Chapter Two

Jesse, son of Abijah considered himself to be a good man and an even better farmer. 

Born to a long line of farmers, he had inherited an innate affinity for all things crops and livestock and as a result he had become a successful man – at least as successful as anybody in Mettledown could be. He had a moderately sized farm with which he fed his family and he sold what was left for a tidy profit. He was a good role model in their community where everyone knew everyone. 

Mettledown itself wasn't very large. As a boy, Jesse had wanted nothing more than to leave Mettledown in search of something more but as he grew up, he fell in love with the small village. He settled down and married Elsa, daughter of Denki the baker. It wasn't long before Elsa became pregnant and gave birth to his first son – Eliab. Jesse had never been happier in his life.

A few years down the road, Jesse made the biggest mistake of his life. Nine months later, a baby was delivered to his doorstep – a physical reminder of his mistake. A single note was in the little basket that bore the child– His name is Gideon.

It was another three years before Elsa would even lay in the same bed with him. The sting of his betrayal was too much for her to bear. When she finally let him into their marriage bed again, she conceived and gave him another child. A beautiful girl whom he named Elizabeth. She was the very image of her mother with her blue eyes and flaxen blond hair. 

The boys though, Eliab and Gideon were more like him with dark hair and dark eyes. Where Eliab was tall and broad shouldered, his younger bastard brother was leaner in stature and would probably never be the tallest man in any room. Unfortunately, they were not the closest of siblings. Part of it was due to their age difference between them but Jesse knew that Elsa had cautioned her son against associating with his bastard son. Gideon had idolized his elder brother but his brother grew up ignoring him. Gideon had learnt quickly and learnt to stay on his own. 

Not that it mattered, Jesse loved them both equally. It had broken his heart when Eliab had left for Kanaan in pursuit of a different life for himself. It had been worse for his mother, Elsa. He had been her pride and joy. She had started pestering him for another child ever since then but Yachwah had not seen fit to bless them with one. It had only made Elsa's bias towards Gideon even worse and Jesse could do nothing to stop it. Gideon was not the one who sinned but he was the one paying for it.

Since Eliab left for the big city, their family had settled into a routine. Gideon was usually the first to wake, well before dawn. He would sweep the small compound and clean up the house before waking his little sister Elizabeth who would then prepare the pots and pans and make breakfast. Afterwards, he would gather the sheep from the pen and start the trek to Shepherd's hill to the east of the village. Ever since his first son left, Jesse had never been awake when Gideon left with the flock. The boy was always extremely careful not to wake anyone as he went about with his chores. He had perfected the art of moving silently around the house just for that. Jesse had once overheard him boasting to his little sister about how he knew each and every part of the house and which part of the stairs to avoid to remain silent.

So, it was a shock to Jesse when he woke to a loud scream in the house. He was so startled that he fell out of his bed. His wife, Elsa had also jerked awake at the noise. After listening for a few seconds, the sound was unmistakable. 

"Gideon!!" He breathed out alarmed.

Immediately he rushed out of his room, grabbing a lantern from its place on the mantle as he went. His bare feet pounded noisily against the wooden floor as he rushed towards the stairs. At the end of the corridor, close to the stairs, he could see Elizabeth standing at her door eyes wide open in fear but he ignored her in favor of getting to her brother. He dashed past her and scrambled down the stairs.

"Stay with your mother" He shouted back as he reached the bottom of the stairs. It was dark and the lantern did little to light the way but he knew this house like the back of his hand – better than even Gideon. He eventually reached his son's door and threw the wooden door open in a hurry. 

"Gideon" he shouted, eyes darting all around the room searching for an intruder or any sign of an attack. "Gideon! Where are you?"

Eventually, his eyes adjusted and he made out the thrashing form of Gideon on the bed. He rushed towards him and pulled his blanket off of him. He placed the lantern on the floor next to the bed. Gideon's slim frame continued thrashing even as Jesse tried to shake him awake. His skin felt hot to his touch.

"Gideon. Wake up, boy! Gideon!" The boy continued thrashing and started babbling in a language that Jesse did not understand. Jesse turned towards the door where Elsa stood with a worried Elizabeth. His sweet daughter had never taken to her mother's teaching concerning his illegitimate son. She was closer to him than she had ever been to Eliab.

