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"Finally" by ellaleaver

Okay, this is the first chapter, so you're not going to get too much information from it. Just kind of meeting the characters. Also, there's a prologue that goes before this. I've yet to write it, but it helps some with seeing the coming problems.

Category: Book: 1st Chapter

Tags: farming, death, drama, singing, friendship, fiction, realistic fiction

You can do an inline review of this work in the review tab.

            BEEP... BEEP... BEEP! I jerked awake and slammed my hand on my alarm clock. The numbers glowed revealing the time to be 5am. Ugh! Yet another morning in which my sleep was interrupted by the necessities of farm life. Not to mention that today was the first day of my senior year in high school. I rolled over and stared at the poster on my wall.

    It showed New York City’s skyline, with cars packed tight in the streets and the sidewalks crowded with people. I craved this chaos and dreamed of the day when I could escape the grueling life of farm work. Unfortunately the closest city was about half an hour away.

            “Marie! Time to get up!” Dad’s voice rang down the hallway from the kitchen to my room. “Your alarm should’ve gone off five minutes ago. Where are you?” A quick glance at the clock showed me he was correct almost to the second. How fast the time flew when you contemplated your future.

            “I’m coming! Just give me a sec!”

            “That goes for the rest of you! Get UP!” I heard many groans and complaints throughout the house following Dad’s latest shout. I smiled, knowing how my family felt. Checking the clock once again, I got up and stretched. The blue pajamas I normally slept in were traded for a mint green t-shirt and a pair of jeans. My left boot sat where I had left it the night before along with a couple of socks. However a thorough search revealed no right one.

            “Dad! Do you know where my other shoe is?”

            “Maybe Cole has it!” I shook my head in frustration. Now why hadn’t I thought of that? Cole was our silky, black cat with the strange tendency to steal everyone’s right shoe. I found the silly thing lying on my tall, cowgirl boot in Dad’s room.

            “Give it back,” I said, drawing out the words. Cole’s eyes told me plainly that he had ‘no idea where my shoe could possibly be even though there is something that looks rather like it right underneath him’. I growled and snatched the boot out from under him, risking being scratched by one of Cole’s dangerously sharp claws. Luckily his half-hearted swipe missed. I slipped on the shoe and stroked Cole’s ears.

            “Silly thing,” I cooed. He purred and I left him in Dad’s room.

            “Marie Salson, signing in.” I gave a salute as I entered the kitchen. Dad sat at the head of the table with a newspaper in front of him.

            “At ease, Sergeant,” Dad said. I relaxed my arm and fell into my chair at Dad’s right.

            “So, what’s my job this morning?”

            “The usual,” he stated, turning a page. I groaned.

            “Again? Don’t I have to take care of Light?” My voice raised into a whining pitch as I asked.

            “I told you that’s Jack’s job until further notice.” I grumbled and picked up the last fruit, a banana, from the fruit basket on the large table. Light was my beautiful, cream horse that was pregnant. Jack, although not part of the family, lived with us as a close family friend and personal nurse for the horses.

            “Good morning, Mr. Salson.” Jack said as he walked in and sat down next to me at the table.

            “Hey, Marie. I heard you got an extra wake-up call today. What held you up?” I felt the heat of a blush pass over my face.

            “Um...” I said, pausing to think of an excuse. Jack laughed and waved me off. I sighed in relief. I’d once told my family that I wanted to go to the city when I got older. I didn’t want to relive that scene again.

            “Never mind. Just go do your chores,” he said. I growled at him and started for the kitchen door.

            “You take good care of Light, ya hear?” I called, halfway out the door.

            “I hear. Don’t worry. She’s in good hands.”

            “Mmm, hmm...” My voice was skeptical. His laugh was cut off as I closed the door. I took a deep breath of the early morning air and headed toward the barn for the tools and feed I would need for my chores. Many people said I was lucky I didn’t have any siblings, although Jack could be my brother. Following what my friends said about brothers, Jack was just as annoying and frustrating as a brother would be. Especially since I had to admit that he had a certain way with horses that I could only envy. I heard someone’s steps pound softly behind me.

            “Hey, Marie!” I turned to find my five year-old cousin running to me.

            “Hey, Seanie.”

            “What’re you doin’ today?” he asked. I swung him up in my arms as he approached and tickled him.

            “I’m turning silly little boys named Sean into frogs.” I laughed and Sean wriggled in my grasp.

            “No, no! I don’t wanna be a frog.”

            “Well why not? Don’t you want to be kissed by a princess?”

            “Eww!” He exclaimed, giggling. I laughed again and set him down.

            “Oh, all right,” I conceded, “I won’t do that. How ‘bout we just do my normal chores today, huh?” Sean nodded and followed me through the barn doors where we were greeted by several different animal sounds. Floodlights stood at regular intervals, creating pools of light in the early morning darkness.

