As father stomped into the shed and headed straight for me, I started moving backward, unconsciously backing up against Jarvis. I was terrified, my whole body shaking with fear as I watched father’s red, furious face.
“What’s going on in here?!” father roared. “Is this some kind of sick joke? Are you trying to make this family a laughingstock?!”
“No, sir,” I said timidly.
“Then what do you call that jumping around you were just doing?! You looked like a coward, cringing and jumping and rolling around the floor in order to attack your opponent from behind!” father was getting even angrier, if that were possible. I looked down and saw that father’s hands were in tight fists and suddenly I just knew that those fists were going to come at me. Sure enough, as soon as the thought entered my mind, I saw father’s arm pull back and suddenly one of those fists was coming straight at me. To my surprise, as I watched father’s fist swing up, it suddenly seemed as if everything were happening in slow motion. I watched, fascinated, as father’s fist moved inch by inch closer to my face. It suddenly occurred to me that all I had to do was step out of the way of that fist. Would that be cowardly? No, I thought rather absently, that would be self-preservation. I willed my feet to move, I even begged them to move, but they seemed frozen to the floor of the shed! If I didn’t step out of the way soon, I would most likely be dead. My father was so furious, it looked as if he wasn’t pulling his punch but was instead using all of his strength. I suddenly felt strangely dizzy and when I could focus again, I found myself standing behind father! Instead of standing in front of Jarvis, I was standing against the far wall of the shed. I watched as father slowly realized that I was no longer there, and I saw his eyes widen and shock spread across his face when he realized he couldn’t pull his punch in time. Instead of my face, his punch landed in the middle of Jarvis’ chest! A loud crack sounded in the room and Jarvis folded in around father’s fist, his eyes wide with shock as he looked up at father.
Time suddenly returned to its normal pace and I saw father grab onto Jarvis’ shoulders with a cry, “I’m sorry, son!” he cried out. “I didn’t mean to hit you!” His eyebrows shot up as he turned his head in a circle, looking for me. As he spotted me at the wall of the shed, his eyes widened, “how?” was all he could seem to manage.
I felt all eyes on me, but I had no answer. One moment I knew I was going to die at my own father’s hand, and the next moment I was standing on the far side of the shed. I had no idea how it had happened, but from the look on father’s face, I knew he was going to make me pay. I couldn’t worry about that at the moment, however, because all of my attention was focused on Jarvis. The big man was now on his knees clutching his chest as blood spilled out of his mouth. “Jarvis!” I cried out, and everyone turned back to Jarvis, including father who quickly took charge.
“William! Go get the doctor here immediately! Thomas! Come here and help me lay him down,” father looked around the shed and his eyes landed on an old blanket, “Jasper, grab that blanket and bring it here!”
Everyone ran to do father’s bidding. As I approached with the blanket, I heard Jarvis whisper to father, “You would have killed the kid, sir. I’m glad he got out of the way. I kinda wish I was as fast as the kid, though.”
I looked at father, wondering if he felt any remorse for what he had almost done to me. Father’s whole attention, however, was focused on getting Jarvis settled. I extended the blanket out and father ordered me harshly, “Spread it out over him. We need to keep him warm.” I spread the blanket over Jarvis as father had said and then backed up out of the way.
“Where is that doctor?” father said angrily. He bowed his head over Jarvis anxiously. “Someone get me some water and a rag.”
I quickly ran over to the supplies cabinet, grabbed a bucket and headed for the pump outside. As I pumped some water into the bucket, I heard William returning with the doctor. I returned quickly with the water sloshing over the sides of the bucket and put it down near father’s side. I then ran back to the cabinet and grabbed a rag that was kept there for washing up and brought it back to father and put it in the bucket of water, wetting it and wringing it out before giving it to father.
The doctor was carefully feeling along Jarvis’ chest, probing at his ribs carefully. Father absently wiped the blood off of Jarvis’ mouth while watching the doctor carefully. “Well?” he asked him rather impatiently. “Is he going to be all right?”
“I think he’ll be fine. It looks as if he’s had a couple of his ribs broken and one of them has punctured his lung,” the doctor told him. “I’ll need to wrap his chest tightly and he’ll need bed rest for a few weeks, but he should be okay if he doesn’t cause himself further injury by moving around. You did right keeping him lying still. What happened anyway?” the doctor asked, looking around.
