Chapter 2 Family
The Hanks children have only known one home their entire lives. It was an old Victorian-style house tucked away among three acres of woods on the outskirts of town. The estate was built shortly after the turn of the 20th century. The original owner was a wealthy investor who earned his money by getting in early on the automobile industry. A large wrought iron fence surrounded the entire property, with a guard entrance off Giles Street and a smaller, less known entrance at the back of the property. The main house was a mixture of limestone and brick with a huge front staircase that spanned the width of the home. To Sebastian this feature was more annoying to climb than the character others would have thought it offered the house. Above the windows were hand carvings of cherubs and intricate patterns were etched in the pillars on the front porch. To Sebastian it all seemed a little silly, but for his parents it always seemed to be a source of pride.
As Sebastian reached the front gate; he turned to wave hello to the guard stationed there. He could have gone through the back entrance to avoid having to climb all those stairs he hated, but because he liked the guard who worked at the back gate even less, he usually just put up with the climb.
“Hello, Marty,” Sebastian said with a polite smile. He always tried to be nice to the house staff, as he figured that was the least he could do. Although he never thought of himself as better than them, he always wondered if they looked at him as just another spoiled rich kid. The more he thought about it, he wondered if he was wrong for doing the same thing to the other kids at his school. It sure was funny how no one seemed to understand other people. Especially when there was the perceived barrier of being from a different social, economic or cultural background. He decided maybe sometimes that with a lack of understanding comes judgments, right or wrong.
“Hello, Mister Sebastian. How was school today?”
“OK, I guess, if you like being bullied by one of the Myers clan.”
“Can’t say I would. I ‘spect it would be a difficult plight for a young man, such as yourself. Someone ought to teach that boy some manners.”
Sebastian rolled his eyes, and smirked, “That is exactly what my friend Brooke thinks. I would rather just dodge the bullet, by staying out of his way.”
“Well you head inside and get out of the cold. Alice is expecting you.” Marty waved him through the gate and Sebastian began his climb to the front door. Half-way up Sebastian stopped. He sometimes did this after a rough day at school, to try and muster up some appreciation for what life had afforded him. Sometimes he found what he was looking for, other times his pride stayed in the way. Today was one of those days it did.
Sebastian opened the front door and took a step inside. He knew what would be waiting for him. It was right then, the first time all day that he smiled. He heard footsteps rushing to meet him.
“Sebastian, I’ve been waiting for you!” Marshall exclaimed, running at him down the stairs. Marshall was fourth in the line of Hanks children. He was short for his age and looked like he was five, instead of nine-years-old. However, when you listened to him speak, it became clear that he was actually beyond his years in intelligence. Many people thought he was strange when he was younger, but really it was just that he was simply too smart for his own good. At preschool it just wasn’t fair to compare him to the other kids. He was outgoing and got along with anyone he could find who would listen to him, although sometimes it was a struggle for him to find friends who understood him. However, having grown up with him, Marshall's brothers and sister were able to understand him just fine. Even as a younger middle child, he was a natural leader in the family because of his ability to analyze a problem, and then work out a successful plan.
“I built a new train layout today. Wanna see it? I’ve been waiting to show you!”
Sebastian smiled, knowing he was doomed to playing trains for the next hour at least. The house had a whole room devoted to Marshall’s obsession with trains. It included a large Lionel collection. His parents admittedly loved that he was into a collectible toy. This made it all too easy for them to go overboard; strangely though it never seemed to satisfy Marshall’s fascination. It was easy for his parents to find something to do with model trains, especially in all the European countries their research usually took them. Marshall first discovered model trains during a visit to the Science and Industry Museum in Chicago. Now, when completely set-up, his layout had actually grown larger than that. To Sebastian his parents were trying to replace their absence with stuff like this. They always said they were just trying to encourage their children’s interests and hobbies.
“OK, buddy, I’ll be up to check it out in a minute. Just give me some time to change my clothes and grab somethin’ to eat. Is Makayla home yet?”
“No. When Alice came to pick us up from school, Makayla asked if she could go with her friend to the mall. She is supposed to be back before dinner. Actually, I had hoped that you would be home before her though, because I would prefer it to be just you and me.”
Sebastian smiled, almost laughing out loud. What kid uses “actually” and “prefer” in the same sentence?
“Give me a minute, I’ll be right up, OK?”
Marshall smiled and ran off, making plans under his breath the whole way. After throwing his stuff in the corner by the stairs, Sebastian found his way into the kitchen, where the cook had left him a plate of apple and cheese slices for a snack. Sebastian picked up the plate, put it back in the refrigerator, and pulled out a box of leftover pizza from the night before. With the pizza box in one hand and a half-eaten slice in the other, he headed for his room to change his clothes.