            “Hey, guys,” I whispered. In response to my voice Light came to the door of her stall and tossed her head with impatience.

            “Hey, sweetheart.” I walked over to the stall and stroked her creamy mane. Her stomach was swollen with a baby horse. On either side of her stall a horse’s head appeared. To my right was Black, who true to his name, was black as night; and on my left, Heartbeat quietly watched the goings on of the barn. She was an old horse and as such, had learned great patience and love over the years.

            As an attest to her patience, Heartbeat merely neighed softly when Sean yelled out her name while Black and Light pranced around in their stalls. I shook my head and smiled.

            “Hey! What are y’all doin’ just standin’ around?” Startled, I looked up to see Uncle Jim, Grandma Rosie’s brother, and Sean’s older brother, Will, standing between the open barn doors.

            “Oh! Hey. You scared me,” I said. Uncle Jim laughed and turned to Will.

            “Ya hear that, boy? We scared lil Miss Marie.” Will grinned and walked to the stable office where the tools, supplies, and papers were stored.

            “Just because you’re from Louisiana doesn’t mean you have to talk like it, ‘Pappy’,” Will stated.

            “I’ll talk how I want, boy. Just get those tools. And don’t call me ‘pappy’!” Will rolled his eyes at me and I flashed a quick grin in return.

            “Uncle Jim!” Sean yelped, “Will rolled his eyes!”

            “Will!”

            “Sorry.” Will’s face was sheepish as he came out of the office with two shovels and a large trash can.

            “So, are you two mucking the stalls?” I asked. Uncle Jim grunted in reply and took one of the shovels from Will.

            “I don’t need y’all lil uns in my way so why don’t ya get on outta here and take Sean wit ya,” Uncle Jim said. I nodded and took Sean’s hand.

            “Come on, Seanie. Looks like we got work to do. Us ‘lil uns’ got to stick together.” He giggled. We grabbed a couple of baskets, one filled with feed and one empty, from the pegs by the door on our way out and walked across the farm. Seeing as how you must be dying to know what my chores are, I’ll tell you about them. Just the usual stuff you get on a farm: egg collecting, cow milking, general feeding of the animals and laundry in the house. It sounds like a lot of variety, but when you put them all together and do them every single day, over and over again. Well that changes things. In fact, it changes things enough for this simple routine of chores to be yet another reason for me to want to go to the city.

            Of course the lucky members of my family get the other chores such as cleaning the animals, cleaning the animals’ stalls, cooking, cleaning the house, checking our apple orchard for disease and pests, record keeping and giving tours to the groups of kids that came to our farm on field trips. Sean and I were headed for the chicken coop to get the eggs and feed the chickens.

            “Okay little guy. Do wanna feed the chickens or get the eggs?” I asked.

            “Feed! Feed!” He yelled, jumping up and down. I laughed and handed him the basket of feed.

            “There you go. Just make sure to cover your ears when the sun starts to rise, okay?” I said.

            “Because the ***** will crow really loud, right?” he asked.

            “That’s right. And we wouldn’t want you to go deaf now would we?” Sean shook his head and I lifted him over the wire into the chicken pen, before stepping over myself. The sun wouldn’t rise at least for another hour, but our rooster tended to crow early.

            “And remember not to touch the wire, all right?” I said.

            “Okay,” Sean said and waited for me to scare the chickens out of the coop.

            “Come on everybody. Get up. Time to eat,” I called. To Sean I said, “Remember the chicken call? Maybe that’ll wake these old birds up.” He nodded.

            “Here chick, chick, chickadee!” I crawled into the coop, accompanied by Sean’s squealing voice and flapped my arms around. These two factors caused the chickens to cluck in alarm and flock around me through the small door into the pen.

            “They’re all out, Sean! Go ahead and feed ‘em.” I heard the sound of grains hitting the ground and my little cousin screaming with laughter.

            “Well at least he’s having fun,” I mumbled. Now that I was inside the coop I could stand up. It was a wooden, rectangular shape with cubbies on either side set in rows of five and columns of seven. I methodically checked each nest for eggs and placed them in my basket when I found one. I ended up with about forty eggs, plenty for our large family. Outside, I found Sean surrounded by chickens and waving an empty basket.

            “Help Marie! I’m all out but they think I got more!” I smiled and rescued him from the mob.

            “Move chickies. I’d like to get my Seanie back,” I said. They clucked a reproach at me and reluctantly moved. Sean’s arms stretched up for mine and I lifted him onto my hip.

            “Let’s go bring these eggs to Grandma Rosie, huh?” He nodded and I walked to the house with Sean still in my arms. Grandma Rosie was my mom’s mom and the official cook, unless Dad was nervous about something. I remembered when she would make us these great huge pancakes that hung off the stove they were so big. We’d all laugh and try to figure out how she had been able to make them that size. But since my mom had died when I was five, Grandma Rosie made normal sized pancakes and breakfast chatter just consisted of business on the farm, school and events around town.

