by Bre Faucheux
Jamison repeatedly told her that God had clearly meant for them to have a peaceful existence, yet they had to find their own way. He claimed he knew it the moment God had granted him a sister, and that she would be his guiding light. She knew of no other brother in the world who had been so accommodating and doting upon a younger sibling. And she was grateful for it as most brothers would not see the use in educating and teaching a young woman, particularly one not of noble stature. Yet his faith told him that the land they were headed toward would be one of great prosperity and truth. He placed everything they had built into the hands of this one ship and the others that followed surrounding them nearby. She only knew how to place her faith within him, and that he knew what was best for her. But nothing about the expanse of sea surrounding them gave her comfort.
The air around them was too quiet even with all the men working behind them. The sea was too calm, yet rocky, and the sky was too broad. Any force that lay ahead of them could propel their lives any way it chose. And these forces lingered on her subconscious more than any words of comfort Jamison could give her. Dark forces lived beneath the water’s depth. She knew her brother would not understand this. And she hoped he would never have to.
***
Madison awoke that night hours before dawn with an agonizing pain in her stiff neck. The walls around her appeared closer and closer together each morning. The only way to make things appear even blacker was to shut her eyes. The darkness imitated what she knew lay beneath her feet below the waters the ship floated upon.
Finally deciding that fresh air was the only way to find any solace this one night, she felt around herself for the edge of the bed and crawled off the thin layer of feathered bedding below her.
Her feet found the cold surface of wood, but her shoes were almost impossible to feel out. She elected to go without them and pushed the door open next to her bed, leading herself once again up those fateful steps to the decks above. With each step she felt as though she were walking towards some unknown precipice. The gentle breeze swept across her face, and she sighed some relief. The moon lit up the deck and revealed all the men who slept on board the decks at night. She walked through them trying her best not to wake anyone, glad for the little light that the moon provided. She gracefully placed her hands upon the edge of deck just above the bow and squeezed the wood beneath her fingers as though it may give way under her hands. A few weeks ago she would not have dared to bring herself to the ship’s edge by herself, but the feeling of darkness within that room, which before had felt like the only place aboard the ship that she could call her own, had become unbearable. She knew if she were merely caught out in the open in her night robes and bare feet that she would be chastised by her brother. But after all, he had suggested that she witness the night sky at some point.
She gazed out into the expanse of ocean before her. The stars were indeed incredible at this time of night. And the light of the moon laid a gentle glaze over the water, making its depths appear blue. Only a few clouds streaked across the sky before her, just barely out of reach from the stars above.
She had no true idea of what drew her to come out alone without her brother there to hold her hand. Left with nothing but fear before, she now felt that she needed to see the darkness for herself. Something was drawing her attention forward, compelling her to see what lay ahead.
From the corner of her eye, she spotted what looked like a black spot on the horizon. She was not even sure of what it could be upon first seeing it. She turned her attention to the man resting in his seat above her on the higher deck in the back of the ship. He was meant to look out for anything sinister in nature, but his eyes were closed, his face worn with exhaustion and his mouth hanging partially open. Madison looked back to the spot on the horizon. The frigid air suddenly struck her and sent a chill down her tender skin leaving small bumps along her arms and legs. She could only imagine it was land. It had to be. Men had been speaking days prior of hearing birds singing off from the distance and faint traces of branches and leaves had begun to linger in waters beneath them. At the beginning of their journey she would have reveled in the thought of her feet touching solid ground again for the first time in weeks. Part of her never expected to see land again.
Their journey across the ocean had struck such rumors amongst the ship’s crew that there was nothing to be found in these oceans but death and eternal length of the sea. But the sight of land did not calm her as it should have. And her shivers from cold were not due to the gentle breeze that struck her slender frame. This land was not one of peace as her brother had expected they would find. And the clouds in the sky now looked more like dark curtains attempting to cover something one was not meant to witness.
She could almost hear the excitement that would break through her brother’s voice once he heard the news that land had been sighted when dawn approached. He would undoubtedly bring her atop the ship’s decks again to experience the excitement firsthand. Madison turned and discreetly made her way back to her room and threw the sheet back on top of herself, grabbing it in her tightly clenched fists. She had no desire to see this land again. It would only bring hope to the eyes of the crewmen and her brother. She knew inside not to trust the cries of joy…not to let them fool her into believing that this land would be good to her brother. She continued to sense the darkness beneath her and now which lay ahead. But she dared not voice any of her suspicions, knowing that they would be regarded as a woman’s delusions of danger around every corner. Jamison already told her that she worried enough to embody multiple women’s fears rather than just her own.
She closed her eyes and tried to let sleep take over the sense of dread. All she could see beneath her eyes was darkness again. The darkness of the room, the darkness of the sea beneath her, and now the dark curtain of clouds that engulfed the land they would soon encounter. Danger lurked all around them, and she knew she was the only one there who could sense it so clearly.
