Chapter 13- Normalcy

The weeks after the trip to Philadelphia were quite calm. With summer turning into fall the harvest was fast approaching and most of the adults were preparing for it. This left John and Eli to their own devices mostly. 

The two boys continued their lessons from both their academic tutors and from Alois. As the teachers began to push the boys harder due to their competence a clear division in skill was formed. While both boys were intelligent and skilled enough to get a small compliment from Alois John vastly outperformed Eli in academic studies, which did not seem to bother the other boy at all. While Eli showed a better proficiency in swordsmanship, something that initially irked John, he eventually realized that Eli was simply more passionate about that particular subject and thus got better. 

It was one late autumn day in early September after the two boys finished their dueling for the day. The results of that afternoon's duels were 6 wins to 4 losses in Eli's favor, a margin that had improved from the days when Eli would in seven to eight of the day's bouts. As the two pass the wheat fields near the home they stop and watch the workers harvest the golden stalks in large batches. 

They sit down to rest for a bit as even after all the training they had endured somehow Alois would find new ways to exhaust them every time. As they watched them cut and stack the wheat John had an idea. 'What if you had a scythe that stacked the wheat for you.' 

The idea seemed too good to not have already been invented. Pulling out his notebook and JC Pencil, it felt really good using his product, and he began sketching. What he drew was a new kind of scythe. It would have an E-shaped piece over the blade to catch and stack the wheat once it was cut. 

He has been trying to rely on his gift as little as possible to never get reliant on it and become lazy. But this invention was special, it was the first one he made without using it and so once it was finished he decided to check to see if it had already been invented. 

Feeling the slight ache in his head images flashed in his head. It was an invention that would be invented but not yet. It was called a grain cradle, a simple tool that revolutionized how grains could be harvested. 

Passing the notebook over to Eli he said, "Hey, could you take a look at this? Do you think this could work and help the field hands?"

By this time in the two boys' relationship, Eli knew that John had moments of genius that would create something new. He had seen the notebook and all the ideas that filled it and knew that once the day came that those ideas could be implemented then all hell would break loose. So he took the notebook and gave a quick look at the page that John just drew. His eyes widened slightly with shock as he realized what John had drawn.

"This is genius, you could harvest so much quicker with this." But then his smile drops a bit, "but it is too late in the harvest to make and implement them now, you would have to wait for the next harvest before you can  use these."

"Yeah, you're right," John says with a slightly dejected tone. "But still, maybe I could manufacture these and sell them over the summer. That would earn a good amount of money."

Nodding and handing the notebook back the two boys get up, feeling every muscle they have ache as they do so, and begin to walk back to the house. 

Reaching the front porch they say goodbye for the day as Eli turns left and heads back to his house. Walking up the stairs John enters his home and turns the corner following the familiar path to his grandpa's study.

Turning the corner he enters the all too familiar mess that he has grown to love and become accustomed to over his life. 

"Grandpa, you in here," he says projecting his voice the best he can. "I have an idea for something that I think you like"

After a few seconds of quiet, he hears a crash coming from a door leading into the hall. Opening it he sees down the hallway and another crash comes from the kitchen. It's too early in the afternoon for dinner, the cook wouldn't begin for another hour. So carefully he pulls out his training saber, and while blunted it still looks intimidating. 

Creeping close to the door in the stealth form Alois taught him he slowly turns the handle and opens the door. Looking around the room he sees a figure hunched over in the corner of the room, the figure ensconced in shade. 

"Who's there!" John shouts toward the figure in the most adult voice that his 11-year-old voice could muster.

The figure lets out a deep cry of surprise as it turns around. Seeing the figure leads John to lower his sword and develop an exasperated facial expression. 

Standing in front of him is his grandfather with a plate of apple pie in one hand and a fork with a large piece in the other.

"My goodness John, you scared me." He says breathing heavily, "Why did you have your sword out?"

  "I thought you were an intruder. Wait, why are you sneaking around the kitchen?" John says being even more confused as he realizes what is happening.

"It is your mother, she is doing her best to keep me eating healthy, but this is the harvest. This time of year is when all the food is the best and the freshest," he says in his orator's voice, "Plus I own the house, so I will eat all the pie I want." saying this he straightens his back and puts the fork in his mouth.

"Then why are you hiding if you can, 'Eat all the pie you want,' Just eat it in the kitchen," said John in a sarcastic tone.

This immediately causes him to shrink a bit and swallow, "Your mom inherited her mother's ability to shame me into eating healthy." Pointing the fork at John, "Wait until you're old enough to get properly scolded, then you'll understand." 

Smirking and shaking his head for a second, "Clean up and don't let Mom see you, I'll meet you in your office, I have another idea."

Hearing John has a new idea causes William to perk back up and he continues eating the pie, but at a rather brisk pace. 

After waiting in the office for a short while in a char across his grandfathers desk William enters the room with a napkin he is using to clean his mouth before tossing it away. Sitting down across from him at John pulls out his notebook flips to the page with the grain cradle and slides it across the table. 

His grandfather had a similar reaction to Eli when he saw the invention. With all the possibilities rushing though his he got the same smile that had always popped up whenever John did something incredible.