            “Hey, Grandma!” I called, closing the screen door behind me and stepping into the kitchen.

            “Marie, dear. So how many eggs did you bring me today?” Grandma Rosie stood at the stove flipping yet another pancake onto an already tall pile next to her.

            “About forty.”

            “Hmm...” she said, “Those girls seem to be lagging behind.” I had to agree. Most days, even though we only had thirty-seven hens, we had at least fifty-some eggs.

            “It’s probably just winter coming on that’s slowing them down,” I suggested.

            “Or maybe they just need a new, young man in their lives, huh?”

            “Grandma!” I exclaimed, “That’s very roguish of you. And don’t forget Sean’s still in the room.” She just chuckled and turned back to the stove.

            “Go milk Bessie, will ya? I’m going to need milk for these eggs,” she asked over her shoulder. I rolled my eyes, grabbed Sean’s hand and walked back outside.

            “Hey, Dad.” He nodded in reply as we passed just outside the kitchen door. I watched him walk past us and into the kitchen. He looked preoccupied with something so I just shrugged and continued to the barn. Sean slipped his hand from mine and ran ahead. The little guy could go. By the time I had reached the barn, he’d already grabbed the milking bucket and stool and was standing outside Bessie’s stall.

            “Come on, Marie! I wanna milk Bessie!”

            “I’m coming. I’m coming,” I said, laughing and jogging slightly to keep up. He jumped up and down in excitement.

            “Okay, here you go.” I reached him and undid the latch on her stall. “Just calm down before you make her panic.” Sean immediately froze and glanced up at the black and white cow.

            “Oh,” he whispered. I took the stool and bucket from him and placed them in the correct spots.

            “Now sit down and milk her quick before Grandma Rosie comes out here and yells at us for taking too long.” Sean laughed, but sat down on the stool. Grandma Rosie would never come in the barn. She said it was a nasty, horrible place and often worried about our health seeing as we were the youngest and spent the most time in the barn. She would however send someone out to yell at us and that would most likely be my dad. I shuddered at the thought of his anger directed at me.

            “All done,” Sean stated, shocking me out of my reverie. I looked down and saw the bucket had only a few drops in it. I smiled to myself and shook my head.

            “Yes you are. Now why don’t you go find Will and see if he has any chores for you,” I said. The kid looked so proud that I couldn’t let him know how not done he was. Sean nodded, hopped off the stool and sprinted out of the barn. Guffaws echoed from Light’s stall and I looked up to see Jack nearly bursting with laughter and leaning on a pitchfork.

            “Oh my God!” he panted. Before he could say any more another fit of laughter racked his body. I stood and waited: my hands on my hips and a frown on my face.

            “Yes?” I pushed after a short while. He wiped a tear from his eye and took a deep breath.

            “Well, first you told him he was done when he wasn’t and then you let him run off to find Will, who may I say is helping your grandma. Whaddya think is gonna happen when he stays with your grandmother and then sees the bucket full up with milk instead of just those little drops?” he asked. I growled at him and knocked my head on a support beam  once for every word.

            “Don’t. You. Think. That. You. Could. Have. Told. Me. Earlier?” I felt a hand slip between me and the beam as I brought my head forward one more time.

            “Hey. Don’t go beating yourself up. You need those brain cells. So far you, Will, and Sean are the Salson family’s last hope for a degree in college. Look, I’ll go get him and give him a job somewhere else on the farm, okay?”

            “Thank you,” I said, sighing in relief.

            “All better, see?” Jack left the barn and I shook my head. It seemed he had the good as well as the bad traits of brothers.

            “Okay, Bessie. Ready for a real milking?” She mooed as if in answer to my question and I perched on the stool. Milk splattered in the bucket as I gently squeezed her teats. Her breasts were swollen and I could almost feel the relief spreading through her as the milk filled the bucket.

            “There you go, honey,” I cooed and soon fell into a rhythm, letting my thoughts drift. At one point, the bucket I was using filled and I switched it out for another. When I was getting the second bucket, Jack came back in and told me he’d gotten my dad to take Sean with him to the orchard.

            “Thanks,” I said.

            “No problem.” He noticed the second bucket in my hands and raised an eyebrow.

            “The first one filled up,” I explained.

            “That’s a lot of milk, even for Bessie,” he said. I nodded.

            “You think she might be pregnant?” I asked.

            “I don’t know how she could be.” I agreed that she couldn’t and looked over at Bessie. We had no other cows and the only time she’s ever out of her stall is when we take her to the corral next to the horses.

            “Hmm...” I shrugged it off and walked back to her stall. Jack threw one more considering glance in the cow’s direction before returning to Light’s stall. He would probably check on her later when he had time. Although he was a horse doctor, he understood the basics of most other farm animals.

