Deerskin - Prologue

Prologue

July

         A man stared out into the fields of corn, his eyes taking in the sight of corn rising high above his six foot frame. It made him smile in satisfaction, if not a little bit of smugness. He knew he’d be able to see this corn for a good price at market and then he and his wife would be doing well. Turning his back to the field he began to hoe the small garden his wife tended. He could help but smile at her, pausing to watch her as she weeded the garden. Sweat was trickling down her brow, her dark hair stick to her neck and curling at her temples. He couldn’t have asked for a better wife than the one that he had married.

         She looked up and he couldn’t help but grin a little as she shook her head and said, “Now Isaac, standin’ there starin’ at me ain’t gonna get this garden fixed up any faster. And don’t think I ain’t seen ya lookin’ at that corn like some sort of proud cock struttin’ his stuff. We can’t put all our apples in a basket and think we’re set. Now come on and help me finish this up so I can go inside and cool off. It’s hot as hell out here.”

         Isaac laughed, “Emma Jean, we’re gonna be set this winter. Hell, I bet ya by the time that we get this all done we’re gonna be able to go to city and buy a house there.” He knelt down and took her hands gently, rubbing the middle of her palm. Her hands were filthy with dirt and he watched her look away as he rubbed against the calluses that were starting to form. A few years ago she didn’t have them, having lived her greatest amount of years in the big city with a wealthy father and a maid who did the house work. That was before her daddy lost all his money to gambling and drinking, becoming a full-fledged lush.

         Her mama had taken her and her siblings and ran from the north back down to the mountains where her family waited for them with open arms. Isaac could still remember the day he had laid eyes on her. The pretty woman with big blue eyes who took in everything with an appreciative eye and talked with a soft voice had fallen from her place in society, but had done so with grace and appreciation of a life without her drunkard daddy. Isaac had courted her, beating out the competition because of his good looks and reputation as a good farmer, who didn’t like drinkin’ and was as polite and courteous as you could ask a man to be. Emma Jean always told him that it wasn’t any of those things that made her fall for him. She told him that it was because of his kind heart and gentle ways. Regardless of what it was Isaac could only thank his lucky stars her mama allowed them to marry.

         Now though he felt guilty. His corn hadn’t been sellin’ well the past few years and they had to move out to his granny’s old house, far from the city and their family. Isaac always told Emma Jean they’d go back, make their life better, but he had doubted it would happen. Until now. With all the corn he had planted, he knew he’d make a big sellin’ when it was time to harvest. And with that money he’d invest and make himself more money, buy land to farm more and more. He’d give Emma Jean the life she deserved. Squeezing her hand gently, he said, “Emma Jean I swear to ya, we’ll be good and rich and comfortable. I’ll buy ya the pretty dresses ya used to wear and ya won’t have to work in a garden ever again. You’ll be able to live comfortably again.”

         Emma Jean shook her head and took her hand back, scowling as she picked weeds with more vigor. “I’d take this life to the one I had before.          Now I’ll admit it was… Nice, but it was hard enough dealing with my father when he was drunk, much less all the busybodies that came around.” Isaac stared at her, half surprised that her refined accent had come out so strongly (as it only did when she was passionate about something), half in disbelief that she was reacting this way. Pausing, she looked back at him and sighed softly, “I’m happy here. I swear to you, I am. Ya don’t need to be worryin’ about me any.”

         Isaac sighed softly, but shook his head instead of replying, going back to hoeing the dirt. He knew what was best for her and he wasn’t going to stand another season of her having to work out in the hot July sun when she could be inside living a life of ease. He would have her in a nice house before next winter even if it killed him.



October

         In the early morning of fall, Isaac stood out in front of his house looking at the corn. The months had passed since he had made his internal promise to himself to get himself and his wife into a better place. He had been so sure of himself, so confident that his corn would do well that he was not even thinking of the possibilities of it not working.

         Now though, as he looked at the frost that laid everywhere, he did not know and that scared him. He had done what was needed to take care of his corn, had broken his back trying to take care of it. But the frost that lay was thick. Some of his corn was lying over on its side the frost was laid on so strong. What was standing looked weak.

         Isaac went out into the field slowly, going through the corn that was still standing. How could he have been so foolish? Of course this wasn’t going to work. He should have taken better precautions, should have planted sooner. The mistakes that had been made though could not be undone. Isaac could have screamed his frustration. All he wanted was for his wife to be happy. For them to have a better life. And if he could not give that to them, then what hope was there?

         As he was mourning the loss of what could have been, he looked out to where the trees were thickly settled and saw an odd, luminous yellow light. Pausing, Isaac studied the light, watching as it bounced back and forth, sometimes becoming bright, other times fading that he could barely see it through the fog that was drifting about.

