old stuff Chapter seven - Sanctuary

Chapter VII - “Sanctuary”


“Neither stars nor sanctuary can make a man safe.
Security comes from courage to face fears that are within oneself.”
--Mardus of Macedonia




“Boys! Boys! Take it outside! If you have that much energy, go feed the pigs! Run with the horses but don’t run in the house! Do something, anything, but take it outside!” Alexenah yelled as the twins ran out the front door of the roundhouse.
“Alexenah, they are only boys,” Mara said, “They never fight to hurt one another. They always stop when one of them gets mad.” She gave Alexenah a big smile.
Alexenah wasn’t so sure of that. “They will have plenty of time to fight when they become men.”
“They are almost nine summers old, my lady, and ready to be trained as warriors and given the markings of the tribe.”
“That time will come soon enough, Mara. For now-- I want them to enjoy life and just be little boys.”
. . .

“It’s all part of the adventure!” Jachin yelled, and took off running from the hillfort down the road, ahead of his brother.
Boaz sighed as he saw his brother toss his sack to the ground.
“Where’re you going, Jachin?” he said. He put his hands on his knees and took in a few breaths. He had stopped at the place where the pathway turned to the right and ventured into the woods. It went where the men used it as a hunting trail - away from the direction Jachin had gone. At the junction stood a statue of Ludh, the British god of fun and laughter. Boaz jumped up and removed Jachin’s cap from the statue.
“This doesn’t show respect,” Boaz said as he folded the cap and put it in his own knapsack.
Boaz called out again. ““Hold back! I’m coming! Where’s Primus?”
It was the beginning of summer – Beltane -- and the sun had risen to a beautiful bright day. He felt a light breeze coming out of the woodland against his ruddy cheek. He smelled oak, birch, dry leaves and a hint of something pleasant. “It’s a good day for adventure, but I want to go to the woods.” He looked up to the statue, “Why does he always do that?’ he said, “We could’ve gone hunting.” The statue seemed to stare down the road in the direction of Jachin, and Boaz imagined the face laughing. “Oh, well,” he sighed, as he looked once again longingly down the well-traveled hunting path. “That’s where Primus went. I’m sure of it.” He strained to find any signs of the wire-haired mutt they had brought with them. The woods tugged at his heart, there were so many fun things to do in there.
“There’s boar! And deer -- the red and brown ones -- and birds.” He argued with the statue. It remained in a silent guffaw.
“Yea, I know, we find the game, but can’t catch it.”
Boaz kicked at the dirt. He was caught at the crossroads of two different choices. The dog was nowhere to be seen, and his brother had gone the opposite direction.
“I hate when Jachin does that!” He said, gesturing with both hands in frustration at the statue. “You don’t even care that he ran off – again -- without me.”
Turning back to the trees, he cupped his hands to his mouth and yelled loudly, “Primus. C’mon, boy!” There was no answering bark.
The young boy took one last look into the woods, then picked up both his and his brother’s sack and took off down the cobblestones. He saw Jachin up ahead turn and run straight into the wheat field. At this time of year the green stalks of grain had grown to a height just over the heads of the two boys, and Boaz couldn’t see exactly where his brother had gone.
“I guess I should’ve known. Jachin always feels safe in there.”
Arriving at the place where he last saw his brother, he yelled into the grain.
“Jachin! Primus! Where are you guys?”
“I’m over here, Boaz!”
Boaz strained to see where the voice was coming from in the sea of green wheat.
“Jachin,” Boaz cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled again, “Where’s Primus?” and he stepped into the field of grain looking for his brother and the pup.
“Primus! C’mere boy! Where is that mangy dog?”
Just then, Jachin came running out of the thick shocks of grain right in front of Boaz, purposefully knocking him to the ground. “Umph!” Boaz tried to swing out as he went down to no avail. “Hey, whatcha...”
“Sorry, brother. Uh- I, uh, yea- didn’t see ya.” Jachin said.
“Yea, right.” Boaz said as he reached up to take Jachin’s offered hand of assistance. Boaz grabbed it and pulled hard, bringing Jachin down to the ground next to him. They briefly tussled into the wheat, rolling over and over, knocking it down flat as they went.
“I got you, now!”
“N’uh, I got you, Jachin.”
“Ow, that hurt! Hey, let go!”
