Eat the Poor

XXX

I beat Philip in our race to the water, which I must admit was a wholly unfair race to begin with. Mostly because I just took off running and left him behind.

Steady heartbeat, feet pounding the earth. I had forgotten what it was to run wild without fear of danger in pursuit. If I cut through the air fast enough, I could feel the slightest hints of breeze reach out and tickle me, before the sun covered me once more in a blanket of heat.

At the bottom of the hill, I slowed and watched Philip clumsily make his way after me. He let out a yelp as his heel twisted in the grass and he tumbled down the rest of the way.

"Dash it," he panted when I reached him. The white silk of his stockings was streaked in dirt and he had lost a shoe. I helped him to his feet.

A thick, sturdy tree grew crookedly at the edge of the lake, its long branches extending sharply over the water. Years ago, my brother Ronan had tied a knotted rope to one of the highest branches, and all of us, even Artwin with his lame foot, had taken countless turns swinging ourselves into the water from various heights.

So many hot summers had been spent racing here after chores were finished, fighting to be the first one in, wrestling in the water for hours.

Those were some of the memories of Ronan I held on to. When I missed what used to be, I thought of him teaching me to milk the cow and carving small toys for me from the scrap wood of his projects.

The war changed him.

By the time I was nine, he had become a soldier. He returned from the battlefield a changed man. Started drinking and never stopped. And slowly, agonizingly, I lost the one brother I felt close to.

At the foot of the great tree, I unlaced my boots and kicked them aside. "Come on, let's climb," I said.

"I should think I'd fall." Philip angled his gaze upward and squinted, blocking the sun with his hand.

I grinned. "Haven't you ever climbed a tree?"

He shook his head, red curls slipping across his forehead. "I would just as soon sit beneath one with a book."

"What good are books?" I wrapped an arm around his back and guided him towards the tree. "I do just fine without them."

He dragged his feet to stall me. "Books teach you things. History and astronomy and-"

"Astronomy?" I sounded the word out.

"By studying astronomy, one can explore beyond the realm of our own world. The stars and sun and the moon. Without astronomers, we would never learn whether the sun spins round the earth or the earth spins round the sun."

I narrowed my eyes. "The sun spins round the earth. Don't you see it moving through the sky every day?" He looked up, his expression suddenly quizzical. "See, this is why you ought to get your nose out of a book and open your eyes. The answer's right in front of you." He no longer protested as I led him to the tree. "Come on, you're going up first. Climbing trees is a crucial part of boyhood."

"I think my boyhood is almost over," he murmured. "I'm getting married next month."

I paused before letting the words slip off my tongue. "All the more reason to enjoy it then." He gave me a little smile and I felt my chest tighten.

Don't get attached to something you cannot keep.

"First things first," I said. "You can't climb in those little shoes. Take them off."

He gave a heavy sigh and glowered at me, but stepped out of his shoes and left them in the grass.

"Stockings too. You need a good grip."