Eternities Embers

by Darrel Bird

looked strangely at Austin’s hand laying there. Tears came into his eyes, and he laid his head on Austin’s shoulder, and cried. Austin patted him on the shoulder, and hugged him, “There, there now son. It's going to be all right from now on. Let's get this fish to the house, and get him cleaned.”

  As the two turned toward the house Austin laid the ten-pound fish over the boy's shoulder, “Here, you carry him partner, he’s too heavy for me.”

  The boy smiled, danced another time or two, and walked with the fish slung over his shoulder. Lisa was out in the yard when she saw them coming, and ran up, clapping her hands, “You sure got a big one grandpa!”

  “It was my partner's luck, and help getting it home.”

  The boy was of a sudden shy around Lisa, and looked down at his toes. Taking the cue she exclaimed, “Come on Paul, and I’ll help you clean him!”

  The two walked toward the back of the house with the fish, and again, Austin was proud of his family.

  I never knew a fish could contribute to the healing of a person’s soul, but God has his own ways I reckon.

  Austin turned from watching the two young people, and walked back into the house. Martha, Ann, and Mrs. Begs were getting ready for the fish. He knew that the meals would be getting mighty short soon enough. They had enough salt to last a few months, and he had about 300 rounds of ammo, but the Deer, and Elk were so scarce as to be almost non existent. The fish were about the same, and he knew he was extremely lucky to catch one at all. He thought about getting ready to travel east, over the mountains to Yakima, but Martha’s health prevented that, because it would be a hard trek afoot. The people in the Yakima valley may not welcome them anyway.

  He walked back out on the front porch, found himself a stick; he whittled while deep in thought; until Ann stuck her head out the door, “Come in, and wash up Dad, suppers on.”

  He didn’t hear her until she spoke the second time, then he threw the stick down, and put the clasp knife back in his pocket, and went in to supper with a heavy heart that he dared let no one see.

  Two days later, Ann was weeding in the garden, Paul, and Lisa were fishing, and he was currying the Mare, when a shot rang out and a large caliber bullet took shavings off the side barn roof beam four inches from his head. He heard other shots as he dove through the barn door that opened up into the feed crib, but the other shots didn’t hit the barn.

  What tha hell! He peaked out the door to see if he could see which way the shots were coming from while he gathered his wits. Three more shots rang out, Oh man! They’re shooting at the house! He dove through the door for the rifle, and lay on the ground. He saw a puff of smoke, a ghost of a puff, but that let him get a bead on the shooter. He took careful aim, and saw the mans head disappear from the 308 caliber bullet; Austin was a crack shot, having been a sniper for the Army, if he could see his target, he was deadly.

  He saw another man,s leg, and he took out the leg with his second shot. He saw the man go down, and begin to flop around, the fir tree’s gave the shooters good cover, but he knew every fir tree by it’s name, since he had been the one to plant them over forty years ago. The shooting stopped, and all he could hear was cursing from the man who was down. Then he heard a piercing scream coming from the house. He picked up his rifle, and double timed it to the house as fast as he could run, nearly tearing off the back door's hinges as he burst through the kitchen.

  Mrs. Begs was screaming, and Ann was holding on to her mother crying. He pulled her away roughly so he could get a look at what was going on, and then he saw the blood around Martha’s heart. He snatched the dress away, exposing the wound that had already stopped pumping blood, Oh no! Oh God, please no! However, he knew she was already dead.

  Anger took him as he held on to her, “Why her! Why her!” It wasn’t a question; it was a declaration. He took up his rifle, and stormed through the front door, taking large steps out to the trees where he last saw the man he had shot through the leg. He found the man lying in a pool of blood moaning. He had applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.

  Austin trained his rifle on the mans head about two inches from his face. The man looked up at him in abject horror, and fear.

  “Why did you shoot at us? What was your purpose in doing such a thing?”

  “I didn’t want to mister, they said we had too!”

  “For what?

  “To get food.”

  “You killed my wife! That’s what you have done, my beautiful wife who has never done a single mean thing to anybody in her entire life!”