On the way, he stuck his head into the playroom, wondering if anyone was in there. Ethan, his ten-year-old brother was on the computer, as usual; Julian and Scotty, who were seven and five respectively, were wrestling on the play mats. Alice looked up from her book, which she had been reading in the far corner of the room. She smiled when she noticed Sebastian.
“I just wanted to let you know I was home. I’m going to play trains with Marshall for a while. When’s Makayla coming home?”
“She’s at the mall with Julia and her mom. They’ll be back before dinner, I think around six. Why? Is everything all right?”
“Yeah, fine. I just needed to talk to her about something. If it’s OK with you, I’d like to tell them tonight, during high/low, by myself.”
“Sure, that’d be great. I need to go out and do some shopping anyways.” Alice gave him a wink. Sebastian sighed, knowing Alice was doing what his parents should have been doing themselves. Alice came over to him and playfully punched his arm.
“I know you’re having a hard time, but I’m here if you need me.”
“Thanks, but I’m fine.” He turned toward his room. Better to get over it, he told himself, instead of dwelling on the fact that they aren’t coming home. Sebastian thought about tonight and his stomach began to churn. The Hanks children had found some solace in daily routine and traditions. Every night, they gathered in the playroom in their pajamas while one of them, usually Makayla, read a story to the others. Sebastian usually watched from afar, sitting doing homework or thumbing through a magazine. He thought he was too old for stories and high/low; a game they played where they told each other about the best and worst things that happened that day. Makayla was the best at making her day seem like a tragedy or exaggerated tale. Playing on drama that well, Sebastian was sure she was going to be a huge movie star or a screenplay writer. This nightly ritual was never missed. Although it was rare, their favorite nights were when their mom and dad joined them. However, he was dreading tonight’s game of high/low, where he would be forced to participate with the news about Christmas. They all expected his parents to be home in a couple of days, save Alice who had given him the letter the day before.
Sebastian quickly changed into jeans and a T-shirt. Grabbing his favorite baseball cap he headed down to the train room. It was there that he fo
und Marshall meticulously setting up a Lionel replica of a 1940’s steam train. Sebastian couldn’t keep the trains straight in his mind but found it amusing to pick his brother's brain.
“Hey, buddy, how’s it going?”
“This is my newest train. It just arrived yesterday. It is the Lionel model of the big boy, the largest steam train ever built. It has a real working steam stack and the passenger trains light up! Man, this one is cool. But what I really wanted to show you was this.” Marshall pulled a sheet off a platform nearby. Sebastian burst out laughing, as there was an entirely new and complicated train layout before him. Marshall had constructed a town, tunnel, bridges, mountains, and everything else you could think to put in a train village.
“How long have you been working on this?” Sebastian marveled.
“Oh, just a couple of days. I found some old junk in the attic. It looks like there’s a bunch of old trunks up there filled with Christmas stuff. See these skiers and ski lift? They were from an old Christmas village and I decided they’d be perfect. You wouldn’t believe the junk up there. From all the dust on most of the stuff you would think no one has been up there for decades.”
“How would you know about decades?” Sebastian teased.
“That’s because I’m smart.” Marshall shrugged, still looking down at his train. “I know stuff. It’s simple, really. You just listen to what other people are talking about, and you learn stuff. For example, I learned today that Mom and Dad aren’t coming home for Christmas.” Marshall stopped what he was doing and looked at Sebastian with sad eyes. “Is it true? Are they not coming back in time?”
Sebastian sighed and sat down on the couch near the train layout. Marshall was always too smart for his own good. “Yes, buddy, it’s true. But, hey, we’ll all be together and Grandpa and Grandma Hanks are coming Christmas morning.” Sebastian couldn’t think of anything else to say to make his brother feel better.
“I figured something was up when this new train arrived.” Marshall put down the engine and sat on the couch nearby. “I just wish they’d come home.” Marshall crawled onto the empty seat next to Sebastian and hugged his knees to his chest. After a couple of minutes, Marshall looked at Sebastian. “That’s why I asked you to come alone. I didn’t want the others to know yet. When are you going to tell them?”
“Tonight, Marshall. I’m going to tell them tonight.” Through the window Sebastian could see the front gate opening, and Makayla coming up the drive. His heart sank, knowing Makayla would take it the hardest of them all.
Trunks of Ages: The Seven Seals Page 3