Life
With a Sister Life
With a Sister by Rhiannon
Author's note: Special thanks to Jill, Katta, Melanie, Mary, and Chey for all of the help and support they have given!
The shooting had stopped and the men had ridden away. From inside the shed seven-year-old Ike McSwain momentarily stood in complete shock. He felt frozen in time as the last couple of minutes were relived in his head. Half an hour ago he was a member of a perfectly happy family, now he was sure that he was the only member left alive.
Slowly he convinced himself that he needed to go out and look at his family. Maybe his mother wasnt hurt that bad, maybe his sister ran away. He was sure that his father was dead, he had been able to see the men shoot him twice from the shed. From his hiding place he could see the lifeless body lying in the tall grass. Suddenly his eyes filled with tears and the world became a wet haze. He wiped the tears from his face and left a sweaty marking of his hand on the wall that he had been clinching tightly for the fifteen minutes that felt like hours. He walked to the door of the shed and stopped while his stomach turned cartwheels at the sudden concern that the men werent really gone. He peeked his head out the door and looked into the direction that the men rode away. After assuring himself that they were gone he turned his head the other direction. The feelings in his stomach overwhelmed him as he saw the two bodies lying in the distance.
His mother and sister had run further than he thought, and were only a blur to his tear filled eyes. He opened the door further to walk out and noticed that his hands were trembling terribly. He felt his body being pulled in two different directions as one part of him wanted to run to the women with hopes that they were still alive, and the other part didnt want to go in fear that they were both dead. He finally gave in and ran to the bodies in the distance.
His mother was the first of the two that he reached. She was laying face down in the tall grass with her hair covering her face. The little boy knelt beside her body and pulled her hair back as the silent tears fell down his innocent face. He put his hand on the cheek of his mother and cried as he stared at her bloody wound. While he was lost in sorrow he barely heard the pitiful cry for his attention.
"Ike," she cried at almost a whisper. "Ike, over here!" This time she almost got some voice out but choked on her words and was sent into a coughing fit.
He was startled by the sound of her coughing and turned to see his sister laying on the ground a few feet away coughing into the dirt. He quickly stood up and ran to her side.
It looked as though she was shot in the top of her leg. He couldnt tell where exactly the shot was until he pulled up her dress. He felt a sense of awkwardness pulling up his sisters dress, but his mother had bathed them together when they were a little younger so he figured it wasnt too improper. Besides, he needed to see where she was hurt.
"Ike, Ike, I am so glad you are here," she cried to her little brother. "You have to get mother, she can take me to the doctor," she said. She was unable to see the realization come across Ikes face that his sister didnt know what had happened.
How can she not know? He thought. She is lying right there. Cant she see her?
What was worse was he couldnt explain that he couldnt get their mother to help her, he couldnt tell her that they were all alone. He couldnt comfort her or tell her to relax, or ask her what to do. All he could do was look in her eyes and see that she was in pain. He knew he would have to save her, but he wasnt sure how.
He looked at her leg and he could see nothing but blood. He couldnt tell where it was coming from, but the blood was everywhere. "Ike, it hurts," she cried to her little brother.
He grabbed the red bandanna from his bald head and started wiping the blood away from her leg. Soon the cloth was saturated with blood and he began to wipe the blood away with the bottom of her dress. Finally he found where she had been shot. Amazingly the shot wasnt in her leg at all, but at her hip. The bullet hadnt gone deep but passed through her side. He put a piece of cloth over the wound and held it there as he looked up at his sister.
"Thank you Ike," she said quietly right before she passed out.
The boy stood looking at the pony trying to remember how to tie the knot for the cinch. His pa had always used this cute little rhyme to help him remember. It had to do with a rabbit running around a tree and going into a hole, but through his clouded thoughts Ike couldnt remember what to do. The old pony was getting agitated with the boy and began to paw with its front hoof. Ike was getting frustrated himself.
Around the tree and down the hole no that wouldnt work.
Down the hole and around the tree and down the hole it looked better but it still wasnt right.
Down the hole and around the SNAP!
The reins flew in the air as the pony trotted away. The small saddle slid off its back and landed upside down in the dirt. Ike gave up in frustration and reached for his fathers bridle. He unsnapped the reins and walked over to the pony, which had quickly occupied himself with a pile of hay nearby. He snapped the reins on the small bridle and walked the ornery little animal out into the paddock. Ike positioned himself on the fence just right to place his leg over the animals back, leaned forward and plopped into place. He had only ridden bareback once before and he even then it was with his pa leading. He took a deep breath, relaxed his legs against the ponys side and gave it a little kick. The pony lounged into a short choppy trot that almost knocked the little boy right off. He instinctively grabbed some mane and pulled back on the reins. It was going to be a long slow ride to the Doctors house.
Doc Plemmons squinted into the sun to see who was approaching. He knew his age was getting to him, but he thought what he saw was a young boy on a small pony riding towards his office in town. As the rider got closer he could see that is was the McSwain boy sitting on the family pony. Doc knew Ike and his family well from a couple of years earlier when Ike had the Fever. The boy would never come to town alone, much less be out riding that old pony by himself. He stepped out from the building, and the boy soon rode close enough for the Doctor to see the tear stains of his face.
"What is it Ike?" the doctor asked. He didnt know why, Ike hadnt learned to communicate with many people outside of his family, who had learned ways to understand what he was trying to say. Ike slid off the pony and began to pantomime as clearly as he could. The Doctor was surprised to understand Ikes motions immediately when he pointed his finger like a gun then pointed in the direction of the McSwain homestead, with a world of emotions mixed in his silent tear filled eyes. Doc grabbed the boy and threw him front of him in the saddle of his own horse and rode towards the boys home.