  “Please mister, I never meant to kill anybody, just scare you!”

  Austin pulled the trigger on the 308, and the mans head exploded, sending brain matter back on Austin’s face, the leaves and the trees. He turned around, and walked back to the house, and slowly climbed the porch steps. His family looked at him in fear, “Don’t look at me that way; I killed the man who killed your mother, and I would do it again in a heartbeat!”

  “Grandpa, you have stuff all over your face; you look a fright!” Lisa said. Paul sat on the porch rocking back, and fourth, moaning.

  He wiped his face on his sleeve, then walked into the bathroom, and cleaned his face. Ann and Mrs. Begs were sitting in chairs crying softly. They had laid Martha out on the couch, and covered her with one of her nice sheets. Austin knelt by her, tears running down his cheeks in rivulets.

  They sat there for a while, and then Austin rose up from the floor with resolve on his face, “I didn’t know there was that much water in me, but we got to stop our crying, and get on with it…Martha would have wanted us to do that, and by God, we are gonna do that! We’ll bury Martha in the garden in the morning…she loved that garden, and I reckon it’s a fit place.”

  “But papa, don’t we need the garden?” Ann asked in her practical way.

  “We can’t stay here honey…our best bet is to go east over the mountains, over the White Pass to the Yakima valley.”

  “But papa, I don’t want to leave Mama.”

  “She’s gone child; to Gods green heaven, she ain’t here no more, and can’t you understand that?”

  “I…I guess so, but I’m going to miss her an awful lot papa…” Her voice trailed off, and Austin hugged her close.

  “I know honey, but you got to try and stop crying now, and go get Lisa; I think she ran off down by the River…she needs something from you right now that I can’t give her.”

  “Ok papa.” Wiping her eyes, she turned to go. The small voice in which she said it broke his heart two times over as he watched her go.

  He walked back into the room, “Mrs. Begs; I don’t reckon any of us will be hungry, but you can go on and cook yourself and the boy something, if you want.”

  “We’ll be fine Mr. Childers, and I’ll take care of everything that needs to be done.”

  “I’m sure glad you are here Mrs. Begs, and I appreciate everything you do.”

  “Why don’t you go, and see about the horse…horses need caring for by their men at a time like this. Ann, and I will move Martha to the bedroom to fix her for burial.”

  Austin took the hint, and walked back through the kitchen, and out the back door toward the barn. He jacked a clean shell into the chamber of the 308 as he went. When he got into the barn, he put some of the horse’s oats into the trough, and Rosy walked up to nuzzle him. He put his arms around the horse’s neck, and cried. The horse stood still as if she sensed her master needed her to do that. When the tears stopped, she put her nose into the oats; The only sound was her munching as she ate.

  “I reckon old horses gotta eat, no matter what, and I have been a hindrance to you girl.” He spoke the words softly as he rubbed her flanks.

  It rained later that evening, but the next morning the sun came out bright as they carried Martha out to the grave he had dug into the garden. The digging had relieved his mind of the situation, but as they continued with the burial, he was faced again with the fact that he would have to carry on without his wife of so many years. He lo
oked forward to the time when he could join her in peace, but he knew he had to try to live for his family.

  They said no words, each of them with their own thoughts. They were a private family in death as in life, and they had no need for flowery words.

  Two days later Austin was cutting willow bark by the side of the road for tea, when he caught sight of a man coming up the road leading a horse. He grabbed his rifle, and jacked a shell into the chamber, then checked the clip in the forty five automatic. He went ahead cutting the bark off the tender limbs as he waited for the man to come up to him.

  “Hello sir.” The man said. He was a young man of about twenty years old, a rather handsome face, and a shock of black hair. He wore no hat.

  “Hello yourself young man.”

  The man stopped the horse in the middle of the road. The horse jerked on the reins, as if he wanted to move on, “Whoa mule! We’ll go soon enough.”

  “Why do you call your horse a mule son? I can clearly see he ain’t one.”

  “Because he’s stubborn as a mule…I figure the name fits.”

  “Where are you off to? I see you have a bedroll on him.”

