Chapter 2: Finally awake

Johnathan Carpenter was waking up one morning in bed, like any other baby there were very few thoughts in his head. It was a day in what seemed like the spring of an unknown year. John stopped for a second. How did he know what spring was? Wait, how was he talking in his head? Suddenly in an instant, he started to cry as a lifetime, albeit a short one, of knowledge poured into the young three-year-old's head. A short while after the crying began a set of hurried footsteps came from beyond the room door.

The door opened quickly and revealed a woman, rather tall with flowing brown hair, verdant green eyes, and a face that seemed to be unmarred by any passage of time. Leaning over the crib she puts on a small worried smile.

"Oh my sweet John are you okay, do you need to change, are you hungry?"

Looking up at the woman John has a few memories rush back into his head. This person is Martha Carpenter his mother. Smiling at the woman he lifts his hands in motion to try and reach her.

Giving a small smile, "You want to go for a walk, then let us go." Leaning down some more she picks him up and sets him on a nearby table and puts a small coat over him.

Getting a better look at the room John is quickly startled. The room is rather large with pale blue-painted plaster walls. A simple red rug on the ground covers what is probably a wooden floorboard. A very small fireplace sat at the foot of the wall to the left and just next to it was a widow covered by a set of grey drapes. Seeing the decor of the room brings out a small bit of joy in young Stevens's heart.

'Wait no, my name is Jonathan' he thinks to himself. But I have memories of a man named Steven. These thoughts run through his head as his mother walks with him in her arms throughout their house. While he is dealing with his increasingly conflicting thoughts he doesn't fail to notice the fine quality of the house and its furnishings.

Stepping out of a door at one end of a hallway John is astonished at what he sees. Stretching out in front of him around 100 yards from his porch there are almost endless fields of green immature wheat billow in the wind with the occasional dirt path cutting through the calm pasture.

Both he and his mother notice that John has finally stopped crying. Holding him so that he gets a better view of the fields she giggles.

"I am forever grateful that the family's farm can calm you down, if not I believe that you would have driven every denizen of the estate mad from your crying."

Internally John feels annoyed at the snide comment at his remark but also appreciates that he finally was able to calm down and reflect upon his situation. As his mother puts him down on a bench and sits next to him he feels his mind come together. He remembers his former life, one that seemed far more advanced than the one he lived in now. He remembers that he died and met with a being of light that transformed him into a childhood hero. And he remembered a few things from his current life. His name is Johnathan Carpenter, he has a mother named Martha Carpenter, and they live with his grandfather a man named William Carpenter on his farm.

While reminiscing he notices something strange, he remembers too much. His memories feel like words in a textbook or videos online, not like his actual experiences, but no that isn't what surprises him. He seems to remember everything he learned. Being a nerd with ADHD in his past life this makes his knowledge span over many topics but he remembers everything he read about, from science to history and math there is almost too much of it to keep track of.

Sitting on the porch for what seems like forever his mother left for a bit to oversee dinner leaving John on his own to finish his realizations about his situation in life. His panic attacks and anxiety are far from gone but he can at least remain calm for now.

Taking a deep breath he sees in the distance that the sun is beginning to set and the calm blues of the sky are replaced by the warm and vibrant oranges and reds of the evening. As the sky begins to shift galloping can be heard in the distance.

For the next minute or so the galloping continues to get closer and grow louder until a man on a large black stallion rides into view. Stopping in front of the house the man dismounts and hands the reigns to a nearby farmhand. Seeing him come into view clarifies to John who this is.

The tall man wearing a green tailcoat with a tricorn hat covering his neatly kept grey hair is William Carpenter, his maternal grandfather. His grandfather turns toward the house and seeing him on the bench gets a large grin plastered across his face.

"JOHNATHAN" he bellows with a giddy voice as he jogs towards him. Hopping up the steps he picks him up and holds him high above the ground and lightly tosses him up.

"What are you doing out here all alone young man, where is that daughter of mine?" before holding him a bit closer to the ground and looking at him with a smile plastered on his face. "Then I guess we'll have to go find her."

Carrying John inside William brings them both into a large room lit by candlelight with his mom and what appears to be a serving girl setting the table and bringing out the food.

Hearing the two of them enter Martha looks up, "Ah, father you brought little John inside at the perfect time, Dinner is almost set, put John down and take a seat."

Doing as his daughter asks the family settles into dinner as the same servant girl from earlier brings out a roast bird of some sort and a bottle of some kind of alcohol.

"Thank you, Susan, now Father any news from Philadelphia about the war," Martha asks while pouring herself a drink.

"Well, not much new news as of right now. The damn French, they just had to build those forts in Ohio," poring himself a drink and taking a swig he continues, "This war will either save the colonies or doom us to subjugation, but things at look promising right now even after a year of fighting."

Hearing this memories flood into Johns's mind as information emerges, 'a war fought over the Ohio Valley, the French and Indian War of 1753, and if it has been a year then this must be 1754. He must be in colonial America, most likely Pennsylvania.'

John is spoonfed a bit of soup by his mother for a while before she continues talking with her father.

'This is a big shock to me but my mother and grandfather seem like good people and they both seem to care about me' John ponders. 'I should do something nice for them.'

Sitting and thinking for a bit longer he decided to give his new mother a gift. For the next minute, random noises come from Johns's place at the table. Everyone dismisses them because most babies make strange noises that mean nothing, but then in an instant one sound comes from John's mouth.

"Maa-Tah."

Both his mother, grandfather, and the serving girl Susan all freeze in an instant before Martha runs over with a face of pure glee.

"Father, Father, did you hear him he said Martha, he said my name"

William quickly walks over and with an equally happy face says, "I know I know." He then turns to John. "Now Johnathan, says, Will. Will, Will"

He tries this for a bit longer before giving up and sitting down with a defeated smirk.

After dinner, he is brought back to bed and put down for the night. Lying in bed John thinks to himself.

"This is a new life, a new chance. And I will do my best to live for myself and the people I care for."