The ride back to the homestead felt so short at the fast pace of Doc Plemmons stocky quarter horse. When they arrived at the homestead, Docs first sight was the body of Fran McSwain. Her body still lying motionless in the grass as it had for the past day. It had taken all afternoon for Ike to get his sister to the house where he could clean her wound and wait for help. The next morning Maggies wound began to hurt more and swell. She had told her brother to ride the little pony to get the doctor. He didnt want to leave her side, but when she told him that she might die if he didn't go he obediently fetched the pony and attempted to tack up. When the doctor started to get off the horse to check on the dead woman, Ike tugged his sleeve and pointed toward the house and urged for them to move in that direction. Near the house he found the body of Clark McSwain lying in the tall grass.
In the house the old Doctor found young Maggie McSwain lying on the floor. He grabbed her up and moved to the bedroom where he worked on the young girl.
There was a small crowd for the funeral. The family had a few friends in town, but mostly kept to themselves. Afterwards, Ike stood alone at the two graves and cried his silent tears while the town priest watched. The boy was taken back to the Docs place where he immediately ran to Maggies room.
"Is it over?" she asked from the position she had kept on the bed for the past two days.
Ike nodded his head <yes.>
"What are we going to do Ike?" the little girl looked into her brothers worried face. He grabbed her hand in his and tickled her wrist, something they had always done to each other whenever the other was sick. When Ike had Scarlet Fever Maggie had overheard the doctor talking with his parents about him possibly not waking up. Whenever she was in his room she would tickle his wrist to make him wake up just to keep him from falling too deeply into the sleep. Ever since then they would tickle each others wrists to cheer each other up when they were not feeling well.
"Thanks Ike," she replied as Doc Plemmons walked into the room.
"You two okay?" he asked.
"Yes sir," Maggie replied for the two of them.
"A couple of more days and you will be up and walking around little lady," he told the little girl.
"Really?" she asked with excitement in her voice.
"Yes, really," he replied. "You will have to use a cane for a while, and you may always limp, but I think you will be just fine. That bullet just grazed your hipbone I think."
The light that had entered Maggies eyes faded a little at the thought of walking with a cane, but she reminded herself that she was lucky to be alive. She decided it was time for her to ask the Doctor the same question she asked Ike earlier. "Doc?" she started.
"Yes Maggie?"
"What are Ike and I going to do without ma and pa?"
"Didnt you have some relatives across the river?" the doctor asked the young girl.
The girl looked at her brother as if she were in deep thought. He looked back at her with pleading eyes and furiously shook his head back and forth. The past summer they had gone to visit this family that was somehow related to the McSwains on their mothers side. The adults were nice to Mr. and Mrs. McSwain, but they treated Ike as if he werent human. When Maggie and Ike were left alone with their five children the four boys would pick on Ike nonstop after Maggie left to play dolls with the older sister. The other childrens parents got upset when Ike fought back at the torment, and ultimately the trip was cut short when Ikes parents found the bruises and scratches on the little boy from where the other boys had abused him. The McSwains talked to the other parents about the childrens behavior, but they refused to punish their kids. They told the McSwains that they should just accept that their son was some sort of freak and their kids did nothing wrong by being scared of him. Maggie remembered the incident well, and didnt want to live with these people even if they were the only relatives they knew of. By the pleading in Ikes eyes she knew that he would never survive living with those people.
"Um," Maggie hesitated and looked into her brothers pleading eyes. "I dont think we do," Maggie answered the doctor and relieved Ike.
"Well, I think I know of a place where the two of you can live. But you will have to wait a little while before you can go there."
The two looked at each other. They didnt know where the doctor was talking about, but it had to be better than the alternative. The doctor left the room, and Ike turned to his sister and started crying again. The painful memories had all flooded back, and he suddenly had started thinking of what may lie ahead for the two of them.
"Dont cry Ike," she attempted to comfort him.
Ike looked at his sister and tried to clear up his thoughts. He began to pantomime to his sister as best he could.
"Bad people? Where we go?" she asked. Ike nodded but retried a motion with his fists clenched. "Mean people?" Ike stopped and nodded his head slowly.
"I will take care of you Ike, I wont let anybody be mean to you." Maggie assured her little brother, but she wasnt very sure herself about how this new life would be for him.
The wagon carrying the two children pulled to a stop outside the gates to the school. Maggie and Ike looked forward anxiously. Doc Plemmons helped the young girl out of the wagon after Ike had jumped down, never taking his eyes off the gate before them. It was Sunday morning and there were no children in the yard inside the gate. Sister Sarah was waiting for the new arrivals, and greeted the pair. Maggie and Ike had never seen a nun before, and her appearance scared both of them. Ike turned and looked at the old doctor who brought them to this place.
"Go on, these people will take care of you," he assured the little boy. He turned to the nun before him. "They have had a rough time the past few weeks. Are you Sister Sarah?"
"Yes I am," she replied. "And this must be Margaret and Ike? Why dont you two come on in and I will show you around your new home?" she said to the children.
"My name is Maggie," the girl replied in a quiet but indignant manner.
"Yes, which is short for Margaret. You will go by your given name because it makes things easier. Now I will show you around the mission so that you may join the other children in time for lunch." The sister spoke to the children in a matter-of-fact tone.
