An Orphan for Christmas by P. Creeden

Author:P. Creeden [Creeden, P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-12-05T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

It was a little before dark when Tom decided to make camp. The setting sun wasn’t the only factor in that decision, Tom had caught sight of a clutch of hares, and was able to use his small round rifle to pluck off two of them. Even though it was more food than he could eat alone, he knew that he wasn’t alone. At about noon, when Tom had stopped to water his mare, Ginger, he’d caught sight of movement out of the corner of his eye. He’d worried, at first, that the bushwhackers had caught up to him, but then he saw the white and brown spotted pony half-hidden by the brush. For five more hours, the boy followed him. Tom had been careful that he shot his gun with the boy at his back when he was hunting for the hares. Once he’d prepared the two rabbits, he started a fire and put them both on spits. The little bit of fat in the meat sparked and crackled as it finished cooking over the open flame. By then, it was full-on dark, and the smell from the meat was intoxicating to his hungry stomach.

Tom wondered if the pie the boy stole yesterday was the last thing he’d eaten. After pulling the two hares off the spits and onto the metal pan he’d brought with him, Tom stretched out under the stars and waited for the boy to approach. Just when he’d about given up on the boy and started tucking in, a twig snapped behind him. The boy’s breath even became audible. Tom smiled. “Come on over and eat your fill. I promise not to hurt you.”

For several seconds, Tom received no answer. He took one of the hares out of the metal pan, finding the meat had cooled enough to eat and touch, and then he held the metal pan with the other hare in it out to the side. Two seconds later, the boy rushed out of the brush and grabbed a hold of the hare then ran to the other side of the campfire. Like he’d not eaten in days, the boy tore into the meat quickly. Swallowing the biggest bites possible with his wide eyes staring at Tom.

“Slow down. No one’s going to take it from you. The last thing you need to do is choke.”

And just as Tom had finished saying it, the boy did choke. He coughed, trying to dislodge the meat from his throat, and barely succeeded, but not before his face reddened and his eyes filled with tears of pain. Tom offered the boy his canteen.

The boy snatched that out of his hand as well and then took several long pulls from it.

“Slow down, boy. You don’t need to eat fast or worry that I’m going to take anything away from you. I promise not to hurt you or take anything that’s yours.”

The boy huffed. “I’ve heard that before.”

Sadness slipped over Tom’s shoulders. He believed the boy. There were too many men in this world who were willing to lie and cheat and steal to get what they wanted.

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