Writing Exercise 7 - Ryan Henderson

The family sat on rocks in the moonlight. They did not pay attention to the clear night sky overhead, to the shining stars so large they seemed close enough to touch, to the sweet smell of cut hay drying in the darkness, or even to the hardness of the rocks on which they had been sitting for the last several hours. No, they did not pay any attention to anything around them except their own thoughts as they occupied their rocks in the moonlight. The rocks littered a hillside that overlooked a wide meadow. Trees lined the tops of the ridges on both sides of the meadow, restricting the view of the family to only what took place in the openness before them. There were several of them scattered over the hillside, each motionless on their individual rocks, lost in their secluded thoughts. One man sat a rock on the west edge of the group, farthest from the family, and facing away into the distance. The man let his legs hang over the edge of the boulder, bare feet dangling in the void as the man, dressed only in a pare of faded blue jeans, sat straightbacked, hands on his knees, staring at the far mountains, barely discernable in the darkness. The man did not notice a shadow detach itself from a rock on the hill above and move towards him in the darkness. Had he man noticed, had he been trying to make out the figure in the dim light, he would have recognized the pale woman walking towards him. He would have seen her thinness, the thinness of years of labor that can dry and strip and harden a woman until she is barely a slip of a shadow walking barefoot through the grass. She wore a thin cotton nightgown, a thin collar of lace gathered at the throat, while the sleeveless garment revealed shoulders and arms that seemed as pale as the bleached cotton in the fading light. The moon was beginning to sink into the distance, the darkness becoming more palpable above the figures as the grey dawn began to gather in the east. The woman sat on the same rock as the man, her back turned to his as she looked back from where she came. The dawn’s coming soon, she said to the darkness around her. Feels like its going to be a hot one today. The man didnt move, remained silent in the hush of the morning as he continued to face the distant mountains. Once the sun’s up, I’ll see about rounding up the girls and getting some breakfast going. What do you think you’d like? There’s probably some bacon set by and there should be some eggs at the henhouse if I send the girls down there for them. I dont want the girls going down there, the man replied. Or you either for that matter. The man didnt turn around as he spoke and it felt to her that the voice could have come from anywhere and not just the man behind her. She half-turned to study the unflinching muscles in his back. Well, I dont know how you expect me to make breakfast if I cant send the girls down to get eggs. They’ve had a hard enough night as it is, I’m not going to le them go without a good breakfast after sitting out here all night. I’ll send one of the boys down to get eggs, but they arent going down there until its full light and they can see where they are going. The man finally turned around when he spoke, but continued to avoid meeting the woman’s eyes as he talked. The boys wont get as upset as the girls will. Just give me some time to figure out how to calm them down about things before taking them back down there. His tone infuriated her. She had come over with the intention of getting him to speak for the first time since it happened, make him talk things through, to hear him make plans and tell her everything was going to be fine, but the shortness of his tone, his angry condescending attitude towards her suggestions stung deeply in the darkness and she could feel her face begin to flush. We cant keep them from going down there forever. Its not like they dont know what happened. I dont know what you think you’re protecting them from. They arent stupid, you know. I’m not stupid. The last sentence she muttered under her breath, half-hoping her tone was too low for him to hear. I never said you were stupid. You or the girls. I know they know what happened, I’m just saying that I dont want them down there until I figure out just what we’re supposed to do. I’ll send Jason down for the eggs because he wont get any more upset about everything and he’ll be able to give me a bit of an idea about how things are looking. If you’re worried about finding out how things look down there, she snapped, eyes flashing, why dont you go down there and look for yourself instead of sending Jason down there by himself? Because I dont think I’m ready to go down there yet, the man roared, his voice echoing off the far side of the meadow and bouncing back to them in the still air. Because I’m just not ready to go back down there just yet. Do you have any idea what its like? What its like to spend years building and working and sweating and bleeding into something just to have it disappear, be taken away overnight? I’m just not ready to go down there yet. Who do you think you are? she asked in a low tone. You seem to be forgetting that I’ve worked and sweated and bled just as much as you have. And even though I’m just as upset and heartbroken as you are, I’m not the one who is acting like a coward willing to send one of his boys in his place when he should be the one going down there to see what is going on and how bad it is. I dont care how hurt or tired or discouraged you might be, if you ever, if you ever even try to suggest to me, or to anyone else, that you carry an unequal weight in this, I’ll take the children and leave you to wallow as deep into your misery as you seem to think you are. When she stopped speaking her voice continued to reverberate over the meadow and she immediately regretted what she had said. She looked over at the children sitting on their various rocks, but if they heard her threats they didnt show any visible reaction. She looked back at her husband who had turned around to face her and met his gaze. I shouldnt have said that, she whispered. No, no you needed to say that, the man said after a pause. You’re right. I shouldnt have suggested sending Jason down there by himself. As soon as it’s a little more light out, I’ll take him with me and we’ll take a look around and see what we can find. I shouldnt have shamed you. Not in front of the children. No, I shamed myself by the way I acted. You’re sitting here talking about what needs to be done and I’m acting like I’m just going to sit here all day and mope when there’s work to be done. I guess I’m just scared, Emily. This might break us.