested and quickly. She'd completed over half their field in two days, but this third day was proving to tax her far more completely than she had imagined it would.

Phillip and Archer were busy gathering supplies from town to prepare for the upcoming winter and fall. Archer had found a couple maple trees, tapping into their bark to collect the swap from within that would later be boiled and canned for consumption and cooking throughout the cold weather. Bernell's arms screamed in protest and she bent again to her scythe. She sighed heavily as one of Terra's legs become free and caught her in the kidney.

It was going to be a miserable day.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Lisa was sweating over the stove units as she boiled the large tub of water when Bernell and the boys finally made their way in from their evening chores of tending to the animals. Glass jars filled with pickled vegetables clinked against one another as the water came to a roaring boil. Bernell smiled feebly at Lisa, too tired for words. Lisa returned the tired grin, her hair plastered around her jawbone and forehead. Sweat gathered visibly along her hairline as she continued chopping the rare cooked meats to can into a gravy or sauce for later use.

Terra and Jennifer slept soundly in their bed, the walls raised just enough to keep them corralled while the rest of the family was busy. Bernell sat at the table, grabbing at the bowl of veggies that Lisa had set in the middle of the table, already ravaged by hungry growing boys. The rolls and the ham was making its way around the table. Bernell grabbed an extra plate and began loading it with food for Lisa. Once she had finished eating, which she had learned to do quickly with so many ravenous children in the house, she sat back and looked at her new family.

Phillip was beginning to go through puberty. His face sported the patchy beginnings of facial hair, his body had begun squaring up and gaining muscle. He was nearly too large and bulky to work the ODMs efficiently now though it didn't stop him from trying. He still dreamed of joining the military. He had begun to sport the blemishes of the transition from youth to adulthood, though there were no mirrors and no one really cared. Occasionally he would pick at one, generally he ignored them. Unaffected as he would have been had he remained in the city. His black hair had begun to take on a reddish stain, bleached by his work in the sun. His bright brown eyes shone like honey and freckles dotted his face and arms.

Archers hair had become the most outrageous shade of golden blond; enviable by any woman. His bright blue eyes danced in the candlelight, highlighted by his deeply tanned skin. He had grown several inches taller, maintaining his thin frame despite eating easily the most out of all the children. Gabriel, however, remained small. He was growing steadily as the others, but he did not seem to gain any mass. His eyes were an enchanting myriad of colors and his hair had darkened from the dusty brown to a deeper color over the past year. His hands had become calloused and scarred from his woodworking, though his natural talent had exploded in return. Ezra's hair had followed suit; darkening to a shade even further from their father's. Where Gabriel had remained thin Ezra had bulked, becoming a solid square of boy. He was nearing six now and so capable and responsible that Bernell counted on him to help manage Gabriel when his mind strayed from the task at hand.