            This time at Bessie’s side, the bucket only filled halfway. I poured some of the full bucket’s contents into the other one to balance them out. With a wave to Jack, I picked them up and walked back to the house. On the way, I passed Uncle Jim, Will, Uncle Steve (Dad’s brother) and Aunt Brenda (Steve’s wife), all headed in different directions to different destinations. This was pretty much everybody except for Dad’s parents, who were probably still in bed and my aunt on mom’s side, Samantha. Aunt Sam was missing because she was co-owner of a big company in New York City. She was also Will and Sean’s mom, but she had sent them here a couple of years ago when Will had violence problems at school (Translation: Will had been beating everybody up because his dad died). Although it was only meant to be a few months until he cooled down, the boys had decided to stay. I nodded to each person I passed, adding an occasional smile or comment along the way.

“About time!” Grandma Rosie exclaimed as I entered the house. She grabbed the milk buckets from me and began to boil them for purification.    

“Sorry Grands. Bessie had a lot of milk today.”

“I can tell,” she said, eying the two pans full of milk. “Breakfast will be late today,” she added, “Be sure to spread the news.” I nodded and turned to leave.

“Also be sure to have Jack check Bessie over when he’s done with Light,” she called and I waved, letting her know I had heard. As I walked away, I heard her mumble something that sounded a bit like ‘cheeky teenagers’. I laughed quietly and loped rhythmically to the barn to feed the animals there. All that was left was to feed Bessie, Heartbeat, Black, and the pigs. I slowed, entered the barn, and waved at Jack as I walked to the hay.

“Hey,” I called.

“Hello Marie,” he replied and turned back to his work. He was cleaning Light now and I envied him the job. I knew that he was being gentler than I possibly could and that soon he would be carefully measuring out her feed and mixing it with vitamins.  It was her need for vitamins that had made him caretaker of Light until her baby was born. Otherwise I got to take care of her and I loved doing so. But until the birth...

I snatched a food pitchfork out of the office and started pitching hay into the food troughs. As I worked, the sun rose and sweat dripped down my face. I heard the call of the rooster and smiled when I heard Sean squeal happily in response. Jack’s soft murmurs mingled with the animals’ snorts and snuffling. Occasionally, someone would come in and start grooming one of the other animals. Our work was peaceful and familiar. When I finished, I stayed and talked with my family, sometimes even helping them with the animals when they asked.

With impossibly perfect timing, Grandma Rosie yelled, “Soup’s up!” across the farm, just when everyone had finished their chores.

Uncle Jim chuckled and said, “She does it again,” in a rare bout of his northern accent. My lips raised in a smile, knowing he admired his sister for her uncanny timing. Those that were in the barn filed out and walked to the house in groups of two or three. Jack and Will were laughing about something or other while Uncle Jim and Uncle Steve argued over the best technique for using the curry-comb on the horses. I trailed behind them, my thoughts on mom. If she were here, she would probably come up with an entirely different technique that would quiet both my uncles.

“Marie!” a voice yelled and I looked up to see Sean running towards me.

“Hey, Sean,” I replied. He hit me with full force and wrapped his arms around my legs.

“I helped Grandma make the pancakes!” he said, smiling up at me with glee and pride in his eyes.

“You did? Well, I just can’t wait to try them,” I said. Then I leaned down and whispered conspiratorially in his ear, “I bet they’re even better than Grandma’s.” Sean giggled, grabbed my hand, and pulled me towards the house.

“What are you two whispering about?” Brenda asked, coming out of the house and looking at us with a teasing suspicious look.

“Nothing,” Sean said, laughing a little and ruining his attempt at covering up our whispers.

    “Hmm... I could’ve sworn I thought I heard you mentioning something about Sean’s pancakes being better than Rosie’s.” Sean looked away guiltily. Brenda laughed, ruffled his hair and went to Uncle Steve, wrapping her arm around his waist as she approached.

    “We’ve been found out,” I teased and hugged Sean, “But don’t worry. She won’t tell.” He breathed out an exaggerated sigh of relief and wiped his hand across his forehead. I laughed and led my little cousin through the kitchen door.






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Category Name: My Thoughts

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Category Name: Character Development

The characters were not credible, interesting or unique. I don’t care about or understand the characters because they were poorly developed. The characters where somewhat credible, interesting and unique. I partially understand their thoughts, feelings, and actions. I somewhat connected with and care about the characters. The characters where credible, interesting and unique. I thoroughly understand their thoughts, feelings and actions. I felt connected with and started to care about the characters.

This is act of bringing a character to life on the page. It is a combination of the author’s description of the character and the character’s dialog, action, and thoughts. Though all characters should be believable, the protagonist and antagonist are usually the most developed characters.