Curiosity began to overtake Isaac’s initial sadness. What could be in the trees? There was no one would lived close to them and certainly no one lived where the trees were so thickly settled. Slowly he started towards the light, hoping that whatever it was would not be scared off by him. While Isaac knew that perhaps he should be scared away from it, he found he could not be. There was a temptation in the light he followed. A need to know what the light was.

         Without knowing where he stepped or how far he traveled, he found himself in the clearing. The light he had followed stopped in the middle. Staring at it, Isaac watched as it settled. It was what he could only describe as an orb, pulsating a golden light that settled on everything it touched. Part of him wanted to reach out and touch it, but some part of him told him he needed to be patient.

         Suddenly, the light’s pulsations became stronger, blinding him. Stumbling back, covering his eyes and trying not to curse. For a few minutes there was nothing but silence. Then a soft voice called out, “Sisters, look, it’s the poor man who has lost his harvest.”

         Isaac slowly removed his hand from his eyes, squinting. The light had dimmed and under the orb now stood three women. Each stared at him with the palest of blue eyes, all three heads tilted to the right. Their skin was a golden brown, with curling dark brown hair hanging to their waist. They were dressed in billowy white dresses that seemed to move around their bodies, though there was no wind in the air.

         Isaac was unable to move, so captivated he was by these women. The woman in the middle smiled, as though she knew the man’s thoughts. Isaac looked down suddenly in embarrassment, not sure what he should do or even say. The soft voice that had spoken before laughed a laugh that caressed Isaac’s skin, causing him to look back up at them. The sister on the right looked at her two sisters and said with a joyful voice, “Sisters, we should help this poor man. He is so good to his wife who has been so good to us.”

         The sister on the left said in a melodious and sincere voice, “We should sisters, we should. His wife has always been so good to us whenever we have needed her, even when she lived by the sea and had no need for us.”

         Confusion was beginning to decorate Isaac’s face, though he was still unable to speak. Who were these women? And how had Emma Jean helped them? While he thought of the possible explanation, the soft voice that had first spoken spoke once more, revealing the voice to belong the woman standing in the middle. It was only when she spoke that Isaac noticed that she differed from her sisters in that around her head was a circlet made of what appeared to be golden leaves.

         “Yes dear sisters, she has been so good to us. Perhaps we could repay her this way,” the woman in the middle said, her voice soft and regal. She stepped forward as her sister’s stayed behind, holding out her hand to the man. “Please, step forward Isaac.”

         “Who… Who are you…?” Isaac asked, his voice half shaking.

         The woman smiled understandingly and said, “My sisters and I are the keepers of nature. Some people call us the Fates. Other people simply refer to us the wood and sea nymphs that decorate your world. For us though, we consider ourselves protectors. My name is Sirena. I bear all responsibility for what happens in this world and decide what must be done.” As she gestured to the right, the woman with the joyous voice stepped forward, smiling an innocent smile. “This is my sister Elma. She is the keeper of joy in the woods and always whispers of good fortune to come.” She gestured to the right and the woman with the melodious stepped forward, a small but almost sad smile upon her face. “This is my sister Sophia. She whispers of things that may be lost if one is not careful. She had long prophesized that your corn may not prosper if you did not plant sooner. Which is why we are here to help you.”

         Isaac looked at the three of them, unsure if these were really women here to help him or if he had simply fallen asleep and was dreaming.          Tentatively he asked, “How… How can ya help me?”

         He paused as Elmira laughed, her face lit up with girlish amusement. “We shall restore your crops for you of course. They will be ripe by mid-November and no frost will fall on them.”

         “But be warned,” cautioned Sophia, her eyes filled with warning. “Nothing is without a price and if you choose our help, it will start a chain you will not be able to get out of.”

         Sirena gravely nodded her head. “It is true. We will restore your crops, but it cannot be free. You must remember us and always be willing to offer up a gift this time of year for five years.”

         “If you do this, then you will live a happy life filled with joyful memories,” Elmira laughed, her eyes lit with amusement.

         “If you forget, then a curse will surely befall you,” Sophia warned, her eyes filled with warning.

Isaac paused, rubbing the back of his neck to try to keep the hairs that were raising on it down. “Curse, ya say?” he asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

         Sirena smiled once more and explained, “If you do not honor us, you will not have happiness. You’re soul will be filled with greed and you will always think there is something missing. Forget us only one time and we will not aid you. The only salvation to save you from this will be your daughter.”

