Father was never really was around to begin with but he was never seen again after he moved to America...
At least not by his wife or children. I'm not sure about my brothers, but I remember the day he left. I remember the smell of brew and blood. I remember my mother's voice begging him to stay or at the very least give her the satisfaction of a divorce so that she may re-marry. I remember hearing the carriage gradually haul up the hill as he packed frantically. I remember him brushing past me as if I wasn't even his kin. I remember all this from the stoop I shared with my brothers, for we were always sent outside when father returned from the tavern inebriated. He had only turned around but once. To pet the hunting dog. He said he would miss HIM. The damn dog wasn't even his! It was a gift from our neighbor given to me for company. He would miss my dog more than he would miss me. Thankfully when he stood upright, the pocket-watch he had always kept in his inner coat pocket fell on the gravel road. Already being a sot that could barely stand past noon, I knew he'd leave it there. That would be the last item I received from my father. Even if it wasn't given with purpose, and was nothing more than him being too intoxicated to grab it. It was the last gift He gave. The rest I'd pry from his cold dead hands 13 years later. His departure isn't why I remember that day so fondly. It was the field tavern mother took us to after. The long walk through the forests of the neighboring properties had tired my younger brothers. But me and Eli were much too curious to sub-com to sleep. We carried the youngsters for what felt like forever. Until Almost Suddenly, we burst from the tree lines into a completely open field. There wasn't much to see for miles besides the tall grass and stars up above. I wouldn't have even noticed the smoke rolling from the middle of the field if it wasn't for the child awakening on my back. "Is that meat free?" Eros asked in a full sleepy daze. "No, but I'm sure I could convince them that we are in dire need" Chuckled mother. That's when I saw it, the field tavern. It smelled of sweet meats and heavy alcohol. That was Nothing new to us for mother was an phenomenal cook and father was a renown bibber. But the sights I had seen there were nothing like I'd ever seen inside the town walls. Nor did it look like any of the stories of witches in the woods. To the left was a giant fire outside that was tended to by small children. On the right was the dinky tavern with burly men standing post along the doorframe. And directly in front of us sat a man in a makeshift thrown dressed as the king I suppose. "Can I go play jacks with the other children mother?" Begged Francis. Mother withheld a response. So doing as Francis does, he simple ran off without the answer. Thou art what thou will I suppose. Eli wasn't moved to socialize, you could see his mind was clearly elsewhere. But Eros fell into the never ending game of follow the leader as he ran after him. I was barely moving through the motions, practically stuck at my mothers hip. I had assumed when she past the guards she would leave me outside to fend for myself. So I detached before we made it to the steps, preparing myself the brash world here and willing to face it alone. "Aren't you coming Thalia, The meat IS free, I only told Eros It wasn't as his greed would get us chased out with stones." Exclaimed my mother from atop the steps. I could hardly believe mother would allow me into this mysterious tavern when she wouldn't even let me wait for father to finish at the one in town. But I'd rather be inside with her than outside with the boys. Something told me they would want to make mud pies or play around the fire. And if we're being honest, I definitely did not want to be apart of that. As I walked up the dingy steps to the tavern I turned around to take mental note of where my brothers were playing. "Well come on lass, we can't hold this door open all night" ordered a red bearded man. "I'm sorry, I assumed that was your occupation in this castle of dejection." I snapped back. "Listen here you little shit-" he began to say before being interrupted by my mother. "She is a little shit but I humbly ask you keep the parenting to me, seeing as you've barely raised yourself." She then grabbed my wrist firmly. I realized she wanted to keep an eye on me in this tavern. Not the bonding I expected. We brushed past the long bearded man and he made no motion towards continuing the fight with us. As we entered the tavern a heavyset man came descending overtop the railing just atop the bar. "Come back when you got the money Mr.Allen, or don't come back at all." Roared a voice from where I presumed this giant man had fallen but when I glimpsed up I had only seen a young man about 20. Brawny short fellow with short slicked coal black hair. He was flanked by a two men, Herculean, twice his build and height. I suppose they all could've threw this enormous man over the railing but I could see in his eyes as he rushed past us it was the short fellow he saw scared of. Me and the man at the apex made eye contact so strong it were as though he recognized something in me as I did him. And then the tension broke "Elouise! Darling! How are you lass?Come to get fleas?" boomed this