Category Name: The Beginning

The chapter did not introduce a problem. I really don’t want to read the next chapter. The chapter introduces a problem for the protagonist, but I don’t know why it’s important and/or it does not feel like an immediate resolution is needed. I might read the next chapter. The chapter introduced an immediate and important problem for the protagonist. I really want to know what happens in the next chapter.

The first chapter, especially the first sentence, needs to pull a reader into the story and make them crave more.

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Category Name: Dialog

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1.             BEEP... BEEP... BEEP! I jerked awake and slammed my hand on my alarm clock. The numbers glowed revealing the time to be 5am. Ugh! Yet another morning in which my sleep was interrupted by the necessities of farm life. Not to mention that today was the first day of my senior year in high school. I rolled over and stared at the poster on my wall.

2.     It showed New York City’s skyline, with cars packed tight in the streets and the sidewalks crowded with people. I craved this chaos and dreamed of the day when I could escape the grueling life of farm work. Unfortunately the closest city was about half an hour away.

3.             “Marie! Time to get up!” Dad’s voice rang down the hallway from the kitchen to my room. “Your alarm should’ve gone off five minutes ago. Where are you?” A quick glance at the clock showed me he was correct almost to the second. How fast the time flew when you contemplated your future.

4.             “I’m coming! Just give me a sec!”

5.             “That goes for the rest of you! Get UP!” I heard many groans and complaints throughout the house following Dad’s latest shout. I smiled, knowing how my family felt. Checking the clock once again, I got up and stretched. The blue pajamas I normally slept in were traded for a mint green t-shirt and a pair of jeans. My left boot sat where I had left it the night before along with a couple of socks. However a thorough search revealed no right one.

6.             “Dad! Do you know where my other shoe is?”

7.             “Maybe Cole has it!” I shook my head in frustration. Now why hadn’t I thought of that? Cole was our silky, black cat with the strange tendency to steal everyone’s right shoe. I found the silly thing lying on my tall, cowgirl boot in Dad’s room.

8.             “Give it back,” I said, drawing out the words. Cole’s eyes told me plainly that he had ‘no idea where my shoe could possibly be even though there is something that looks rather like it right underneath him’. I growled and snatched the boot out from under him, risking being scratched by one of Cole’s dangerously sharp claws. Luckily his half-hearted swipe missed. I slipped on the shoe and stroked Cole’s ears.

9.             “Silly thing,” I cooed. He purred and I left him in Dad’s room.

10.             “Marie Salson, signing in.” I gave a salute as I entered the kitchen. Dad sat at the head of the table with a newspaper in front of him.

11.             “At ease, Sergeant,” Dad said. I relaxed my arm and fell into my chair at Dad’s right.

12.             “So, what’s my job this morning?”

13.             “The usual,” he stated, turning a page. I groaned.

14.             “Again? Don’t I have to take care of Light?” My voice raised into a whining pitch as I asked.

15.             “I told you that’s Jack’s job until further notice.” I grumbled and picked up the last fruit, a banana, from the fruit basket on the large table. Light was my beautiful, cream horse that was pregnant. Jack, although not part of the family, lived with us as a close family friend and personal nurse for the horses.

16.             “Good morning, Mr. Salson.” Jack said as he walked in and sat down next to me at the table.

17.             “Hey, Marie. I heard you got an extra wake-up call today. What held you up?” I felt the heat of a blush pass over my face.

18.             “Um...” I said, pausing to think of an excuse. Jack laughed and waved me off. I sighed in relief. I’d once told my family that I wanted to go to the city when I got older. I didn’t want to relive that scene again.

19.             “Never mind. Just go do your chores,” he said. I growled at him and started for the kitchen door.

20.             “You take good care of Light, ya hear?” I called, halfway out the door.

21.             “I hear. Don’t worry. She’s in good hands.”

22.             “Mmm, hmm...” My voice was skeptical. His laugh was cut off as I closed the door. I took a deep breath of the early morning air and headed toward the barn for the tools and feed I would need for my chores. Many people said I was lucky I didn’t have any siblings, although Jack could be my brother. Following what my friends said about brothers, Jack was just as annoying and frustrating as a brother would be. Especially since I had to admit that he had a certain way with horses that I could only envy. I heard someone’s steps pound softly behind me.

23.             “Hey, Marie!” I turned to find my five year-old cousin running to me.

24.             “Hey, Seanie.”

25.             “What’re you doin’ today?” he asked. I swung him up in my arms as he approached and tickled him.

26.             “I’m turning silly little boys named Sean into frogs.” I laughed and Sean wriggled in my grasp.

27.             “No, no! I don’t wanna be a frog.”

28.             “Well why not? Don’t you want to be kissed by a princess?”

29.             “Eww!” He exclaimed, giggling. I laughed again and set him down.