         Isaac stared at them, his eyes widening. Emma-Jean had never said she was pregnant. If she was… This changed everything. He had to care for her. He had to make sure that he cared for his wife and his child. Softly he asked, “What if I have a son?”

         Elmira grinned, “Then you have nothing to fear. Having a son is a gift. If the great beings bless you with a son, the curse will be lifted. But a daughter will take time to take the curse away.”

         “If a girl is what you have, she can lift the curse in time. But the only way for her to do this is to marry,” Sophia added. “These are your fates and only you can choose the path to go down.”

         Isaac was no longer looking at them but instead was staring at the ground. It was a risk… He knew that it was a risk. He could forget… He could forget only one time and it would all be for naught. But to give Emma-Jean the life she once had… To see her not have to break her back working and to know his children were safe and cared for…

         Without another thought, Isaac said, “If ya will do this for me… I’ll honor ya for five years.”

         All three smiled, but also had looks in their eyes that he couldn’t fathom. At one time they were almost sad, as though they knew something he did not. But they also held a knowing, a smugness as though this was all some sort of great scheme that they had just taken the first step in.

Sirena bowed her head to him, then Elmira and Sophia did the same. All three chanted, “We will take care of you and yours, so long as you take care and honor us.” The orb that he had followed was beginning to glow again, the intensity building until he could not see. The last thing he heard as the orb pulsated with light once more was Sirena murmuring, “And so it begins.”

         By the time he opened his eyes, they were gone.



Three years later

         The years that had passed by Isaac seemed to go by so quickly. After his meeting with the mysterious women, his harvest had become so bountiful that it was as though he had grown three times the amount of corn that he had originally planted. Everyone seemed eager to buy it as well, another odd thing that made some suspicious. But Isaac only saw his success as a triumph against those who said he could never provide for his Emma Jean. Finally he could look at those people and smirk, boast his good fortune without feeling the least bit of shame.

         Within six months he was able to buy a house in the city and hire other young men to plant and tend to his field of corn. Slowly he forgot that it was the ladies who called themselves Fates that had helped him. Instead he made up his mind that it had all been a dream, a fantasy that had been made up in his mind while he slept. After all, the Fates had said his wife was with child, yet there had never even been the slightest sign of her pregnancy to occur.

         He made it up in his mind that it was all because of him that he was able to have the success and riches that he did now. He was the one who planted all that corn. He was the one who had worked his back and hands to the bone. And now that he had the riches to show for it, he felt there was no need to continue such hard work. After all, he had made his way in this world; it was time for others to work for him while he reaped the profits.

         Pride and greed slowly began to overtake him until he was hardly recognizable. He had lost his country accent, instead taking a tone of a crisp upper class gentleman. His farmer’s clothes were replaced with fine silks and velvets. His house was filled with trinkets and parties where he entertained those who all wished for a piece of his wealth and favor. His old family was forgotten, even has his mother came down with illness that would eventually take her life. He cared not. He was somebody important now. He had nothing to fear and nothing to lose besides his wealth that he guarded with is life.

         The change was the most evident to Emma Jean. She had taken all these changes in stride, had willingly taught him how to speak properly and act in high society. She found herself back in dresses she had thought she’d never seen again, the focal point in parties and the high society lady she was always destined to be. But she was not happy. Her husband was gone. The handsome man with a kind heart and eyes had slowly disappeared to be replaced with a man she was sure her father would have approved of. She had voiced her concerns to Isaac, only to be met with disdain and scorn. He would ask, “Are you not happy with what you have? Have I not given you everything you could have ever wanted? You are one of the most respected and highly favored ladies in this city and you dare to question me?!”

         Thus Emma Jean changed to suit this new husband. She became silent. She would only speak with spoken to. If he asked her to smile, she would smile. If he asked her to go away, she would politely curtsy and leave the room. She became a woman many would say that had it all, yet still had an emptiness in her eyes.

         “All ‘cause she can’t ‘ave a baby,” the old servants would gossip. “Supposedly a barren woman. Why she been with ‘er ‘usband six years this summer and has yet to even have the least bit swollen belly. She’d done everything she could too for it. Bah, if she could just ‘ave a child of her own, then you’d see a smile on her face.” No truer words were spoken. Emma Jean ached for a child. It did not matter if it was a boy or girl. She only wanted a child she could love and care for. Someone who did not expect her to be anything but a good mother. And she had tried. She and Isaac both had, with little luck. He would blame her and tell her she had best be finding some way to conceive, for he needed sons to take over his estates some day.

         And one day fate smiled on her. She found herself with child. No woman could be happier. There was light in her eyes that no one had ever seen before. All the servants would beam with the light that she brought to the usually gloomy house. Finally, the mistress of the manor was happy and would bring about a wee thing to brighten it even more.