***
Jamison gently rocked his sister’s shoulder awake. She had managed to fall back asleep quicker than she thought she would. Her drowsy eyes met the only source of calm she knew within her current surroundings when she saw Jamison looking down on her.
“Come now. Come. Wake yourself and dress quickly. There is much to see,” he said smiling.
“What is it?” said Madison. It took her a moment to remember that Jamison had not yet seen the sight of land as she already had.
“Land, my dear. We have finally found land. It is beautiful. You must come see for yourself. And no arguing this time. They will be sending crew to the shores soon to prepare for our departure from the ship.”
“Are they certain that it is safe? We don’t know what inhabits these lands?” she said.
Jamison smiled and brought his hand behind her head, giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead. “Stop this incessant worry. They will be fine, as will we. Today we start our new life.” With that he opened the door behind him and left their small room.
Madison breathed in slowly and removed her blankets, reaching below for her shoes. This time she managed to find them and slip them on without having to graze her hands along the floor of the room. She dressed with haste, but not with the quickness her brother probably imagined she might have. Granted she had already seen this land, she did not feel the need to hurry.
As she stood upon the deck again, she saw the land in a way that she had not expected. It was large now and clear in view, no longer a small blackened space with twilight surrounding it. It was large and rocky with sands beneath the cliffs above. Trees lined the green and grassy moss that fell over the length of the black and grey crags. Sheets of white caressed the bottom where the waters crashed into their firm exterior. The sun hit her back and warmed the soft blue cloth that touched her pale skin. Her mind was slightly more at ease feeling warmth on her body rather than the chill she had felt the previous night. The air around her that had once felt so condemning had a glimmer of hope in it. But she sens
ed that her newly found optimism was only hope for Jamison’s disappointment not being realized.
She went to the bow and placed her hands to one side. Jamison took his arm around her shoulders and leaned her to him for comfort. His warmth with the sun behind her forced any sense of cold to abandon her. Even the spray of the sea as waters splattered slightly aboard their small ship didn’t give her chills. She could feel Jamison’s warmth permeating around her, not just in physical form, but spiritually. He wanted her happiness here as much as she wanted her own suspicions to be wrong.
“You will see soon sister. It will be a few months of building and painstaking work to build our new home. Undoubtedly, this will be rough as our hands have not met hard labor in quite some time. But we will build our own future. We will make this place our own. It is our own now.”
Madison turned to face him, trying to put her faith in his words. His eyes did not meet hers. Rather, they looked forward, seeing the potential in the land before them. She looked forward as well trying to see what he did so effortlessly.
“I believe you,” she said, choosing to not let him see into her concerns. “This is where we will rebuild everything we have lost. Soon England will be a distant memory.”
Jamison smiled again and rubbed her shoulder in reassurance. It was these small gestures that made Madison feel a pain of guilt in her stomach. She knew that as her brother and her only provider that her faith should lie within him, that she should follow him without a doubt in the world and that he knew what was best for both of them. But as their small boat touched the sands and Jamison stepped off, splashing water about from beneath his boots, her fears returned without any yielding.
Madison set her feet upon the pebbled ground and made her way towards the sands only feet away, all the while never taking her eyes off the forest before her. The two cliffs she had seen from the ship lined the edge of the forest leading to what appeared to be a valley on the other side. Its profound beauty was undeniable. Birds sang around her and looped in a circle surrounding their small boat behind them. Jamison took her hand and led her toward the wooded area before them. She hesitated and pulled back on his arm for a moment as she took in the large scale of trees towering over them, their dark brown and green branches loomed over their heads as if they were pointing to the sea behind them.
“Come now, let us explore a little,” he said.
“Should we not wait for the others? We don’t know what is-,” he cut her off before she could finish.
“We will not venture out far. I only want to see what lay beyond these trees. I see light coming from behind them. Can you not see it?”
“We can see it from here, Jamie,” she said.
“Oh, come now. You are starting to bother.” He tugged her arm by the wrist. “Honestly, Madison, I expect you to be braver in the coming months. You always claim that your sex is not given enough credit. Now prove it.” The fact that he would chose now to keep her true to her principles was almost as irritating as the hand that guided her unwillingly into the forest.