The children silently stepped forward, Ikes arm around Maggie as she limped with the cane he had made for her with the Doctors assistance. He had found the perfect stick on a dead tree outside the Docs barn. Doc cut the limb off for the boy and showed him how to whittle designs into the wood beneath the bark. The work kept Ike busy for two days, and the final product was a beautiful cane with round ball at the top for her to easily grip and intricate grooves down to the ground. He had saved a piece of their mothers ribbon and tied it beneath the grip so that the blue trimming would hang by Maggies side when she walked. He knew she wasnt happy about having to use a cane, so he hoped the special touches would help cheer her up. She was thrilled with the gift, and used it to walk around the Docs house as best she could. She quickly tired and realized she needed to slowly build up her strength, and thats what she did for the next two weeks.
Now the children stood at the gate of their new life. Sister Sarah led the children into the mission and they both looked around anxiously, taking in the new site.
"The other children are in mass right now," the sister explained.
"Mass?" Maggie asked.
"Mass is when we gather to worship God together. You will attend it every Sunday morning," Sarah explained.
"Like church," Maggie said.
"Yes, it is a church service."
She led the children into a large room with several long tables. "This is the dining area. You will come here to have you meals. After you eat you will take your dishes over there to be washed," the sister explained as she pointed to an area in the far corner of the room.
Tomorrow morning meet me at that table after breakfast and I will introduce you to your teachers so you can start attending classes." The sister pointed at a table separated from the rest for the adults.
The children nodded at this instruction. The sister looked at the children and bit her lower lip. "The other children will be getting out of mass soon, and I want to show you to your rooms before that happens," she explained.
"Will we get to stay together?" Maggie asked though she already knew the answer.
"No, we have separate rooms for boys and girls," the sister replied. "Follow me."
They got to the first room. Inside the simple wooden door was a long narrow room with a row of beds along each of the long walls. Each bed was made with white sheets, had a blanket folded on top and a trunk sitting in the floor at the end. There were ten beds in all. Sarah walked the children to the last bed on the left side of the room and stopped.
"Ike, this will be your bed. You can keep any personal belongings you may have in this trunk. The other boys in here are about the same age as you, you should get along just fine," the sister said the words but she did not believe them. She knew Ike was in for a rough time with these boys, but there were no empty beds in the other rooms.
Just then a man walked in with two carpetbags. "Sister where do you want me to put these?" he asked.
"Oh, is mass out already? Yes you can bring the boys over here and the girls will go in the last room on the right," she informed him.
"Yes maam. Mass ended about ten minutes ago, the children are gathering for lunch now."
"Thank you William," she replied, and the man left the room with the other bag.
"Ike, why dont you stay here and situate your things in the trunk while I show Margaret to her room?"
Ike looked at her with the thought of being alone and began to shake his head.
"I want him to come," Maggie spoke.
"Okay then," the sister replied. She was used to the nervousness of new children at the mission, and it was especially expected from this pair. She could tell that they were accustomed to a way of life that was secluded compared to what it would become. Her only goal at this point was to help the children adjust as well as possible. "But you are going to have to split up sometime before going to bed tonight," she added as she led the children out of Ikes room.
Maggies room was the same as Ikes. She also had a bed in the back along the left side. Her bag was sitting on the trunk when they got to it. "In the mornings you will need to make up your beds just like they are now before you come to breakfast. You will be responsible for keeping your area tidy." She paused a moment before going on with the next part. "I know you two are close," she started, "but we usually dont allow the boys to go into girls rooms and girls into boys rooms. So you may not come into the others room while there are any other children around. Im sorry about this, but the other children would not think it to be fair if we make exclusions."
The children looked at each other for a moment before Maggie turned back to the sister. "We have never been apart," she said.
"Everything will be okay," she assured. "Sister Jeanne will stay in here with you every night."
Maggie turned to sit down on the bed. She had not walked around so much since the shooting and her hip was hurting. Ike sat on the bed next to her and embraced his sister with both arms. She responded to his embrace with a tight hug and began to cry. Ike pulled away from his sister and wiped away her tears with his fingers.
"Thank you Ike," Maggie said between sniffles.
"The Lord will help you through all of your troubles," the sister suggested to the distraught children. "Now I believe it is time for you to meet the other children. Everybody should be gathered for lunch."
Ike stood up and helped his reluctant sister join him. He wrapped his arm around hers and tried to help her walk. She was a whole year older than he was, but she was so weak that the small support that his body could provide helped her as they walked toward the other children, the other children who would not be so supportive.
As they got closer to the dining area the murmur of voices became louder. As they stood outside the doorway Maggie unwrapped herself from Ikes arm and gripped tightly to her cane. Ike pulled down the edges of his bandanna as far as he could in an attempt to hide his bald head. He grabbed his sisters free arm and the two orphans were led into the room.
The room looked completely different from when the children were there before. The empty rows of tables were filled with children who were eating and talking busily.
The site scared Ike, who tightened his grip on his sisters hand. He had never seen so many children, and his past experiences with others his own age were not assuring. Each face he looked upon represented a possibility of fear in his heart. Everything within him screamed for him to turn around and run away. The only thing that really held him in the room was the tight grip from his sister.
Maggie felt somewhat comforted by the crowd. The thought of so many people around her pushed away the feelings of loneliness that she had been feeling the past few weeks. She had attended the school in town before her parents death, and she was used to groups of children. Ike had only been to the school once, and that day was filled with torment. His mother had began to teach him on her own so that he could avoid that pain, and Maggie knew he was going to feel it now. She responded to his grip of fear with a grip of assurance. She promised herself at that moment that she would protect her little brother as he had protected her the past three weeks.
