Chapter 22: Brandon - A Calling

Chapter 20 Deep Dive

Outline:

Brandon and Ed are hungry
They laugh and then Ed winces
Thomas' share of the money bought them one goat, several chickens, and seeds for the spring crop
They sold several pounds of mutton and stored the rest
Grandmother Sharrow returns weekly in pies and stews
The stored winter food several pounds destroyed and several more grew mold
Rodrick heavily rations the rest
Brandon and Ed check the traps Hart and Dec set up the night before
Brandon makes updates that Master Kitter taught him
He teaches Ed
They walk out of the woods
Ed's stomach grumbles
He begins to eat dirt and Brandon stops him
Brandon wipes him clean
Brandon hands Ed one of his strips of mutton and chews onto a piece
Brandon chews slowly while Ed gobbles down his piece
Brandon holds out another piece to Ed and drinks water instead
In the distance Brandon can see Rick and Pip tilling the earth
Brandon takes pity on Ed and wonders how long they will be miserable
He thinks of the women in Pirin and King Ahmenebar
He remembers them clearly as if he can hear them
Brandon realizes he can hear them and is startled
He stares into the woods
Ed asks whats wrong
Brandon doesn't tell Ed what he heard
Brandon looks back down the field he sees Rick is looking at them
Hart yells at them to get back to work
Rick defends them
Brandon eats the remaining bit of mutton
He looks again at the woods
Ed's stomach growls loudly and Brandon and Ed start to laugh
Brandon is taken by surprise and grabbed by Hart
Rick pushes Hart
Brandon falls into the mud
Rick asks what Hart is doing
Hart says Rick is always defending them
Rick reminds Hart that they're little and he should get back to work since he wasted enough time
Rick and Hart begin to fight
Ed begs them to stop
Rick says they're all in the same mess
Hart says they were having fun
Rick says it beats Hart whining
Rick and Hart figt again
Dec joins the by jumpng on Rick and knocking Ed to the ground
Pip jumps on Dec's back and pulls his hair
Hart grabs pick around the chest and pulls him back causing Dec to howl louder
Thomas runs in and slips, taking down Hart with him
Brandon tries to help Thomas stand and gets hit twice by Dec and once dizzingly by Hart
Rick yells at Hart for hitting Brandon too hard
Rick tries to punch Hart and slips landing on Hart and Thomas
Thomas cries out in pain and clutches his knee
Everyone except Thomas received a black eye, fat lip, and several brusises
The fight ends when Ed, and a bloody nose, returns with their Dad
Rodrick throws a mud pat into Rick and Harts faces
Rodrck is pissed
He tells Annie they will clean their own clothes
It was dark when they finished cleaning
Annie served in silence
They ate in silence
Thomas is tending to his knee
Brandon still feels very hungry after eating the mutton and cabbage soup
Dec begins to cry at the table
Rick pulls him close and hugs him
Rodrick leaves the room
Brandon feels like he can't look at anyone and all thoughts of food leave his find