"He's burning up. Get a cloth and a bowl of water. Quick!" He ordered his wife.

Even as she turned to fetch it, he could make out the frown on his wife's face. She had never liked Gideon and she had never liked him showing any care or worry for him. He was a living, breathing sign that her husband had laid with another woman. She was careful not to be outrightly cruel to him, but she had never shown him any form of love either. Truthfully, it was the best he could ask from her. 

Jesse turned back to the boy. He was no longer thrashing but his babbling had grown louder and more intense. He tore off the boy's shirt, it was already soaked through from his sweat and he tried to dab his face with the edge of his own shirt. 

"Come on, Gideon. Wake up. Wake up, son" Jesse begged. He could feel fear slowly creeping up his chest, stretching to grip at his heart. It was not uncommon for people in Mettledown to lose a child or two to strange illnesses. It was just the way of things. That was why a lot of families had at least three children. To have spares to carry on the family name. Jesse, himself had been the second child his mother had given birth to. She had lost his elder brother two years before he was even born. She never spoke about him but Jesse knew it had been a pain she carried to the day she died. Jesse had hoped to spare himself such pain but it was looking more and more inevitable as the boy's babbling grew louder.

"Where's the water?!" He shouted, helplessly holding on to his son. "Elsa! Where's the water?"

Abruptly, the babbling stopped. Jesse turned to Gideon who hung limp in his arms. Elsa was now back with the bowl and she stood silently behind him watching. 

"Papa. Is he okay?" Elizabeth asked from the doorway.

Jesse was too scared to answer. Gideon laid unmoving in his arms. There was no rise or fall to his chest and he was too scared to check for a pulse. He could feel the strange chill spreading in his chest now, it had his heart firmly in its grasp. 

"Papa?" Elizabeth's voice was closer now but Jesse could barely hear her. He was frozen to the spot. His vision was hazy. Was he crying? His son's chest was not moving anymore. He swallowed and whispered his name, hoping he would hear. Maybe he was playing a prank. Maybe it was an elaborate joke. But he knew Gideon was not like that. The boy was always too serious for his own good. Too quiet. Too brooding. 

"Jesse" Elsa's soft voice was just by his ear. Jesse didn't pay attention even when she placed a hand on his shoulder. He was frozen to the spot. Gideon's chest was not moving anymore.

His eyes blurred as tears began to build up like a rushing river behind a dam. "Gideon?" He heard his own voice break as he cradled his head closer to him. "Gideon? Please boy. Please wake up. Please my son." A tear escaped the dam and ran down his face. 

He looked up at Elsa. She looked genuinely sad. Of course, she is, Jesse chided himself. She wasn't a monster. Elizabeth was visibly sobbing. She was too young to lose a person, let alone her brother. She was only thirteen years old. And just like that the dam broke and the tears came rushing free. 

"I'm sorry," Elsa's voice came quietly. She took a step towards him, perhaps to comfort him but she stopped herself. He must have looked pathetic but he didn't care even as he buried his face into his son's hair. He remembered running his hands through his hair when he was younger. The boy would scowl and complain but it only drove Jesse to do it more. Now he might never get the chance to see his scowl any longer. Dead men don't scowl. Dead men don't make any facial expressions really.

His son was dead. 

"Is he okay? Papa" Elizabeth asked, her voice tiny. She's too young to lose someone. He watched as her mother pulled her into a hug to comfort her. "Papa. What's wrong with Gideon? He was supposed to take me to the fair next week. Is he okay? Papa?"

Jesse wanted to scream but there was no strength left within him. Instead, all his regrets weighed heavily on him. All the things he should have done better. All the things he could take back. There was never going to be another chance. He should have spent more time with his son. He never should have distanced himself to please his wife. Now his son was gone.

Suddenly, his dead son coughed. Jesse immediately turned to him. He placed his ears to his chest. The boy was breathing again. Harsh, deep breaths but he was breathing nonetheless. He was alive.

"Gideon!" Jesse shook him, attempting to wake the boy up. And slowly but surely, his eyes opened revealing his beautiful dark grey eyes to the world.

"Father?" He croaked out and Jesse burst into tearful laughter. 

He had a second chance. To correct his mistakes. To make things right.

His son was alive.