  “Going east over the mountains to Yakima, I’m going over there to see what’s going on, it’s getting mighty skimpy trying to get food on this side of the mountains, plus there’s a lot of killing going on. The law done went home, and stayed there…besides, some of those jiggers are more dangerous than the outlaws.”

  “Yeah, we had some killing around here…they shot, and killed my wife just a few days ago, and for what? A meal? I would have given them a meal.”

  Austin liked the man immediately; he could sense decency in the young man. “I could invite you to eat with us tonight, if you were of a mind to do that.”

  “I’d be grateful for anything I don’t have to cook; I ain’t very good at it, and my food taste like slop. What are you doing? Cutting bark for willow tea?”

  “Yeah, it makes some pretty good tea, and its good for aches, and pains besides, and I got plenty of that seems like.”

  “Yes sir, I ran out of coffee yesterday, and I was thinking the same thing.”

  Austin threw the willow limb down, “I got enough to last awhile, come on up to the house, and we can turn your horse loose in the corral with my Rosy…does he bite?”

  “Not if it’s a mare, he is hell on studs though.”

  “She’s a mare, so I guess we are in luck. Come on; you can throw your saddle and bedroll on the porch.”

  “What’s your name son?”

  “My name is Joshua Spanner, but I’d rather you called me Josh, if people call me by any other name, I look around to see who they are talking to."

  “My names Austin Childers, I live here with my daughter and grand daughter, and of late, the neighbor down the street, and her boy.”

  Josh loosened the saddle girth, and threw the saddle on the porch, and then they led the horse out to the barn. Austin gave the horse some hay, and a hand full of oats to eat. Josh noticed the oats right away, and he thought Austin would make a good friend to have. On the other hand, he sensed that Childers would make a mighty bad enemy to have also.

  “I’m sorry I don’t have more oats for him; I got about three pounds left, and I wanted to save it to give my horse a treat. Horses deserve a treat now and then, don’t you think so Josh?”

  “Yes sir I do. Animals need to be cared for.”

  “Well…lets go on up to the house, supper will be on.”

  They came to the back door that led to the kitchen. The women were busy putting supper on the table, “Ladies. We have a guest for supper. I want you to meet Mr. Josh Spanner. He’s passing through on his way over the pass to Yakima.”

  The women were gracious, although due to the recent happenings, were a little subdued.

  “I’ll set an extra plate; we have plenty of beef left.” Ann said, she moved to the cupboard to get a plate, and silverware.

  “Thank you Ma’am, but you all needn’t go to trouble; I can make camp down the road.”

  “Nonsense Mr. Spanner, you set right down, and eat. It's so nice to have a guest.” Ann said.

  Lisa was all eyes at Josh, and when he looked at her, she blushed. Ann sent a glance toward her father, and grinned.

  The meal was eaten with small talk, then Austin and their guest retired to the front porch with cups of the home-made tea.

  “You say you are going over the pass to Yakima?” Austin asked him as he took the first sip of the tea.

  “Yes sir, I expect to make it over the pass in a few days.”

  “What do you expect to find over there that is any different from here, if I may ask without offense.”

  “Oh, no offense at all Mr. Childers, I really don’t know; I am just hoping to find some folk who have banned together for a more normal life than being shot at so often.”

  “Please don’t think I am prying Josh, but I would like to ask you where you are coming from?”

  “I lived at McMinnville before all this started, I lived with my Mom after Dad passed away, and then Mom had a fatal heart attack when our neighbor was shot. Her heart was already weak, and the shock of it killed her. I had to bury her out back of the house, then I just saddled Mule, and rode.”

  “Why was your neighbor shot?”

  “Some men looking to take what he had I guess.” That’s all I can figure, they came toward the house, and I shot first. They left, and didn’t come back.”

  “Josh, some men came through here a few days ago; they killed Mrs. Begs cow, and I come up on them; I had the same thing in mind, and I could see they were just hungry men, so I let them take what they had cut off. They told me that they had come up from southern California, and that there was cannibalism going on down there.”

  “Cannibalism! Already?”