The woods were quiet, although not silent. Any quieter and it may have unsettled Jamison as well. But his intrigue for what lay ahead guided him to the valley they could faintly see through the trees. Madison followed with haste trying to keep up with his curious pace. They came upon the outline of the trees to the grassy valley. A streaming light shown along the skirt of the sides and flowers trailed throughout the grassy ground. It was indeed pleasing to the eyes and well protected by the cliffs towering on each side. They steadied down to the valley and rolling hills just in the distance, and then more forestry along the edges of those hills. It appeared as though this valley had been specially carved from the earth just for their purpose. It was also a fair area to begin building as the stream would provide water. Although, it was still too soon to know if this was their new home. It had to be determined if animals lived nearby for hunting, if crops could be grown, and if there was an area to lookout for protection. For now Madison attempted to take in the wondrous landscape before her, which was truly more beautiful than any sight she had previously beheld in England. Their previous home had become dreary, dark, damp, and colder than she thought possible. And this area was protected from the harsh winds that always left her skin raw back home. Only a light breeze from the sea touched her frame now. The mixture of the scent of the green grasses, the pine, and sea was unlike any fragrance she had taken in.
Jamison led them to the small stream and took out a small jug that once held wine. He filled it to the brim and stored it back safely into his tunic pocket under his coat. Madison turned and saw others coming through the border of the trees to gaze upon the beautiful colors that spread across the grass running along the valley. Smiles broke across their faces as if all their doubts or fears had suddenly been silenced.
She glanced over to the other side of the trees opposite her. A slight movement caught her eyes and she gazed heavily towards a small figure opposite her. He was large enough to see, but one could miss him easily as he barely moved. He only observed. He was hardly clothed that she could see and his black hair fell across one shoulder and down the length of his chest just as her own did when she did not have it tied up tightly beneath cloth. And his skin was darker than Jamison’s became in the warmth of summer. But before she could observe anything else about him, he was gone. So quickly that it was quite possible that she had never seen him.
She walked a short distance to the woods and glared into the darkness behind the trees. They were too misty from the morning dew to see anything. And yet she was certain she had seen someone. Perhaps someone else within their party had followed them. But she did not know of any other women on board the ships who had long black hair. She knew not of any man in their party with hair that long or thick either. And his bare chest, she was sure he was only partially clothed.
“What do you make of it? Could you be happy here?” asked Jamison. Madison turned quickly as he broke her train of thought.
“Yes. Quite happy.” She nodded with a soft smile, her eyes wondering to look closer at the valley beyond them. Perhaps it had been one from amongst their group. There was great reason for excitement amid the crew and the passengers. She could expect some to walk around without the slightest apprehension.
Jamison broke her silent thoughts again.
“Come along. There is much to get done before nightfall. Perhaps some of the men would be willing to explore for food. There must be animals close to shore.”
“I will leave that to you men. Simply bring me whatever you find and I will do what I can for a meal.”
3
3 Months Later
Time passed quickly with nothing of consequence disturbing their new home. There was no longer any reason for Madison to feel uneasy. The weather was mild, although they expected that to change and prepared for a bleak winter in the months to come. Living in the harsh cold of England taught them to adapt to almost anything and prepare for the worst should it be necessary. They knew better than to be fooled by the landscape’s lovely appearance upon first glance when it came to preparing for a long winter that was bound to come.
The clay and wooded logs they found near shore helped to create small lodgings that appeared more like huts. Yet they were as stable as anything they had created in the small townships of England. Any scraps that could be found upon shore were used for roofing and it proved to work well. Madison even admired her brother’s work as he tended to each lodging of the crew. He worked with everyone to make sure each home was up to his own adequate standards. If not better than anything they had previously. Only those of high gentility could build large homes that would survive the rain and brutal wind. Yet these appeared just as strong. Jamison took great pains to make sure everyone had proper stability in their private quarters. Much to Madison’s surprise, he had almost taken on the position of caring for the outcome of everyone’s comfort. He desperately wanted a place in this new village they had formed together and saw it essent
ial to their continuity. He also told Madison that she should do the same and make as many acquaintances as possible. Her silent nature that she took under during their journey would not be ideal for their new life. She needed to know these people and to learn what mattered to them. Jamison said it was not only necessary, but Christian. She was always surprised by his perception of how a proper Christians should behave. Others in England had been shunned and repudiated and sometimes killed in the name of a God she always felt unfamiliar with. But Jamison took this God within himself as a being of light and charity. He never withheld his hand from one who asked for help and did his utmost best to treat others as though they were of his family. Strangers were friends, and friends were family. Although, she knew no one could replace her in his eyes. He often looked at her knowing that she was his only companion. They depended upon each other for that companionship in a way no one outside their circle could alter.
Jamison’s tanned trousers and white tunic were nearly soaked in sweat from the day’s heat as he stood atop one man’s lodging, binding together one of the roofs they had built with a type of thin rope, possibly once used on the ship for the same purpose of binding. His shoulder length dark brown hair was tied behind his neck, pieces of it slipping in front of his light blue eyes, almost translucent in the harsh light of the sun. He had become quite bronzed from working so many long weeks in the heat. He relished the warmth it provided them and took it in as often as he could; not ever having been familiar with such warmth as their previous climate had turned violent with cold. He jumped down from the roof top and landed perfectly on his feet admiring his work as Madison watched nearby.