“It was an accident,” father told him. Turning towards me, he said coldly, “one that I am going to take steps to make sure does not happen again!”
I felt sick to my stomach, wondering how father was going to make sure that I could not cause any more trouble. Was father going to kill me, or would he just banish me? Of course, with no place to go, banishment probably would kill me. Turning away from that cold gaze, I left the shed and walked outside, not watching where I was going. It was my fault that Jarvis was hurt. I kicked at the ground wondering why it was suddenly so hard to see.
“Hey Squirt,” I heard Thomas’ voice beside me, speaking quietly. “This wasn’t your fault, you know. It was father’s fault. I don’t know why he has it in for you,” Thomas shook his head, puzzled. “It’s been that way ever since Mom died. Maybe because you look so much like her, but you would think he would dote on you because of that. I mean, you should’ve seen him when Mom was alive. He loved her so much and he was so happy. Maybe I could understand the way he treats you if she died when you were born, but no, she died with Jenna was born. He can’t blame you for that and he does dote on Jenna. That kid’s spoiled rotten. I just don’t understand it, Squirt.” Thomas released a big sigh, “Come on, Squirt, don’t cry. You’ll have me blubbering soon. You wouldn’t want to see that, now, would you?”
“I’m not crying, Thomas,” I sobbed. “I know father hates me. I’ve known it for all my life! I don’t care anymore,” hanging my head I asked him, “What do you think he’ll do, Thomas? Will he just kill me this time, or will he banish me?”
“Aw, Squirt. He won’t do neither of those things. Hell, Jarvis would have his head on a platter if he even tried to harm you. Maybe you didn’t hear him in there, but Jarvis told him just what he thought of him trying to hit you in anger. Sheesh, that blow would’ve killed you, Squirt! I know father didn’t mean to do that, he was just so angry…” Thomas trailed off unhappily.
I heard footsteps behind me and bowed my head quickly. I didn’t want any of my other brothers to accuse me of crying. I quickly scrubbed my arm across my face, surprised to find it was wet.
“Hey kid,” I heard William say. “Are you okay? You know father didn’t mean to hurt you, don’t you? I mean, he gets angry and he forgets how strong he is and how puny you are. Hey, I bet he didn’t know how fast you are though. That was really amazing! I didn’t even see you move! I mean, first you were there right in front of his fist and I was sure I was gonna lose my kid brother, and then you just weren’t there anymore. It all happened so fast. I mean, I wanted to stop the old man, but I just couldn’t move that fast.”
“Yeah. Well, I’ve gotten pretty fast working out with Thomas here,” I told him quickly. I really didn’t want to have to try and explain what really happened. I didn’t understand it myself. It was strange, but every once in a while, when I was under extreme pressure, things would happen to me or around me that I just couldn’t explain. This was the first time it had happened around any of my brothers, however. Once it had happened while I was supposed to be watching my little sister and she fell into the pond. I had been reading one of my books and I heard the splash. I was too far away to help her and I panicked. I remember wishing real hard that she was out of the water and safe, and suddenly she was right in front of me! I picked her up and she was crying and everything so she didn’t know what happened, but I did. I never forgot it, but I just couldn’t explain it. Now this had happened right in front of everyone!
“Jasper!” I heard George yelling as he ran breathlessly up to us. “Hey, Jasper. Are you okay? Gee, I never thought father would do something like that.”
Suddenly a thought occurred to me, “Hey, if you guys are all here, who’s helping to get Jarvis back to his room?”
“Don’t worry about it, Squirt,” Thomas said. “Father told us to clear out. He’s having some of the soldiers carry Jarvis back. Said he couldn’t count on his own sons to do anything right.” Thomas shrugged, “I think he’s mad because we were all in the shed cheering you and William on. I don’t know what set him off though. I mean, you weren’t actually sneaking up on anyone’s back. You were just using your talents to fight. If a soldier can’t keep up with you, well then, that’s his problem, not yours.” Thomas looked very indignant on my behalf at that moment and I looked around at my three brothers, seeing them nod in agreement. It almost made my eyes tear up again. Probably had some dust in them or something.