30.             “Oh, all right,” I conceded, “I won’t do that. How ‘bout we just do my normal chores today, huh?” Sean nodded and followed me through the barn doors where we were greeted by several different animal sounds. Floodlights stood at regular intervals, creating pools of light in the early morning darkness.

31.             “Hey, guys,” I whispered. In response to my voice Light came to the door of her stall and tossed her head with impatience.

32.             “Hey, sweetheart.” I walked over to the stall and stroked her creamy mane. Her stomach was swollen with a baby horse. On either side of her stall a horse’s head appeared. To my right was Black, who true to his name, was black as night; and on my left, Heartbeat quietly watched the goings on of the barn. She was an old horse and as such, had learned great patience and love over the years.

33.             As an attest to her patience, Heartbeat merely neighed softly when Sean yelled out her name while Black and Light pranced around in their stalls. I shook my head and smiled.

34.             “Hey! What are y’all doin’ just standin’ around?” Startled, I looked up to see Uncle Jim, Grandma Rosie’s brother, and Sean’s older brother, Will, standing between the open barn doors.

35.             “Oh! Hey. You scared me,” I said. Uncle Jim laughed and turned to Will.

36.             “Ya hear that, boy? We scared lil Miss Marie.” Will grinned and walked to the stable office where the tools, supplies, and papers were stored.

37.             “Just because you’re from Louisiana doesn’t mean you have to talk like it, ‘Pappy’,” Will stated.

38.             “I’ll talk how I want, boy. Just get those tools. And don’t call me ‘pappy’!” Will rolled his eyes at me and I flashed a quick grin in return.

39.             “Uncle Jim!” Sean yelped, “Will rolled his eyes!”

40.             “Will!”

41.             “Sorry.” Will’s face was sheepish as he came out of the office with two shovels and a large trash can.

42.             “So, are you two mucking the stalls?” I asked. Uncle Jim grunted in reply and took one of the shovels from Will.

43.             “I don’t need y’all lil uns in my way so why don’t ya get on outta here and take Sean wit ya,” Uncle Jim said. I nodded and took Sean’s hand.

44.             “Come on, Seanie. Looks like we got work to do. Us ‘lil uns’ got to stick together.” He giggled. We grabbed a couple of baskets, one filled with feed and one empty, from the pegs by the door on our way out and walked across the farm. Seeing as how you must be dying to know what my chores are, I’ll tell you about them. Just the usual stuff you get on a farm: egg collecting, cow milking, general feeding of the animals and laundry in the house. It sounds like a lot of variety, but when you put them all together and do them every single day, over and over again. Well that changes things. In fact, it changes things enough for this simple routine of chores to be yet another reason for me to want to go to the city.

45.             Of course the lucky members of my family get the other chores such as cleaning the animals, cleaning the animals’ stalls, cooking, cleaning the house, checking our apple orchard for disease and pests, record keeping and giving tours to the groups of kids that came to our farm on field trips. Sean and I were headed for the chicken coop to get the eggs and feed the chickens.

46.             “Okay little guy. Do wanna feed the chickens or get the eggs?” I asked.

47.             “Feed! Feed!” He yelled, jumping up and down. I laughed and handed him the basket of feed.

48.             “There you go. Just make sure to cover your ears when the sun starts to rise, okay?” I said.

49.             “Because the ***** will crow really loud, right?” he asked.

50.             “That’s right. And we wouldn’t want you to go deaf now would we?” Sean shook his head and I lifted him over the wire into the chicken pen, before stepping over myself. The sun wouldn’t rise at least for another hour, but our rooster tended to crow early.

51.             “And remember not to touch the wire, all right?” I said.

52.             “Okay,” Sean said and waited for me to scare the chickens out of the coop.

53.             “Come on everybody. Get up. Time to eat,” I called. To Sean I said, “Remember the chicken call? Maybe that’ll wake these old birds up.” He nodded.

54.             “Here chick, chick, chickadee!” I crawled into the coop, accompanied by Sean’s squealing voice and flapped my arms around. These two factors caused the chickens to cluck in alarm and flock around me through the small door into the pen.

55.             “They’re all out, Sean! Go ahead and feed ‘em.” I heard the sound of grains hitting the ground and my little cousin screaming with laughter.

56.             “Well at least he’s having fun,” I mumbled. Now that I was inside the coop I could stand up. It was a wooden, rectangular shape with cubbies on either side set in rows of five and columns of seven. I methodically checked each nest for eggs and placed them in my basket when I found one. I ended up with about forty eggs, plenty for our large family. Outside, I found Sean surrounded by chickens and waving an empty basket.

57.             “Help Marie! I’m all out but they think I got more!” I smiled and rescued him from the mob.

58.             “Move chickies. I’d like to get my Seanie back,” I said. They clucked a reproach at me and reluctantly moved. Sean’s arms stretched up for mine and I lifted him onto my hip.