They stood there looking at each other and Jachin brushed his hair back out of his eyes. Boaz was taller than Jachin by only a finger’s width. No one except the twins noticed the difference. To everyone else they were mirror images. Both had hair the color of the ravens from the north. Their owlish eyes were gray as the fog that seemed to hang on after a storm. Their round, ruddy, sparsely freckled cheeks flushed as they looked at each other for that brief moment. Boaz thought this made Jachin look embarrassed and shy most of the time. As they got older, they tried to accentuate their differences, or create some of their own. Despite their mother’s wishes, they dressed differently as much as possible. Today they had on the usual bracae. Their mother had dyed these long woolen breeches in colorful vegetable oils. Boaz’s favorite hue was blue and Jachin more often wore shades of green. They both wore tunics of brown, the ones with the sleeves that were popular at the time. Their feet were bare, footwear being kept for special occasions or for trips to the town.
Jachin wore his hair longer than Boaz did and pulled it back and piled it on top of his head as Boaz had seen some of the older men do.
Boaz brushed himself off.
“You only do your hair like that because you think it makes you look older than me.”
“I am older. I think it makes me look taller.”
But Boaz knew that when his brother was distressed, he had the practice of running his fingers through the dark curly locks, wiping the bangs to one side, out of his gray eyes, thus ruining his attempt at being unique. This habit would give him a disheveled look.
“That looks cute,” Boaz said, “just the way the other boys like it.”
Jachin gave him a look, squinting his eyes so that they looked like the new month moon. Boaz felt his steely gaze burn.
“That’s enough. We’re finished now.” Jachin said and tried to wrestle Boaz down to the ground again.
Boaz tried to make a voice like his mother, “Boys! Boys! Take it outside! If you have that much energy, feed the pigs! Run like horses!”
They both ran around like horses and made oinking sounds until they were out of breath. Then they both fell down together and lay on their backs looking up at the clouds. Breaking the silence, Boaz said, “He took off! Haven’t seen ‘em. Have you?”
“Who? Father? He’s always gone.” The corners of Jachin’s mouth rose just so slightly; his eyes glinted. They would never do this in their dad’s presence and live. That was part of the feeling Boaz was experiencing. There was a part of him that was starting to get afraid. What if their father hadn’t left after all? What if he came back and was even now watching their antics in the grass?
“No, stupid. I meant Primus.” He punched Jachin on the arm as they stood to their feet.
“Ouch. Hey, lift me up. I’ll find him.” Jachin said trying to see over the tall grass.
Moving behind his brother, Boaz leaned forward, crouched down and put his head between Jachin’s knees. Jachin sat back on his brother’s shoulders. Grabbing Jachin’s legs, he stood up, lifting him above the wheat grasses.
“I don’t see nothin’.”
“Hang on. Quit moving your legs!” Boaz said, trying to hold his brother.
Making a small adjustment, Boaz lifted him up higher, this time with more effort using every bit of strength he could muster to balance.
* * *
Thus settled on his brother’s shoulders, Jachin saw a sea of dark green wheat waving in the gentle breeze of the afternoon. The grain was so thick this year that he couldn’t tell where Primus was.
Jachin lifted his hand high into the air with as much bravado a young man can have and yelled, “I’m king of all the tribes in Briton!”
Boaz yelled up to him, “I have to talk to my brother in Camalodinum about the Red-crest Roooomans!”
Jachin almost lost his balance as Boaz reared up on his legs.
“Oh, and don’t forget his favorite Inn is there.” Jachin said as he acted as if he was wiping the dregs of the brew from his long moustache with the sleeve of his shirt.
Drum, drum, th-thr-drum, a covey of quail took flight by the tree line at the edge of the field startling Jachin. “Turn me around!” He said thinking that perhaps the dog had scared them up. “There’s birds!”
“Primus likes to hunt,” Boaz said.
“But he is still a young pup.” Jachin said picturing in his mind the dog running and fumbling over everything, his large paws pounding the ground. The dog would usually find the covey only after he had run over them. Trying to catch the birds as they took flight is a big game to Primus, Jachin thought.
“He jumps up and down, snapping and yapping for a long while even after the birds fly away.”
“Someday when he calms down,” Boaz said with a confident voice, “he will be a great hunter.”
When I get older, I will too. Jachin thought, as he strained his eyes into the distance.
“Well?”
“I’m looking, I’m looking”
“I’m getting tired” Boaz whined, “I’m gonna drop you if you don’t hurry up!”
“Just a little . . . more . . . time. Just buckle up your breeches, Brother.”
The way the grass moved like waves reminded Jachin of last summer when they had gone to the pond to hunt frogs. He remembered the way the sun sparkled off the broken surface of the pond. It seemed magical to him. As he watched the moving heads of grain, it threw off his perception. He started to get dizzy. His head fogged and everything started spinning around. He felt nauseated as a cold sweat broke out on his forehead and upper lip. His mouth was dry. Careless of keeping his balance, he raised his hand and ran his fingers through his hair.