stout fleshly man as he wrapped his arm around my mothers shoulders. A panic had flushed me in a way that it had never attacked my body before. I grabbed her arm as if she were getting snatched away forever and I would never see her again. "No fleas Mr. Allen, I don't lay down with dogs," she smacked his arm off of her in disgust "you should hurry along now and fetch your master a bone seeing as you have a debt to pay. Hurry boy! Hurry!" She continued. But was interrupted by the man at the apex " As do you Elouise, have you come to settle your debt or point out others tonight?" Joked the mysterious man but you could tell by his tone it was not a joke at all. "Can't a lady do both?" She motion for me to sit at the bar with this other child who seemed all too used to the scene here. As I propped myself up on to the bar I watched for my mother, I grew much more weary of her with every step she took up the stairs. I glanced up at the man again and the stared back. We held it this time for what felt an entire lifetime. I couldn't bear his stare anymore, I felt that he could see every single flaw with a simple glance. But when I looked away I could still feel him staring a whole into the back of my head. "come up here with the big boys lass, I promise we don't bite...well maybe that one will" came from the demanding man more as a command than an offer. I looked at mother for confirmation and I could see in her eyes that she meant for me to stay at the bar. I sat quietly like my mothers eyes told me to. "'are you hard at hearing child?" He said with a little more attitude and a lot more aggression. I refused to answer or even look at him. "My daughter isn't my financial aid Nicklaus, she knows nothing of money, besides the boys are the heirs, so leave her be." My mother ordered in the same tone she uses to get me and my brothers to separate after a big fight. It obviously worked because when I looked up again in the silence, he had his back turned. My mother went and sat at the huge table with those big burly males as I sat at the bar with the weird boy. I figured I should at least make conversation with him seeing as he's the only other child in the bar. "'come here often?" I assumed I said confidently "what?...oh yeah...I live here" he said without ever taking his eyes off the bottle he was rolling back an forth. I felt silly for asking now, what kind of a child spends his childhood in a tavern in the middle of a field in the middle of the woods? What did he do all day? Where did he get educated? Has he ever played with a child his own age? Even now with a field full of children older and younger than him playing right outside he'd prefer to sit here at this bar and roll and empty bottle back n forth. "I didn't choose this life ya know? My father moved us into this shack he calls a tavern." Said the boy calmly bringing me back from the land if why's and what if's. "oh, yeah I know" I echoed. I didn't mean to be rude by simply ignoring his entire life story. Abruptly, mother rushed past me and the boy picking up the bottom of the dress as not to trip as she ran. I hadn't even noticed her whereabouts until that moment, I was so distracted by this child Who wasn't even all that entertaining. "'Ma!" I shrieked at her but she only mouthed the word (Run) (run) (run) over and over again. So I ran....I ran past the boy, down a dark hallway, ran into the wall, pushed myself off and ran until I'd seen a door with light directly in front of me. And at that moment I ran as though I was being chased by a pack of savage wolves. I could hear them snarling and snapping their soaking wet jaws right my heels I could see the whites of their eyes as plain as the door in front of me. My heart was racing, practically pounding out of my chest. I hit the door shoulder first twisting the handle concurrently. I burst out onto the cold ground covered in mud and filth maybe even a small amount of human shit. And without another thought of what all I was laying in, I was picked up from under my arms and taken by the hand and on the run again. I hadn't even acknowledged who had ahold of me until I looked up to see....the man from the tavern. "Get on my back Lass com' on" he begged. He said it with such compassion I could hardly believe it was the same man who had such hate in his eyes only a few moments ago. I was confused. Completely baffled. I thought this was what we were running away from and now he was begging to help me escape. I grabbed at his shoulders and he threw me up onto his broad back. And when he pushed his back foot off the ground we took off faster than any human could possibly comprehend. The wind whistled between the gap from his back to my chest and I could hardly breathe. And almost all to suddenly he stopped, slamming my chest into his body leaving me completely breathless. When I finally opened my eyes again he was putting me in my mothers arms. "Thank you Nicklaus thank you" she cried. She then put me on the soft clover covered forest floor where I noted my brothers had also made some grad escape. Eli knelt beside me and for a moment I seen him, the man from the tavern in the woods in my brothers eyes. I'd almost forgot my father had completely abandoned us that day, but I'd never forget that night at the tavern in the woods.