"Attention everybody!" Sister Sarah demanded to the room.
The children obediently ended their conversations and looked at the woman. Ike and Maggie already had a feeling that the obedience was from fear of the woman.
"The Lord has brought us two new family members here at the mission. Their names are Ike and Margaret McSwain and I want you to treat them kindly. They will be joining some of you in classes this week. Please help them feel welcome."
The speech sounded rehearsed, and it was. The nun had gone through with it for almost every child in the room. She said the words and sent the children into the crowd. Usually the children would just be absorbed by the crowd and become another face amongst the many. This time the crowd was not so welcoming.
The children had already begun to whisper and giggle. Some of the younger ones would stare at Maggie as she limped with her cane. Some had already noticed that Ike was hiding something with the bandanna on his head. Maggie just held onto her brother and started toward the end of a nearby table. Maggie took the seat on the end so that she could stretch out her leg, and Ike sat next to her.
Across the table sat a six-year-old girl who slowly sipped on some soup while staring at the pair. Beside the girl were a few other older girls who just ate their food and talked with each other quietly. Next to Ike was a group of boys who were trying to hide their curiosity toward the new pair.
Sister Sarah walked up with two bowls of soup and handed them to the children. "Give thanks to the Lord and be sure to eat it all. To waste is sinful."
"Thank you maam," Maggie replied. Ike nodded that he agreed. His silence did not go unnoticed. The boys next to him stopped talking and looked closely at the new resident. Ike looked down at his soup and slowly began to eat. Maggie did the same, she was interested in the new people but all of the eyes upon her caused a shyness to take over.
The girl across from them just sat and stared as she ate her soup.
Ike was almost finished with the bowl when the first question came. He was having a hard time eating anyway because of the butterflies in his stomach. He knew the torture would start any minute. The first innocent question would be the beginning of guilty torture from others.
"Why do you wear that bandanna?" the words were barely audible, but they came from the girl across the table. Her face showing that she genuinely wanted to get to know the new twosome.
Ike looked up from his soup to meet with Maggies eyes. Half the table had turned to hear the answer to the question. The slowness of the response received half of the people at a nearby tables attention also. Maggie didnt want to answer, but she knew she had to.
"He likes it." Was all she said.
Ike sat the spoon into the bowl of soup and looked down from all of the piercing eyes. He wanted to shrink into the bench and under the table. Anything to get away from the staring.
"Stop looking at us!" Maggie suddenly screeched. She had noticed the stares and the whispering, and more than anything she had noticed her brothers reaction. The room fell silent for a moment and the people looked other ways. Still the girl across the table stared.
"Why doesnt he say anything?" She asked curiously.
"Because he cant," Maggie replied as quietly as she could. A few people nearby heard the news and again stared at Ike, who was still staring at his bowl of soup hoping for it all to end.
"He cant talk?" one of the boys next to Ike asked in a loud voice that got half the rooms attention.
Ike bit his lower lip to keep it from going into the quiver that always preceded his eyes filling with tears.
"Hey look everyone! The new boys a dummy!" An older boy announced to the whole mess hall with a voice twice as loud as Sister Sarahs.
"He aint a dummy!" Maggie screeched back, her voice barely reaching halfway across the room. Ike looked at his sister with pain in his eyes. He stood up and jumped over the bench and ran out of the room.
From the dining area he ran down the hallway, past the room where he was told to sleep. He sped to another hallway and found a door. He went through the door and found himself in a grassy area near the stables. He fled into the barn and found a pile of hay secluded from the animals. Trying to hide himself as best he could, he crawled into the hay and began to cry. Nothing but torment filled his soul.
Sister Sarah had watched the whole event that she had correctly predicted would occur. When Ike ran out of the room she was caught off-guard and was unprepared to chase him. Luckily one of the younger nuns had been watching as well and was already out the door behind the young boy.
Maggie tried to follow her brother too. She forgot about her injury and jumped up too fast. She took one step away from the table and fell over in pain. The boys in the dining area found her as a new source of amusement.
"Hey look, the cripple cant get to her dummy brother!" A boy shouted to the crowd. His remark was met with laughs throughout the room.
"Whats the matter, isnt anybody in your family normal?"
"A couple of freaks! Thats what they are!"
Suddenly it sounded as if the whole room was mocking Maggie. She grabbed her cane and forced herself to walk out of the room. When she got beyond the door she collapsed. She tried to be strong, but the tears flooded her eyes as she sat in the hallway.
Sister Jeanne looked all through the boys room. Once she determined he was not there she began to check the other rooms. After an extensive search of all possibilities she went outside to look for the boy. She had searched the barn twice before she noticed the sniffling ball of flesh semi-buried in the hay.
His cry was unlike any she had heard before. It was a series of gasps of air intermittent with sniffles. His mouth opened for the pain to be screamed out, but silence remained in the air. Jeanne was new to the mission school, and had not developed the heart of coal that many of the other sisters were guilty of. It took all of her strength not to burst into tears over the sight of the boy in front of her. For a moment all she could do was stand and stare as the curious girl at dinner had done.
Ike noticed the woman standing and looking at him. Knowing she would make him go back, he tried to run away again. Unfortunately the pile of hay behind and beside him was too big to get through. Sister Jeanne noticed his frenzy and stepped forward to calm the boy.
"Its OK, Im not going to make you go back in there now." She said to the frightened boy. "You are going to freeze if you stay out here though." She stepped toward the boy and sat in the hay near him. She held Ike in her arms and rocked his body slowly. After a moment the sniffling stopped and the boy pulled away.