59.             “Let’s go bring these eggs to Grandma Rosie, huh?” He nodded and I walked to the house with Sean still in my arms. Grandma Rosie was my mom’s mom and the official cook, unless Dad was nervous about something. I remembered when she would make us these great huge pancakes that hung off the stove they were so big. We’d all laugh and try to figure out how she had been able to make them that size. But since my mom had died when I was five, Grandma Rosie made normal sized pancakes and breakfast chatter just consisted of business on the farm, school and events around town.

60.             “Hey, Grandma!” I called, closing the screen door behind me and stepping into the kitchen.

61.             “Marie, dear. So how many eggs did you bring me today?” Grandma Rosie stood at the stove flipping yet another pancake onto an already tall pile next to her.

62.             “About forty.”

63.             “Hmm...” she said, “Those girls seem to be lagging behind.” I had to agree. Most days, even though we only had thirty-seven hens, we had at least fifty-some eggs.

64.             “It’s probably just winter coming on that’s slowing them down,” I suggested.

65.             “Or maybe they just need a new, young man in their lives, huh?”

66.             “Grandma!” I exclaimed, “That’s very roguish of you. And don’t forget Sean’s still in the room.” She just chuckled and turned back to the stove.

67.             “Go milk Bessie, will ya? I’m going to need milk for these eggs,” she asked over her shoulder. I rolled my eyes, grabbed Sean’s hand and walked back outside.

68.             “Hey, Dad.” He nodded in reply as we passed just outside the kitchen door. I watched him walk past us and into the kitchen. He looked preoccupied with something so I just shrugged and continued to the barn. Sean slipped his hand from mine and ran ahead. The little guy could go. By the time I had reached the barn, he’d already grabbed the milking bucket and stool and was standing outside Bessie’s stall.

69.             “Come on, Marie! I wanna milk Bessie!”

70.             “I’m coming. I’m coming,” I said, laughing and jogging slightly to keep up. He jumped up and down in excitement.

71.             “Okay, here you go.” I reached him and undid the latch on her stall. “Just calm down before you make her panic.” Sean immediately froze and glanced up at the black and white cow.

72.             “Oh,” he whispered. I took the stool and bucket from him and placed them in the correct spots.

73.             “Now sit down and milk her quick before Grandma Rosie comes out here and yells at us for taking too long.” Sean laughed, but sat down on the stool. Grandma Rosie would never come in the barn. She said it was a nasty, horrible place and often worried about our health seeing as we were the youngest and spent the most time in the barn. She would however send someone out to yell at us and that would most likely be my dad. I shuddered at the thought of his anger directed at me.

74.             “All done,” Sean stated, shocking me out of my reverie. I looked down and saw the bucket had only a few drops in it. I smiled to myself and shook my head.

75.             “Yes you are. Now why don’t you go find Will and see if he has any chores for you,” I said. The kid looked so proud that I couldn’t let him know how not done he was. Sean nodded, hopped off the stool and sprinted out of the barn. Guffaws echoed from Light’s stall and I looked up to see Jack nearly bursting with laughter and leaning on a pitchfork.

76.             “Oh my God!” he panted. Before he could say any more another fit of laughter racked his body. I stood and waited: my hands on my hips and a frown on my face.

77.             “Yes?” I pushed after a short while. He wiped a tear from his eye and took a deep breath.

78.             “Well, first you told him he was done when he wasn’t and then you let him run off to find Will, who may I say is helping your grandma. Whaddya think is gonna happen when he stays with your grandmother and then sees the bucket full up with milk instead of just those little drops?” he asked. I growled at him and knocked my head on a support beam  once for every word.

79.             “Don’t. You. Think. That. You. Could. Have. Told. Me. Earlier?” I felt a hand slip between me and the beam as I brought my head forward one more time.

80.             “Hey. Don’t go beating yourself up. You need those brain cells. So far you, Will, and Sean are the Salson family’s last hope for a degree in college. Look, I’ll go get him and give him a job somewhere else on the farm, okay?”

81.             “Thank you,” I said, sighing in relief.

82.             “All better, see?” Jack left the barn and I shook my head. It seemed he had the good as well as the bad traits of brothers.

83.             “Okay, Bessie. Ready for a real milking?” She mooed as if in answer to my question and I perched on the stool. Milk splattered in the bucket as I gently squeezed her teats. Her breasts were swollen and I could almost feel the relief spreading through her as the milk filled the bucket.

84.             “There you go, honey,” I cooed and soon fell into a rhythm, letting my thoughts drift. At one point, the bucket I was using filled and I switched it out for another. When I was getting the second bucket, Jack came back in and told me he’d gotten my dad to take Sean with him to the orchard.

85.             “Thanks,” I said.

86.             “No problem.” He noticed the second bucket in my hands and raised an eyebrow.

