went bright and lost focus in an instant. He saw the lip
of the cart resting above his clenched hands and experimentally
flexed his arms, it rose a little. Gathering his strength, he forced
the wood to rise further and further until he found himself
overturning it entirely.
He seemed to fall backward, as if
in a dream, then reality came surging back to him. His vision focused
and his hearing stopped being muffled, the brightness receded and he
found himself staring up at the sky.
The first thing he saw was the
face of a stranger, fear and wonder in his eyes. Then a few more
faces gathered on the corners of his vision, he thought he heard
someone asking if he was alive.
Rough
hands grabbed him and he shook his head back into consciousness,
Harvester had been propped up against the now upright cart and was
being tended to, everyone else was staring at him.
'What
are you?' Solomon asked, he was breathing heavily and had a fist full
of his shirt.
Jakob
looked him directly in the eyes, he felt no fear in doing so. 'The
cart needed lifted, so I lifted it.'
This
matter-of-fact statement only seemed to enrage Solomon more. 'You
come in here from the city and you lift the whole fucking cart by
yourself? Seven men couldn't move that thing but you do it on your
own. Are you going to give me some shit about all city men being as
strong as you?'
Jakob
shook his head, his head too dazed to manage anger. 'You're right, no
city man I've ever seen can do that. I just saw that the cart had
tipped over and that it needed to be moved.'
Solomon
shoved him up against it now, he thought he felt a splinter prick his
back. 'What makes you so strong in the first place?'
Another
voice cut in nervously. 'Maybe we shouldn't be antagonising him,
after all if he's as strong as he looks...'
Solomon
glared at the other man. 'Shut up you, I'll do the talking here.'
Jakob
responded in what he hoped was his most calming tone. 'I honestly
don't know, this has never happened to me before. Can you please let
me go now?'
The
grip on his shirt didn't loosen any, he saw Ella to Solomon's right,
staring at him in quiet contemplation.
'Why
should I let the likes of you go? What if you're some kind of demon?'
It
was Harvester who finally broke it up. 'Fucking hell boy, don't act
so spooked. If it were a demon it'd be doing nastier things than
saving my legs, don't you think?'
Solomon
finally loosened his grip, all the while he kept a distrustful eye on
Jakob, as if expecting him to burst into flames and smoke. 'I'm
watching you, you hear me?'
Harvester
beckoned him over to the cart where he was now sat, waving away the
ministrations of a makeshift physician. Solomon stalked off with a
silent Ella in tow, Jakob watched her leave with some regret.
'Don't
mind him boy, he's a superstitious sort. You have him spooked is all,
he didn't mean to get angry with you.'
Jakob
found that hard to believe.
The
big farmer tested his leg experimentally and winced. 'Well, it was
fucked before and it's just as fucked now, seems like you saved me an
amputation anyway.'
He
nodded, not knowing what to say to the man.
'I
was going to wait until tomorrow to see what a city boy could do out
in the fields but it seems you've proved your worth to me already. I
see you found the place easily enough anyway, you can come back
tomorrow morning and the job's as good as yours.'
Jakob
felt a surge in his chest that he couldn't quite explain, it
certainly wasn't the prospect of doing slave labour for a pittance.
He had nowhere to live either so the stability he'd been craving
wasn't there either. Was this another guiding post leading him along
a predestined path?
He
found himself at a loss then, picking his way through the fields,
eventually sitting on what looked like an abandoned wooden wheel.
He
puzzled over his new-found strength for a time, yet finding no
answers from his own musings brought nothing but frustration. The day
crept onward at a monotonous pace, he had nowhere to
of the cart resting above his clenched hands and experimentally
flexed his arms, it rose a little. Gathering his strength, he forced
the wood to rise further and further until he found himself
overturning it entirely.
He seemed to fall backward, as if
in a dream, then reality came surging back to him. His vision focused
and his hearing stopped being muffled, the brightness receded and he
found himself staring up at the sky.
The first thing he saw was the
face of a stranger, fear and wonder in his eyes. Then a few more
faces gathered on the corners of his vision, he thought he heard
someone asking if he was alive.
Rough
hands grabbed him and he shook his head back into consciousness,
Harvester had been propped up against the now upright cart and was
being tended to, everyone else was staring at him.
'What
are you?' Solomon asked, he was breathing heavily and had a fist full
of his shirt.
Jakob
looked him directly in the eyes, he felt no fear in doing so. 'The
cart needed lifted, so I lifted it.'
This
matter-of-fact statement only seemed to enrage Solomon more. 'You
come in here from the city and you lift the whole fucking cart by
yourself? Seven men couldn't move that thing but you do it on your
own. Are you going to give me some shit about all city men being as
strong as you?'
Jakob
shook his head, his head too dazed to manage anger. 'You're right, no
city man I've ever seen can do that. I just saw that the cart had
tipped over and that it needed to be moved.'
Solomon
shoved him up against it now, he thought he felt a splinter prick his
back. 'What makes you so strong in the first place?'
Another
voice cut in nervously. 'Maybe we shouldn't be antagonising him,
after all if he's as strong as he looks...'
Solomon
glared at the other man. 'Shut up you, I'll do the talking here.'
Jakob
responded in what he hoped was his most calming tone. 'I honestly
don't know, this has never happened to me before. Can you please let
me go now?'
The
grip on his shirt didn't loosen any, he saw Ella to Solomon's right,
staring at him in quiet contemplation.
'Why
should I let the likes of you go? What if you're some kind of demon?'
It
was Harvester who finally broke it up. 'Fucking hell boy, don't act
so spooked. If it were a demon it'd be doing nastier things than
saving my legs, don't you think?'
Solomon
finally loosened his grip, all the while he kept a distrustful eye on
Jakob, as if expecting him to burst into flames and smoke. 'I'm
watching you, you hear me?'
Harvester
beckoned him over to the cart where he was now sat, waving away the
ministrations of a makeshift physician. Solomon stalked off with a
silent Ella in tow, Jakob watched her leave with some regret.
'Don't
mind him boy, he's a superstitious sort. You have him spooked is all,
he didn't mean to get angry with you.'
Jakob
found that hard to believe.
The
big farmer tested his leg experimentally and winced. 'Well, it was
fucked before and it's just as fucked now, seems like you saved me an
amputation anyway.'
He
nodded, not knowing what to say to the man.
'I
was going to wait until tomorrow to see what a city boy could do out
in the fields but it seems you've proved your worth to me already. I
see you found the place easily enough anyway, you can come back
tomorrow morning and the job's as good as yours.'
Jakob
felt a surge in his chest that he couldn't quite explain, it
certainly wasn't the prospect of doing slave labour for a pittance.
He had nowhere to live either so the stability he'd been craving
wasn't there either. Was this another guiding post leading him along
a predestined path?
He
found himself at a loss then, picking his way through the fields,
eventually sitting on what looked like an abandoned wooden wheel.
He
puzzled over his new-found strength for a time, yet finding no
answers from his own musings brought nothing but frustration. The day
crept onward at a monotonous pace, he had nowhere to
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