It only took three breaths without tears, when Ike inhaled a noseful of hay dust. Immediately the sniffles were replaced with sneezes. The boys sneeze intrigued the young nun as much as his cry. The normal "A-chew" sound was replaced with a gasp for air followed by an awkward sounding "ch" as he blew out. When the sneezing fit ended Ike sat up and looked at the nun.
"Dont worry about what those boys said. They like to talk about others so that people wont talk about them." Sister Jeanne attempted to comfort with her words. "But if you run away from here there will be others who say the same things. The only difference is you would be lonely and hungry."
Ike stared down at his hands and pretended the words didnt matter. It helped the pain to think that he could run away from it. He wanted to tell her this, he wanted to tell her that there werent people picking on him when he lived with his parents. All he could do was to look at the nun before him and shake his head back and forth.
"The Lord will take care of you. We will take care of you. But only if you get out of this barn."
Ike reluctantly stood up and walked with Sister Jeanne into the building. He stared at the ground as he walked beside her through the building. His soul had been battered, and he was sure it would not get time to recover.
Sister Sarah was able to catch up with Maggie who had collapsed on the floor.
"Margaret McSwain, what do you two think you are doing getting up and running out like that?" The sister asked in a punishing tone.
"I promised I would take care of him. I promised I wouldnt let anybody pick on him. If I had done something he wouldnt have ran away," Maggie explained.
"You did do something. Those boys arent going to stop picking on Ike until they find somebody else to pick on. You want that to be you? Give it some time, everything is just new to you now. After a while everybody will be used to you and Ike and they will find new entertainment."
"Is that what we are? Entertainment?" Maggie asked with pleading eyes to the nun.
"For now. Not that it is a good thing. But it will end. Words dont hurt anybody. The Lord will look after you." The sister spit out the words to the girl. As Maggie watched she could see no emotion on the ladys face.
"Wheres Ike?" Maggie asked.
"Sister Jeanne went looking for him. He cant just go running off like that." Sister Sarah liked a simple, ordinary environment. The thought of children getting up and running away in the middle of mealtime was unacceptable.
Just then Sister Jeanne walked up with tear-stained Ike behind her. Ikes face lit up at the sight of Maggie and he ran to her side.
"Oh, Ike Im sorry I let them say those things." Maggie assured her little brother.
Ike just moved himself closer to his sister in the floor and squeezed her arm as hard as he could. Sister Sarah looked at the boy sternly.
"You are not to run away during mealtime. We have an order that we follow around here and you will follow it. Since this is your first day here I will not punish you. Next time you do this there will be consequences. Do you understand me?" The nun questioned the boy.
Ike pulled the edge of Maggies skirt over him in an effort to hide from the woman speaking down to him. He gently nodded to show his understanding and looked away from everybody.
"Maam?" Maggie asked the woman who was about to walk away.
"Yes?"
"My hip is hurting a great deal. May I go lay down for a while?"
"Yes you may. Ike you go outside with the other children. You can check on Maggie later."
The children were both so frightened of the woman that they did not argue. "Good luck Ike," Maggie encouraged. "Try to stay away from those mean boys."
Ike reluctantly let go of his sisters skirt and was led into the yard where the other children were playing. Maggie slowly hobbled to her room and lay down onto the hard bed. Her thoughts raced with worries until the exhaustion took over her body and she relinquished to the sleep.
Ike quickly found a hiding place from the group of children. He settled himself in the shadows of a tree next to the wall of the barn and watched the children play kick-the-can for the next hour. It looked fun, but he knew they would never let him join.
At supper that night Maggie and Ike sat alone. The girl who had asked the questions earlier sat as far away from the pair as she could. Everybody seemed to be trying to keep their distance from them. This comforted Ike, while it troubled Maggie.
After dinner the children were gathered into a room for the nightly devotion. One of the boys who had called Ike a dummy earlier stood before the children and read from the bible. One man, whom they found out later was the priest, would read lines from a book and the children would say things back to him. After a group prayer the children were dismissed for bed. Maggie told Ike goodnight and the two children walked their separate ways.
Maggie reached the room later than the other girls because of the soreness in her hip. None of the girls in the room spoke to her as she changed into her nightgown and slipped into bed. She fell asleep slowly because of the nap she had taken earlier. As she lay awake she could hear the voices of the other girls talking about her. She didnt enjoy what she heard, so she tried not to pay attention and let her thoughts wander until she fell asleep.
Ike tried to ignore the comments he heard as he entered the room. The boys were not discreet with their thoughts. He carefully slipped into some long johns and slid under the covers of the bed. After the lamps were extinguished he pulled off the red bandanna and slipped it beneath his pillow. He tried to keep himself awake, his eyes locked in the direction of the other boys in the room. Slowly his body gave in and he fell into a deep sleep. Unfortunately he was not the first in the room to wake up.
The next day began with the surprise of the boys in the room to find that Ike had no hair. The rest of the day was filled with comments and stares. Maggie and Ike were sent to different classrooms and subsequently saw little of each other. The children would pick on Ike because he couldnt say anything, they would pick on Maggie because she did. Soon the bullies of the school had created a game where they would pick on Ike just so that they could get Maggie to turn red and start screaming. The nuns never did anything about the game, except for maybe tell Maggie to be quieter.