  “I reckon they were telling the truth.”

  “Where do you reckon all the food, and ammo went Mr. Childers? The first thing I knew there wasn’t a can of food to be bought at any price, nor ammo neither, I had a few .38 rounds for my dad’s old pistol, and a few rounds for the .22, and I can’t find anything. I had to shoot my way through a place in Portland, so I’m really low now.”

  “Hoarders I reckon,” Austin paused a second, thinking, “Josh; I've been thinking the same thing about going east of the mountains to the Yakima valley. We can’t last out a winter here, season too long and rainy. We need to start growing more crops than a small garden, and the growing seasons too short. I’m thinking you might be better to come with us, than going it alone out there.”

  Josh bowed his head in thought; his forehead wrinkled as he studied on the matter, “I think you are right Mr. Childers, there may be some safety in numbers, and besides you seem a nice family, and I have no one now.”

  “I’ve got to tell you all Josh, I had to kill Mrs. Begs husband. He was a mean scoundrel what mistreated Mrs. Begs, and their son, but the reason I killed him was that he tried to take what we had by force. I killed two more men; they shot and killed my wife, and I shot them; one got away, but I guess I might be termed a killer. I don’t like killing; I think it's wrong, but I think it's wrong to placate outlaws too.”

  “Mr. Childers, I don’t place blame on a man who does what he has to do. Things have changed drastically in the last few months; I haven’t seen any law, and if there are any; they are laying low. I suppose any law has become a target. People are angry, and set on edge. Now they are hungry, and angry, which makes life a lot more dangerous.”

  “So you’ll come with us?”

  “Yes sir, I surely will.” He reached out for Austin’s hand as he spoke.

  “Then it’s settled.” Austin said, as he clapped Josh on the back, “It’ll take us a day or two to get ready, todays Tuesday, what say we aim for leaving Friday morning.”

  “Ok by me Mr. Childers.”

  “Call me Austin, I may be old, but I ain’t in a nursing home yet, you can sleep with me if you don’t kick.”

  Josh
smiled at his new-found friend as they drained the last of their tea, and went into the house.

  The next morning at breakfast Austin announced to the family they would be leaving in two days, and that Josh would be coming with them. The girls began to chatter about what they needed to do to prepare to leave the farm, “It’s a big step papa; we will have to walk and carry most of what we are to take with us. “ Ann looked at her father intensely. Lisa only had eyes for Josh.

  “I Reckon we have enough packs; the horses can carry the bedrolls, and the cooking gear. Mrs. Begs, do you have any packs, and sleeping bags for you and the boy down there?”

  “I think so Mr. Childers, I’ll go down to look and see what there is this morning.”

  “Good; Lisa, quit staring at Josh, and get busy.”

  “Yes papa.” She got up from the table, but she never took her eyes off him until she went through the back door with Paul in tow.

  “I’m sorry Josh; it seems my little girl is a little bit taken with you.”

  “Its ok mister Childers, I won’t take advantage of her.”

  “I didn’t ever think you would Josh, but Lisa might try to take advantage of you, so be careful.” Ann laughed at him as she got up from the table.

  “You better watch these women son, we are living in a sea of Estragon. Lets go out and see to the horses, and riding gear.” Austin laughed too as he got up from the table.

  “Its good to see papa laugh.” Ann observed to Mrs. Begs as she watched the two leave the house.

  “Your Dad is going to be ok Ann; he's one of the toughest men I have ever had the privilege to know, and we are going to need that strength in the days ahead, if he had been any other way, it would have been the undoing of me.”

  For the following two days, they all worked at getting ready for an undertaking that none of them had ever experienced. Austin put Paul to peeling the bark off the white willow limbs that grew in abundance along the Cowlitz River. The bark boiled to make teas would produce the same affects as Aspirin. Drank in abundance it would help with the aches, and pains of being on the trail, which none of them were used to.

  Austin awoke at day break on Friday, and Josh was already up, sitting on the front porch sipping tea as he walked out.

  “Well, today is the day Josh. Right after breakfast we’ll go catch up the horses, I gave them the last of