Clearing my throat of a huge knot, I told him, “Thanks, Thomas, guys. I appreciate your support. You don’t know how much,” then, unable to keep it in any longer, I burst out, “but I really thought you guys hated me!”
They all stopped in their tracks and looked at me as if I’d lost my mind! William was the first one to actually speak, “What in blue blazes gave you a ridiculous notion like that, kid?”
“Yeah, Squirt,” Thomas chipped in. “What would make you think we hated you? You’re our little brother!”
“Hey, I know what you mean, Jasper,” George said seriously, making the other two look at him, narrowing their eyes dangerously. “Hey, guys, you’re always picking on him. I know it’s because you worry about him, being so puny and all, but you come across kind of mean, you know?” George shrugged his shoulders, “I know, because I do it too. Of course, I do it because I just can, not because I worry about him or anything. I figure he’s smarter than me, so he’ll probably do okay. But you guys, you never even worked me as hard as you do him when we’re practicing swordsmanship. I mean, you teach me the moves and all. With him you’ve always just kind of knocked the sword out of his hand and then went at him. Didn’t teach him anything that I could see, except to avoid practice sessions.”
At that very long speech from my brother who rarely spoke more than two sentences in a row, both William and Thomas looked at each other and groaned. Thomas looked over at me and then back at William, “You know he’s right, William. We have done that, haven’t we? I guess I just never saw any way for the kid to be able to defend himself and it just kind of made me mad somehow.”
William nodded in agreement, “Yeah, you’re right. That’s the way I’ve felt too. Until today, I never saw any way for the kid to make it and I was kind of hoping that he’d just give up on the idea of being a soldier and go into the ministry like Bart. I guess I have come across pretty harsh. Maybe we’re more like father than we thought.”
Thomas shuddered, “Well, I hope not! At least when he showed me that he could fight his way, I was willing to help him. Actually, I learned quite a bit. It really surprised me that I don’t have to just stand there while someone’s trying to chop me into pieces, you know? Plus, if I come up against someone else who fights like the kid here, then maybe I’ll be more prepared to adjust.” Thomas was shaking his head, “I sure hope father doesn’t make us stop practicing the kid’s method, because I want to learn it too.”
William shook his head, “No, I don’t think father’s going to go for it at all. Not after the reaction in the shed back there and especially not after the way he hurt Jarvis. He’s going to want to blame someone besides himself for that one, well, “ William shrugged, “the kid here is the obvious one for him to blame.”
“I know who he blames,” I told him sadly. “And he said he’s going to make sure that I can’t cause any more ‘accidents.’ I figure he’s either going to kill me or banish me. So, guys, I’m glad to find out now that you didn’t hate me after all. Whatever happens, at least I’ll know that…” I trailed off, feeling like I was doomed. I figured I didn’t have much hope of living to see my 9th birthday, which was only a few days away.
“Aw Squirt,” Thomas said, laying a hand on my shoulder, “I told you that father’s not going to banish you or kill you. For one, if he killed you, he would have to go to prison for murder. For another, if he banished you, the rest of us would just come and get you. It’s not gonna happen. However,” Thomas held up a hand as I started to object, “if you feel at all threatened, like he’s gonna do something serious, then you run to one of us, okay?”
“Yeah, kid,” William jumped in, “any one of us will make sure you’re okay. We’re not going to let anything bad happen to you.”
“Yeah, Jasper,” George piped in. “Run to either one of them,” he pointed at Thomas and then William. “Cause if you come to me, that’s where we’ll both be running. I’m scared of father, I admit it!”
With a snort of laughter from both William and Thomas and a cuff upside the head from William, George had quickly lightened the mood, which was his obvious intention. Me, I was not so sure everything was going to turn out all right. The worst part was that the day had been going so well. Father had actually seemed proud of me earlier. I pictured his rage in the shed and felt my heart sink right down into my boots. He wasn’t so proud of me now. Squaring my shoulders, I decided wouldn’t put any of my brothers at odds with father. If it came down to it, I would just leave home and try to make it on my own. I was kind of ashamed at the way I had been thinking of them for so long. Even with everything that was happening, I felt my chest expand and my shoulders lift with pride.
What will happen to Jasper? Will his father harm him as he fears? Will he be banished? Stay tuned for the answers to these and other questions about the fate of young Jasper.