Slowly Ike slipped further and further into isolation. During his time away from classes he would go to the barn where the mission had a small collection of animals. There were a few horses, a small mule, a few cows and goats. The hay often upset Ikes allergies, but he was willing to deal with that instead of the humiliation of the outside world. He would sometimes sit with the animals for hours petting their fur. After about a month he had Maggie talk Sister Sarah into letting Ike do some of the chores around the barn instead of the regular chores each student was responsible for. The little boy worked harder in the barn than any of the previous hands that the mission had brought in. Everyone noticed that he had a special way with the animals.
Still the boys would torment Ike whenever the chance arose. At night they would steal his bandanna and toss it around the room. Usually one boy would blow his nose in it before giving it back. Sometimes he was lucky to get it back at all. The only boys who didnt participate in the torment were the ones who were afraid of Ike. He would occasionally contribute to their fears by making faces and drooling and coming at them like he would attack. Sister Sarah once yelled at him for giving a five-year-old nightmares. Of course he was unable to tell her of the sleepless nights he had endured due to the bullying of the other boys.
Meanwhile Maggie made a few friends. Most of the girls stayed away from her because they thought that whatever crippled her and made her brother strange might be contagious. There were a few girls though, that were willing to try and be her friend. She would play dolls with them and a couple would sit with Maggie and Ike at meals. Maggie was building up strength slowly in her leg, but she was still unable to play with the other children at recess. When they were playing she would join Ike in the barn. He had learned to write a little more and could finally tell her things. He usually omitted stories about the boys at night, he knew she would only get upset and there was nothing she could do.
One day a small horse was donated to the mission. The man no longer had a use for the mare because she stayed lame half the time. It was too small to pull the wagon, so the nuns felt there was no use for it. It wasnt an especially pretty horse. She was a plain looking dun with crooked legs. But it had big round sad eyes that won Ikes heart over at first sight. Ike wrote to Sister Sarah that if she would keep the horse, he would take full care of it. She finally gave in with a little more pleading from Maggie, and the horse was kept.
Ike would add to his daily time in the barn time to brush the mare everyday. After about a week he sneaked her out into a nearby meadow while many of the children were in class. He put her halter around her head and climbed onto her bare back from a nearby stump. The mare waited patiently for the boy to get on, and began to slowly walk across the meadow. Ike sat comfortable on her back and fought away the painful memories of when he had to ride the pony to the doctors house. He urged the mare forward with a little kick, and she lunged into a strong, fast, canter. Ike was unprepared for the run and fell right off her back. When he regained his composure he looked for the mare and whistled. She obediently turned and trotted toward her master. Ike walked her to another stump and attempted the process again. This time he prepared for the run, and was able to stay on longer. That was, until a group of birds flew up from the tall grass nearby. The mare took a sudden jump sideways and left Ike on the ground. Still the young boy was not discouraged. He again mounted the mare and walked her back to the mission. He was sure to dismount before any of the nuns could see what he was doing, and he sneaked back into the barn.
The next day he took Maggie into the meadow with him during recess. He held the lead rope tight as she struggled to climb onto the mare. Once she was on he walked with her around the tree line.
"Ike this is wonderful!" she exclaimed. "I feel so free!"
Ike took the lead rope and tried to hand it to her. She held tightly to the fistful on mane in her hand. "No, I like having you lead for now."
For the first time since the accident Maggie was moving around as well as anybody else. Her legs fell to the sides of the mare and she sat up tall and proud. Ike waited to let her run until he was sure what the mare would do. The pair stayed out in the meadow for hours, forgetting about the schedule that they needed to follow back at the mission. When they did arrive they were met with a very unhappy Sister Sarah. The children were scolded, and Ike was forbidden to see the mare for the next three days.
From then on Ike was more careful about when he took the mare out. He decided to name her Sunshine. He rode her almost every-other day and took Maggie with him whenever he could. Sunshine stayed sound for him most of the time, but occasionally she would turn up lame after a hard ride. Soon he was comfortable enough on her back to have Maggie sit in front of him and run through the meadow. Maggie was too scared to ride alone, but she loved the gallop through the field with her brother.
Years went by and the children grew up. Ike explored the countryside near the mission on horseback. Sunny would regularly throw him off her back with a spook or lunge. Without a saddle it was expected to happen, but Ike never cared.
Maggie was growing into a feisty girl. She could move around without the cane at all. She would often stand up to the bullies when they said things about Ike, and she had even gotten into a few fistfights. The Mission School had punished her more severely for the fighting, saying that it was especially unlady-like. Ike got into his share of brawls too, and he also received more than his fair share of punishment. Together the two children helped each other survive.
Five years after the children arrived at the Mission Ike had a pleasant surprise. Instead of being the source of entertainment for the bullies, there was an Indian boy who provided their pleasure. Ike knew the change of interest would be short-lived, but the pleasure of going to bed without having to lay awake in terror was wonderful. He found out that the Indian boys name was Buck, and Ike was intrigued by his mysterious ways. He wanted to help him, but knew that he stood no chance against the bullies.
Maggie was frightened by Buck. Ike and Maggie were always told by their parents to stay away from the Indians because they might not be friendly. Maggie knew that Buck was just as young as Ike, but she had never been near an Indian before, and she didnt know how to act around him. So she just stayed away and watched the boy from a distance.
Buck was having a difficult time adjusting to the ways of the mission school. Because of the bullies he had developed a habit of keeping a distance from the other boys and somewhat isolating himself. He was strong-willed and was ready to face loneliness. He had to work harder in his classes since many of the nuns at the mission were also scared of him and offered little help. The life at the mission was difficult, as he expected, but one day that all changed.
