The Dawn of Freedom Chp. 3

1762

M A R C H

C H  A  P  T  E  R   Three—

They galloped only a short sprint, for without a light of some sort, you could barely distinguish your own hand or someone else’s foot.

Temperance stopped Mission. She led him to a dark place in the woods. There, they would sleep in the complete darkness, not knowing if it was safe or not.

There was no fire. For the fear of Father finding them, was unimaginable. It was a terrible sick feeling in your stomach that seemed to never go away.

Temperance saw the dark figure of her brother. His arms were wrapped around his legs and he shivered. ’Twas a very cold day in March. Temperance almost felt a dot of snow land on her face.

Temperance watched James. He seemed quieter than usual. He was never the one for too much jokes, but he did have a little sense of humor. A sense that Temperance grew to love. James was thirteen and an avid reader. He was the only one in his family who could read. He even taught Temperance a few words. She learned how to spell only a portion of her name, until Father found out and nearly scared the living daylights out of both of them.

“T-e-m-p-e-r…” Temperance hesitated.

“Keep going.” James had said.

“E-r-…”

And then suddenly Father burst through the door. He beat the “stupidity you worthless fools have” out of them, for no reason.

“I wonder—” James began. His voice startled Temperance of her memories. 

“What do you wonder?” She asked.

James looked to his feet that he could hardly see. “I wonder what it will be like being blind.” He sounded hopeless, but not complaining.

Temperance sighed. “James, don’t speak like that. We’ll find you glasses, I promise.” 

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Temper.” He knew his sister hated it when he called her that.

“How can you say such a thing? You won’t be blind, you’ve only went a few hours without spectacles.”

James’ head flew up. “Do you take me for a fool? Of course, it wouldn’t happen because of a few hours without glasses! But you just don’t understand. It’s getting worse, the spectacles barely do a thing. Mother used her life’s savings to buy a pair for me. She had been saving up for a wedding ring. Don’t you remember?” He looked down again.

Temperance couldn’t find the words to say. She decided to change the subject. “I wonder what it will be like, in the New World.” Temperance sighed with excitement. “We’ll really be like other children. I might even learn how to read.” Temperance hid that dream deep in her heart and very rarely revealed it.

James chuckled. “Girls don’t learn to read.” He said it in a tone that sounded as if he thought what his sister said was crazy.

“And why is that?” Temperance’s eyes flared.

James looked confused. “They just don’t.” He laid back down with his hands folded behind his head.

“You think yourself so smart, don’t you?”

James sighed. “Just go to sleep, little sister. We have a long ride ahead of us.”