“Let me down! Let. Me. Down! Nothin’, to see up here! Let me down! Boaz? Boaz! Let me...”
Boaz dropped to his knees, and then fell forward with the weight. Still holding on to Jachin’s legs, he took him down with him to the ground.
Thrashing his legs forward, Jachin stuck them out, landing amazingly on his feet.
Boaz crashed to the ground.
Stumbling back a step, Jachin turned around and looked at his brother, his eyes wide and eyebrows raised high. His hair was sticking up in front.
Boaz sat up, shook his head back and forth.
“Are you okay, Jachin?”
Everything was still spinning. “Yea, just got a bit dizzy is all.”
“Did ya see ‘em?”
“No.”
“Jachin, you sure you’re alright?” Boaz sounded concerned.
“No, uh, yea. The wheat is way too thick,” then clearer and pointing, “He may be way over by the trees.”
Boaz stood up and grabbed Jachin’s arm moving it to the correct direction. After a few minutes they together yelled into the walls of grain.
“Primus! – Priiiimuuuussss!” Putting two fingers in his mouth Boaz whistled loudly for the dog. Nothing. The wind rustling through the wheat was the only answer they received.
“Hey Boaz? You remember last summer when we took Primus with us to the big pond near that old forest up north?”
“Yea, I ‘member, Jachin. You stole Father’s bow and took his new arrows.”
“I borrowed them. Besides, he made me do the fetching --”
“You mean ‘fletching’!” Boaz corrected as he smiled broadly, laughing at his brother.
“Yea, that too. Anyways, I thought we could get ‘em back in place before he noticed they were gone. ‘Sides I made the arrows, I thought he wouldn’t mind us using them for the hunt. You, know, testing them to see if they flew true or not.”
“Yea, using them- not losing them, Jachin!”
“How was I supposed to know arrows don’t float? It was the pond, I know it! It was cursed or sumptin’. Just swallowed them up it did.”
“Yea, right, just like when you thought there was a bear under our beds that ate your sandals!”
“Well, it did!”
“Yea, right.” Boaz rolled his eyes.
Jachin wasn’t sure what to do. He could never win an argument with his brother, so he just laughed. “Ha, we never did catch any frogs!”
“Next time let’s use a net or tie a string on the arrows or something, alright? What were we going to do with them anyway, if we got one?”
“Don’t know.”
“It was sure funny, though, to watch Primus jump into the pond and chase after every barb you flung into the water. Guess he thought we were playing a game and had thrown him a bone or sumptin’!”
“Yea, Brother. He brought back everything he could find. Sticks, lily pads, an old boot….”
“Yes, everything –- except –- THE ARROWS!” He hit Jachin on the arm again, and they both went down wrestling. They giggled and laughed together, loudly and unafraid, hidden in the tall grain.
“Hey Jachin?”
Hearing the serious tone of Boaz’s voice, Jachin’s laughter calmed down.
“Uhhh, yea?”
“Father never found out you took those - did he?”
“Naw, he never noticed. He didn’t ever acknowledge my craftsmanship or even thank me for making them for him in the first place. He didn’t care. I just wanted him to like me is all. He called them ‘boar’s dung’ and threw them toward the fire in the hearth. But, of course, he was too drunk and missed the hearth completely. He yelled at me and said that I was nothing but a ‘goat-driver’ and they were ‘half-skewed’.” Jachin used words similar to what his dad had actually said, but felt uncomfortable using the language of their father’s angry words. “Yea, he then tried to hit me . . . like always.”
“Whad’ya do, Jachin?”
“I ducked, and tried to escape the blow. I hit the table and knocked over a jar of Mom’s ointment or something.”
“Is that when you got that blue stain on your arm?”
As Jachin rolled up his tunic sleeve to show Boaz the unique mark, they heard something crashing through the wheat field.
“It’s a great . . . big . . . giant . . . BEAR!” Jachin said excitedly in a breathy whisper as if yelling through clinched teeth.
Boaz laughed, “I know where you’re going with this.” And then in a tone of mocking fear he said, “Oh, no, not THE Great Big Bear . . .from the . . . uh, oh, yea, the Forever Forrest!”
“Yea, the Forever Forrest! And us with no weapons!”
Boaz grabbed Jachin’s shoulders and looked him in the eye. “Jachin? Uh, we really could use those arrows now!”
“Well, Brother, you could just scare them away with your big muscles . . . “ He brushed Boaz’s hands from his shoulders, “and your ugly face!”
Boaz let go. “We’ll be killed dead for sure. No one will ever find our bodies to cry over! But, then again . . Who’d cry over you, anyway?”