It was a normal day in the beginning. Buck had gone to classes and quietly did his work as expected. At recess a group of the older bullies were unusually quiet. Buck noticed this and cringed at the realization of what it most likely meant for him. He knew they were probably planning some trouble. Maggie noticed this too.
When none of the nuns were watching the group, the first boy walked up to Buck. He started talking innocently to the boy as if he were trying to be his friend. As he did this the other boys surrounded the Indian and attacked. Buck had previously succeeded in fighting off the bullies when only attacked by one or two at a time, but it was too much for him to fight off as the five boys pulled and pushed his body in every direction. Maggie was stricken with horror at the sight and suddenly ran to help Buck.
"Maggie! What are you doing?" Her friend Shannon that she had been playing dolls with yelled as Maggie ran away.
"I cant watch this anymore!" She yelled in reply as she moved toward the scene.
"Maggie no!" Shannon yelled louder this time. From the barn Ike could hear the commotion and was startled by the sound of his sisters name. He dropped the pitchfork he was holding and ran into the yard where he was able to see Maggie trying to pull one of the biggest bullies away from Buck. Instinctively he ran to the brawl to help his sister. Immediately one of the boys turned and grabbed Ike and threw him into the fight. The boy that Maggie had grabbed away simply picked up the girl and threw her away from the fight. She landed a few feet away with all of the wind knocked out of her chest. She had no choice but to watch the group of boys beat Ike and Buck almost to the point of unconsciousness while she tried to regain her breath. The beating was finally stopped when two of the nuns stepped forward and pulled two of the bullies away. Ike and Buck were taken into the infirmary where one of the nuns cleaned their cuts. Maggie sat outside the room crying because they wouldnt let her see her brother.
Inside the room the two boys were slowly regaining their bearings. Buck looked at the other boy and realized that it was the bald-mute he had seen around the school. Ike looked over and realized that he had been fighting with the Indian boy. Ike frantically looked around the room for Maggie. He didnt see what happened to her, and he feared that she was hurt. His mind was racing with thoughts of what might have occurred when Buck spoke up.
"You didnt have to do this you know." Buck said. Ike looked back at him with a puzzled glare. "I could have gotten the snot beaten out of me without you getting beaten up too."
Ike looked at the unappreciative boy and rolled his eyes away. He couldnt explain to him that he didnt start fighting out of sympathy for the Indian but to save his sister. He had been beaten up enough by the same boys to know he didnt stand a chance against them. He just laid and wondered if Maggie was okay.
Sister Sarah walked into the room with a look of disgust on her face. "Roger tells me that you two started this whole thing," she began. Ike looked back with an evil glare in his eyes. He had been involved in enough of these disputes to know that he couldnt say anything back to the sister, so it was easiest for her to believe the other boys. Buck had been involved in enough fights to know that Sister Sarah didnt trust him, and therefore always believed him to be guilty. "You boys are nothing but trouble. I think some time cleaning the sanctuary may help you. As soon as you are feeling better I expect both of you to scrub the pews and floors until they are fit to eat off of."
Ike looked away from the nun as he usually did after receiving his punishment. Buck looked at her, "Together?" he asked.
"I think the two of you could use some time together, seeing as how you are the cause of most of the trouble around here. It may be good for the rest of the mission to keep you busy for a day." She gave her orders and left the room.
Buck looked at his partner in punishment and was greeted only with Ike looking in the other direction. Buck was willing to try to make friends with the unusual boy, but the feeling didnt seem to be mutual. Ike was upset that he had jumped into a fight to save his sister and now he was having to spend the day with the Indian, and still didnt know if his sister was okay.
Ike tried to get up but the pain in his side kept him from doing so. He lied back down and stared at the ceiling. When he thought that Buck wasnt looking he would stare at the Indian thinking of what his life was like. When Buck would look back in his direction he would pretend to be looking at something else, or go back to staring at the ceiling. Buck was confused as to why Ike had jumped into his fight in the first place. He knew Ike was beaten up enough on his own, and he had been beaten up plenty of times without Ike jumping in to help. Buck held his right arm tightly with his left hand. He had fallen onto that arm and it was throbbing with pain. He dreaded the scrubbing that he would have to do the next day.
Maggie finally convinced Sister Sarah to let her go in to see Ike. Maggie herself wasnt hurt much at all. The older boy had thrown her out of the fight before anybody could hurt her. She walked into the room and Ikes eyes lit up.
"Oh Ike! Are you okay?"
Ike nodded modestly. He rubbed his side and grimaced to show her where he was hurting. He pointed at her and raised one eyebrow quizzically.
"Oh Im fine. Roger threw me onto the ground before I could do anything. I think I may have a little bruise."
"You were there?" Buck asked, overhearing the conversation.
"Im tired of seeing those bullies pick on everyone else. I guess I just thought I could help you." Maggie looked at her feet realizing how silly it probably sounded.
"So you jumped in to save her?" Buck asked Ike. His tone was a little bitter at the realization that a girl had tried to rescue him and he had been giving the credit to Ike.
Ike returned Bucks comment with a glare and looked away.
"I should have known you werent trying to help me." Buck commented. He looked up at Maggie, "Thanks for your concern. I can take care of myself though without a girl jumping in for me."
"Didnt look that way to me." Maggie said, her voice almost broken up by her emotions from hearing his coarse words. "Next time you can let those bullies beat you up for all I care." She turned toward Ike. "Im sorry I got you into this Ike. I guess Sister Sarah has given you some sort of punishment huh?"
