Read Online The Fire and the Fog by David Alloggia - Free Book Online
Authors: David Alloggia
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the table in complaint, hard enough to
voice displeasure, but not too hard as to cause any of the milk on
the table to spill. He knew he could still get away with some
outbursts of complaint, but if he spilt breakfast, he was sure to
get the wooden spoon from Omah in punishment.
‘Why does Erris always get things? Why can’t
I have something” he whined angrily, glaring jealously at his older
sister.
‘Because I’m smart, and you’re dumb’ Erris
retorted, sticking out her tongue across the table. Erris wanted to
ask her father if she could help him translate the manual, both to
read it and to find out the secret, almost as much as she wanted to
argue with Boll, but before the two could get a decent argument
going, Erris’ mother rapped her on the head again, this time with
her bare knuckles, as she put a plate of leftovers on the table in
front of Erris, the same fare as her brothers were already midway
through.
‘I thought we were going to be mature today’
Omah said, smiling and turning back to the stove to prepare food
for Erris’ other, still sleeping, sisters.
‘I was, but I got bored’ Erris replied, as
she began to eat. ‘Can I help with the tool?’ she asked, mouth half
full of omelette. If she couldn’t argue, at least she could try to
find out the secret.
‘Sorry munchkin, I want it to be a surprise’
her father replied. ‘Jayke, where’s Yolan?’ Johan asked as Serah
and Joahn walked slowly into the kitchen, Serah with an arm around
Joahn as a modicum of support.
‘Uh, she’s still asleep’ Jayke answered,
stammering the first words, ‘She’ll come help when she’s feeling
better’ he said, blushing slightly. Erris wondered briefly why
Jayke would be blushing, but quickly became more interested in her
breakfast. She missed her mother’s beaming smile.
‘Right, anyway, now that everyone’s
here…tasks for the day.’ Erris’ father said as her mother set down
the remaining plates for breakfast, one for each of her daughters
and one for herself. ‘Serah, Joahn, help your mother again, you
know the drill. Fetch the water, feed the chickens, help clean up
around the house, whatever your mother needs help with, you do
it.’
‘Yes papa’ the girls replied as Johan
continued.
‘Jayke and Johan, I’ll be in the shed again,
that leaves you two to start on the fence work.’ Several of the
large logs that formed the fence around the barn had rotted through
and broken apart in a recent storm. An entire section of the fence
would have to be rebuilt from scratch, the old fence posts dug out
and new holes dug for new posts, before the larger animals could
safely be let out of the barn. The boys had been working on it for
two days, and there was still days more work to do.
‘Boll, Erris, that will leave you two with
the rest of the chores. Roll in a new hay bale, muck out the barn
and feed the animals, then check on the garden. Once that’s done,
Boll start on the firewood, but be careful with the axe. Erris,
milk the cow, then help your brothers with the fence’
As the family around the table nodded in
general assent, Joahn stood up on her chair, her hands on the table
in front of her. Even standing on the chair, the ten year old stood
inches shorter than her still-seated father, her cheeks ballooning
out from stuffing too much food in at once.
‘Hew naemse Ms Sspots!’ Joahn yelled angrily,
tiny bits of egg flew from her mouth, fortunately only landing on
the table in front of her.
‘Yes, right, sorry. Erris, milk Ms. Spots’
her father said sighing and massaging his forehead with his right
hand. He had learnt decades ago that you don’t try to argue with a
ten year old, and Joahn, as the youngest of seven children, was
worse than most. She always got what she wanted; her parents were
generally too tired to discipline her, up to and including bringing
her stuffed bear toy to every meal, and pretending to feed it.
Erris still didn’t understand how she kept it free
voice displeasure, but not too hard as to cause any of the milk on
the table to spill. He knew he could still get away with some
outbursts of complaint, but if he spilt breakfast, he was sure to
get the wooden spoon from Omah in punishment.
‘Why does Erris always get things? Why can’t
I have something” he whined angrily, glaring jealously at his older
sister.
‘Because I’m smart, and you’re dumb’ Erris
retorted, sticking out her tongue across the table. Erris wanted to
ask her father if she could help him translate the manual, both to
read it and to find out the secret, almost as much as she wanted to
argue with Boll, but before the two could get a decent argument
going, Erris’ mother rapped her on the head again, this time with
her bare knuckles, as she put a plate of leftovers on the table in
front of Erris, the same fare as her brothers were already midway
through.
‘I thought we were going to be mature today’
Omah said, smiling and turning back to the stove to prepare food
for Erris’ other, still sleeping, sisters.
‘I was, but I got bored’ Erris replied, as
she began to eat. ‘Can I help with the tool?’ she asked, mouth half
full of omelette. If she couldn’t argue, at least she could try to
find out the secret.
‘Sorry munchkin, I want it to be a surprise’
her father replied. ‘Jayke, where’s Yolan?’ Johan asked as Serah
and Joahn walked slowly into the kitchen, Serah with an arm around
Joahn as a modicum of support.
‘Uh, she’s still asleep’ Jayke answered,
stammering the first words, ‘She’ll come help when she’s feeling
better’ he said, blushing slightly. Erris wondered briefly why
Jayke would be blushing, but quickly became more interested in her
breakfast. She missed her mother’s beaming smile.
‘Right, anyway, now that everyone’s
here…tasks for the day.’ Erris’ father said as her mother set down
the remaining plates for breakfast, one for each of her daughters
and one for herself. ‘Serah, Joahn, help your mother again, you
know the drill. Fetch the water, feed the chickens, help clean up
around the house, whatever your mother needs help with, you do
it.’
‘Yes papa’ the girls replied as Johan
continued.
‘Jayke and Johan, I’ll be in the shed again,
that leaves you two to start on the fence work.’ Several of the
large logs that formed the fence around the barn had rotted through
and broken apart in a recent storm. An entire section of the fence
would have to be rebuilt from scratch, the old fence posts dug out
and new holes dug for new posts, before the larger animals could
safely be let out of the barn. The boys had been working on it for
two days, and there was still days more work to do.
‘Boll, Erris, that will leave you two with
the rest of the chores. Roll in a new hay bale, muck out the barn
and feed the animals, then check on the garden. Once that’s done,
Boll start on the firewood, but be careful with the axe. Erris,
milk the cow, then help your brothers with the fence’
As the family around the table nodded in
general assent, Joahn stood up on her chair, her hands on the table
in front of her. Even standing on the chair, the ten year old stood
inches shorter than her still-seated father, her cheeks ballooning
out from stuffing too much food in at once.
‘Hew naemse Ms Sspots!’ Joahn yelled angrily,
tiny bits of egg flew from her mouth, fortunately only landing on
the table in front of her.
‘Yes, right, sorry. Erris, milk Ms. Spots’
her father said sighing and massaging his forehead with his right
hand. He had learnt decades ago that you don’t try to argue with a
ten year old, and Joahn, as the youngest of seven children, was
worse than most. She always got what she wanted; her parents were
generally too tired to discipline her, up to and including bringing
her stuffed bear toy to every meal, and pretending to feed it.
Erris still didn’t understand how she kept it free
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