87.             “The first one filled up,” I explained.

88.             “That’s a lot of milk, even for Bessie,” he said. I nodded.

89.             “You think she might be pregnant?” I asked.

90.             “I don’t know how she could be.” I agreed that she couldn’t and looked over at Bessie. We had no other cows and the only time she’s ever out of her stall is when we take her to the corral next to the horses.

91.             “Hmm...” I shrugged it off and walked back to her stall. Jack threw one more considering glance in the cow’s direction before returning to Light’s stall. He would probably check on her later when he had time. Although he was a horse doctor, he understood the basics of most other farm animals.

92.             This time at Bessie’s side, the bucket only filled halfway. I poured some of the full bucket’s contents into the other one to balance them out. With a wave to Jack, I picked them up and walked back to the house. On the way, I passed Uncle Jim, Will, Uncle Steve (Dad’s brother) and Aunt Brenda (Steve’s wife), all headed in different directions to different destinations. This was pretty much everybody except for Dad’s parents, who were probably still in bed and my aunt on mom’s side, Samantha. Aunt Sam was missing because she was co-owner of a big company in New York City. She was also Will and Sean’s mom, but she had sent them here a couple of years ago when Will had violence problems at school (Translation: Will had been beating everybody up because his dad died). Although it was only meant to be a few months until he cooled down, the boys had decided to stay. I nodded to each person I passed, adding an occasional smile or comment along the way.

93. “About time!” Grandma Rosie exclaimed as I entered the house. She grabbed the milk buckets from me and began to boil them for purification.    

94. “Sorry Grands. Bessie had a lot of milk today.”

95. “I can tell,” she said, eying the two pans full of milk. “Breakfast will be late today,” she added, “Be sure to spread the news.” I nodded and turned to leave.

96. “Also be sure to have Jack check Bessie over when he’s done with Light,” she called and I waved, letting her know I had heard. As I walked away, I heard her mumble something that sounded a bit like ‘cheeky teenagers’. I laughed quietly and loped rhythmically to the barn to feed the animals there. All that was left was to feed Bessie, Heartbeat, Black, and the pigs. I slowed, entered the barn, and waved at Jack as I walked to the hay.

97. “Hey,” I called.

98. “Hello Marie,” he replied and turned back to his work. He was cleaning Light now and I envied him the job. I knew that he was being gentler than I possibly could and that soon he would be carefully measuring out her feed and mixing it with vitamins.  It was her need for vitamins that had made him caretaker of Light until her baby was born. Otherwise I got to take care of her and I loved doing so. But until the birth...

99. I snatched a food pitchfork out of the office and started pitching hay into the food troughs. As I worked, the sun rose and sweat dripped down my face. I heard the call of the rooster and smiled when I heard Sean squeal happily in response. Jack’s soft murmurs mingled with the animals’ snorts and snuffling. Occasionally, someone would come in and start grooming one of the other animals. Our work was peaceful and familiar. When I finished, I stayed and talked with my family, sometimes even helping them with the animals when they asked.

100. With impossibly perfect timing, Grandma Rosie yelled, “Soup’s up!” across the farm, just when everyone had finished their chores.

101. Uncle Jim chuckled and said, “She does it again,” in a rare bout of his northern accent. My lips raised in a smile, knowing he admired his sister for her uncanny timing. Those that were in the barn filed out and walked to the house in groups of two or three. Jack and Will were laughing about something or other while Uncle Jim and Uncle Steve argued over the best technique for using the curry-comb on the horses. I trailed behind them, my thoughts on mom. If she were here, she would probably come up with an entirely different technique that would quiet both my uncles.

102. “Marie!” a voice yelled and I looked up to see Sean running towards me.

103. “Hey, Sean,” I replied. He hit me with full force and wrapped his arms around my legs.

104. “I helped Grandma make the pancakes!” he said, smiling up at me with glee and pride in his eyes.

105. “You did? Well, I just can’t wait to try them,” I said. Then I leaned down and whispered conspiratorially in his ear, “I bet they’re even better than Grandma’s.” Sean giggled, grabbed my hand, and pulled me towards the house.

106. “What are you two whispering about?” Brenda asked, coming out of the house and looking at us with a teasing suspicious look.

107. “Nothing,” Sean said, laughing a little and ruining his attempt at covering up our whispers.

108.     “Hmm... I could’ve sworn I thought I heard you mentioning something about Sean’s pancakes being better than Rosie’s.” Sean looked away guiltily. Brenda laughed, ruffled his hair and went to Uncle Steve, wrapping her arm around his waist as she approached.

109.     “We’ve been found out,” I teased and hugged Sean, “But don’t worry. She won’t tell.” He breathed out an exaggerated sigh of relief and wiped his hand across his forehead. I laughed and led my little cousin through the kitchen door.

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