Arrow Over the Door by Joseph Bruchac

Author:Joseph Bruchac [Bruchac, Joseph]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2002-07-08T00:00:00+00:00

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As they walked out of the house, Samuel was the last to leave. Leaning on his stick, he pulled the door of their cabin closed, so that the latch caught and the wind would not blow it open. There was no lock on the door, no bar to hold it shut when they were within.

In the settlement, whenever someone left a house or a shop, he would always secure it. The shopkeeper would pull out a ring of keys and lock that door tightly so that no one could enter unbidden. Samuel remembered walking along the street one afternoon at the end of the day and hearing the heavy sound of a bolt thudding into place, the rattle of keys hung on the great brass ring that swung from storekeeper Brewster’s leather belt.

“Father,” Samuel said now, “why do we have no lock on our door?”

“We have no need to keep anyone out,” Father said. “If someone weary from travel should come to our door when we are not home, they can come in and take their rest.”

“And what if that person wishes to steal from us?” Samuel asked stubbornly.

Father smiled. “A locked door will not keep out a man who is determined to steal from thee. He will simply break that door and come in to take what he wishes to take. Then thy door is lost, and so is whatever has been stolen. But an open door may lead a man to open his heart.”

Father started walking, then turned back.

“There is also this to remember, Son. A great lock on a door tells a thief of the fear that what is within will be stolen. But a door without a lock tells the man who wishes to enter that nothing will be kept from him. Now come, we do not want to be late to Meeting.”

Samuel sighed and tightened his grip on the walking stick.

“I wish that we did have locks,” he whispered to himself. Then he turned to join his family.

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