         Isaac was happy too, but for different reasons. He wished for a son. Not a son he could love or one who would even love him. No, he needed a son so his name could be carried on. His name would lead to his own immortality. No one could forget Isaac Akers, one of the richest men in the city. His son would be what led the family into even further greatness. Perhaps even marry a noble person who would make their family name have even greater significance.

         But a thought plagued him in the back of his mind. What should happen if he had a girl? Logically he knew he could just marry her off, but there was something… Something he was forgetting… Something that would happen should his wife ever bore him a daughter…

         The months began to pass though. And slowly he began to not worry about having a daughter. All his friends assured him that with his success and his wife’s pedigree, they were sure to have a strong son.

***

         The night of his wife’s labor came. Her screams of pain could be heard through the house. Isaac paced outside the doorway, impatient that this was taking as long as it was. Before too long a midwife came out, sweat and covered in blood, but smiling at him. He looked at her with contempt he reserved for the lower class and asked, “Is she finally done?”

         The midwife nodded, “Aye, she’s as done as she’s going to be. Holding a beautiful baby-”

         He gave her no chance to finish. He pushed past her and went into the room briskly. He saw his wife laying back in bed, holding a crying babe swaddled with a blanket, it’s little pink face scrunched up as though the light hurt its eyes. Emma Jean was covered in sweat but was smiling, absently pushing her wet brown tendrils away from her forehead. Isaac could not help but notice that she looked happier than she had since their move from the country. For an instance, slight guilt pinged at his shrunken heart. But it quickly passed.

         Brusquely he said, “The babe looks healthy Emma. A strong boy who will lead this family someday as I have. I suppose we shall name him Isaac Akers II. That only makes the most sense and-”

         “It’s not a boy Isaac,” Emma Jean softly interrupted, unable to keep from smiling as she nuzzled the top of the babe’s head. “It’s a beautiful, healthy girl.”

         Isaac stopped dead. Slowly he began to back out of the room, ignoring Emma Jean’s puzzled looks and questions as he darted out of the room. As he made his way to his study, his thoughts raced. A girl… His wife had had a girl. What did this mean? Having a daughter meant… That meant something. Panic was slowly spreading through his body and he had not a clue why. He was trying to make sense of this as he opened his door to his normally darkened study, only to find it already lit up by a light.

         A pulsating, golden orb of light.

         Memories suddenly flooded Isaac’s mind: the Fates, the promise, the curse if the promise was broken. A promise he had broken not one, not two, but three years. He slowly sank to his knees as the orb brightened once more until it was unbearable and the sisters stood before him again. Meeting them before, they had all smiled at him, with only Sophia looking the least bit serious. Now all three stared at him with gravely and with intense displeasure.

         Sirena spoke, her once musical voice now sounding harsh to his ears as she screeched, “You have dishonored your promise to us! You moved to this city and became arrogant; forgetting us as well as the roots that kept you planted your land. With the birth of your daughter, your curse shall begin in earnest now and will not be broken until your daughter has wed.”

         Isaac’s eyes widened and he quickly sputtered, “But… But please, give me another chance! I-I’ll move back to the farm, I’ll, I’ll honor you for ten years, TWENTY years, just do not take what I have earned away!”

         Elmira cackled, “HAH! You have earned nothing on your own! You have allowed our magic and mere boys to take care of you, breaking their back instead of your own and you do not even show the merest ounce of humility! Nothing you can do will change what is in store for you now!”

         Sophia smirked and added, “And now you will be worse off than before, with barely enough to eat and clothes fitting only for a heathen.”

Isaac went down to his hands and knees, pounding it as hard as he could, begging, “Please, I will do better, I will try-”

         “ENOUGH!” the three sisters shouted. “YOU ARE TRULY AND RIGHTLY CURSED!” In an instant the light brightened to its blinding brightness and when Isaac could see again, they were gone.

         Staring at the space where they had stood, Isaac slowly stood and looked around. Everything was as it was before. He still had his study.          His clothes were just as rich as they were before. He thought, Perhaps it was… It was another dream. Yes, that has to be it! There is no way that could have been real!

         A haughty smile lit his lip as he poured himself a drink. Things would be as they always were. He had nothing to worry about. As he finished off one drink, he poured another and turned as a messenger stood in his door. Recognizing the young man, he asked briskly, “Yes, what is it?” The boy looked at him solemnly and the ease in Isaac’s face faded. In minutes the glass from his hand shattered to the floor as the young boy slowly said,

         “Sir, I have brought word back from your farm lands. All your crops are dead.”