Ike nodded and glared at Buck. "We have to clean the sanctuary," Buck explained. "She wants the two of us to spend quality time together or something like that," he added with the same bitter tone as earlier.
"Im sorry Ike. I should have never gotten into all this. Do you need anything? I think I am going to check on Sunshine for you."
Ike shook his head. Buck watched the girl leave with a slight feeling of remorse for being so rude with her.
"I dont care if you are hurting, maybe the pain will keep you from fighting next time." Sister Sarah lectured the boys as they started scrubbing the pews in the sanctuary. Ike had started with the bucket and brush on one end of the sanctuary while Buck positioned himself on the far side as if to stay as far from each other as possible. Both boys worked in silence while scrubbing the first four pews. Slowly they were working towards each other and both boys were hesitant to act friendly to the other.
"Um Ike?" Buck broke the silence after almost a whole morning of working.
Ike looked at him, almost startled by the words.
"Thank you for helping out yesterday. I know you were just protecting your sister, but I should have been more appreciative anyway." His tone was that of a forced apology, but Ike knew that none of the sisters would have put him up to such a thing.
Ike looked back and shrugged modestly as if to accept the apology. He quickly looked away and began to scrub again. He didnt feel like trying to talk with Buck and get into more trouble for not having the sanctuary cleaned.
They continued along in a silence less awkward than before for another couple of hours. When they took a short break to get some water Buck sat next to Ike on one of the pews they had yet to clean.
"There are so many different Indian tribes in the plains, each that have their own language. To talk with each other we have this sign language. I learned it while I was with the Kiowa, maybe I could teach some of it to you?" Buck made the suggestion not knowing what the mute-boys response would be.
Ike looked at Buck and raised an eyebrow while trying to restrain a feeling of excitement at the idea.
"Well, if I teach you and your sister a little bit, you would be able to talk to the two of us at least. I dont know how many white men know Indian sign."
Ikes pulse began to race with excitement. He didnt care if anybody else understood him, but if he could talk with Maggie without writing everything down life would be so much easier. His eyes widened and he anxiously nodded his head. Buck smiled, relieved that he and Ike might become friends. He began teaching him immediately.
The two boys had forgotten about the cleaning duties before them and worked on signing for about an hour when Sister Sarah came to check on them. Both boys quickly grabbed a brush and began scrubbing on the pew as if they had been working. The experienced nun was not fooled.
"Since you two are enjoying your time together I assume you will not mind working in here during recess for the next week." Ike suppressed a smirk at the comment, knowing that the worst punishment would be for her to make him attend recess. Buck simply dropped his eyes and tried his best to act upset but obedient.
"Yes maam," Buck replied for the two of them.
"It is almost time for supper. I expect you to clean up a little before joining the others. This afternoon perhaps I will have one of the other sisters sit in here to make sure you do your work instead of fooling around." Sister Sarah left the boys with the instructions and left the sanctuary. She already could hardly tolerate the two boys on their own, but the thought of them teaming up horrified her. She secretly feared the Indian, and she never attempted to understand Ike, since his sister usually explained what she needed to hear. As she walked away the thought of the two outcasts becoming friends both scared and relieved her.
Maggie had kept herself busy all morning. She had tried to talk with Shannon about the weird incidence between Ike and Buck, but Shannon didnt seem interested. Maggie hoped that they would get along. Buck seemed mysterious to her, but she wanted more than anything for Ike to make some friends, and Buck had to be lonely too. Maggie went to the small library at the mission and decided to take her mind off of her brother by reading one of the few books that the school kept for the children. Maggie had become fond of reading the stories that let her escape to the outside world of normalcy. She hoped that one day she and Ike would be able to leave the mission school and had a normal life. She even imagined of falling in love and being able to start a family of her own. All of this seemed so impossible to her from inside the walls of the mission school, so for the moment she was content to read about others who were able to pursue this dream.
Ike and Buck cleaned up and joined the others for supper. Maggie joined Ike in the dining area and was excited to see that he and Buck were sitting together when she arrived. Ike even seemed to be almost glowing with excitement when she arrived.
"How was your day?" she asked.
Ike gave her a thumbs up and motioned something to Buck.
"Im going to start teaching Ike Indian Signs so he can talk. I would like to teach you too so that you can understand."
Ike looked at Maggie anxiously. "Indian Signs?" she asked.
"There are so many different languages in the different tribes that they developed a language with hand gestures so that they could communicate between tribes. I can teach Ike and he can use the signs to talk with other people who know it."
Maggie sat as if thinking about the idea for a moment. She was concerned for Ike and that people would start associating him with Indians and for some reason push him away more. She figured he couldnt really be more of an outcast from society, and the thought of communicating with her brother more easily began to excite her.
"Sounds great to me," Maggie said to the relief of Ike. "But we better keep it a secret from Sister Sarah, I dont think she would approve."
"Why not?" Buck questioned defensively.
"Well um You know how they have been trying to make you give up your Indian ways. I would hate for them to decide that you are being a bad influence on Ike and keep you two apart." Maggie tried to say the uncomfortable statement with some tact. Buck nodded in understanding.
And that was how it all began. The rest of that week Buck taught Ike all of the signs that he could remember. Whenever Maggie could, she would meet with Buck to start learning the signs. Ike gradually began using the signs to talk with Maggie and Buck. Suddenly he felt like he was a part of the speaking world, even if it was only his own small corner. The three of them developed their own signs for the terms that the Indians didnt use, such as some of the religious activities at the mission. Eventually the three children became inseparable.
TO BE CONTINUED...