Jachin punched Boaz in the belly, but laughed at the remark anyway. They were about to go at each other again when they heard a low, menacing, deep growl, not unlike what they thought a wolf would do before attacking innocent little lambs. The twins looked wide-eyed at each other, screaming at the same time:
“RUN!”
Attempting to run crosswise through the grain rows was difficult. At first they ran together, fearful of what was behind them. The sound they had heard sent chills into Jachin’s bones. This was no game. The noise grew louder, more ominous, and ...closer.
“AAAgh! We are gonna die!” his brother screamed.
“Maybe you are, Boaz, but I’m not gonna die.” Jachin called back.
“What?”
“Not as long as I can out-run you!”
As he ran on past his brother, he slapped Boaz upside the head. Jachin ran away from what sounded dangerous trying to put as much distance as he could from it. Then he ducked down to hide in the grass. He tried to still his breathing and be as quiet as he could, pretending no one would ever see him there. Another roaring growl and then Jachin heard what sounded like a little girl’s scream.
“Oh, no! Not Boaz!” He could hear the sounds of the fight in the grass; the tearing, the growls, the awful sounds of his brother being torn to pieces. He envisioned a wild boar three times their size, tusks as big as thrashing scythes.
With a sense of urgency, he pushed his fear aside. In determination, he steeled himself for the fight. Jaw clenched, eyes narrowed, he turned back toward the frightening sounds of the melee and confusion. Not knowing what else to do, he ran as fast as he could, retracing his steps to help Boaz. Jachin knew he could joke around with his brother, but no one else could mess with Boaz and get away with it: not as long as he was around, at least, not here in the wheat field. If he couldn’t kill the beast, boar, wolf, or . . . whatever; he’d at least try to help Boaz get away to safety.
He had gone farther ahead of Boaz than he realized and it took a while in the deep grasses to find his way back to the sounds. Searching, listening, dreading, he kept parting the grass with his hands.
“I must keep pushing.” He knew Boaz would have done the same for him.
Frantically, he came to an abrupt halt at a clearing where the grain was smashed and trampled down. He broke into the area of the devastating attack. Expecting to see a horrific scene of blood, guts and death, there before him was his brother on his back -- being smothered by a big gray and reddish-brown, wire-haired animal.
It was all over Boaz with his giant paws, long snout, a face that looked like he had a scraggly old man’s beard, drool included, big brown eyes, and his short wagging tail: licking his brother’s face and hands with his enormous tongue. He watched in amazement as Boaz tried in vain to ward off the dogs obvious affection for his young master.
“Primus! Boaz! You found him!” Jachin ran over and dove into the ruckus pile, landing right on Boaz’s belly. They both hugged the dog and accepted the loving attention he gave them in return.
To Jachin, this was what life was all about and today was paradise. No cares, no fear, no father. The only thing missing was that their mother, their dear Matrona, was not with them. ‘The best mother in the land’, according to the boys, was back at the hillfort.
Jachin thought to himself: These three: Mom, Boaz and Primus, are the number one, most important things in my life. Thank the Good All-seeing One I at least have them!
The rest of the day the boys spent in adventures as they reenacted the stories of renowned heroes. They fought unseen monsters, rescued fair maidens; avoiding their grateful kisses - only briefly - and then pretended to better the other and being the best at wooing the girls, practicing elaborate kisses in the air. Jachin felt that they were one hundred times more skilled than any of the other boys in all the land at mastering, beating and subduing the “dreaded enemy”. They did this over and over again, always winning the day, never tiring of the playful fun. They used sticks for swords and dirt clods for arrows, in this magical Wheatfield of Dreams.
With Primus, the war hound, as their constant companion, these two, thought Jachin, in truth, could do anything. When together there was nothing they could not accomplish, no obstacles they couldn’t overcome. It was as though they fed off of each other’s energies. Although they really couldn’t read the others thoughts and anticipate intent, it seemed to others that they were somehow magically connected. It had happened more than once that the boys had noticed that someone had made the sign against evil just as they had walked by. The twins were so much alike; so inseparable, so confident in each other’s presence that it truly seemed they could conquer the world, even Rome, if they wanted.
The sun was growing low in the sky, the shadows lengthening, as the boys tried to see who could jump the highest. Primus had taken off again somewhere into the grain. Taking a short run to get momentum, Jachin jumped as high as he could. As he reached the zenith of his jump, he was completely surprised when a little sparrow flew out of the sky above and right into his tunic! He heard the cry of an eagle as he came down with the bird fluttering in his shirt. He had not known that it was a bird at first, but after hearing the eagle and feeling the movement on his chest, he quickly figured it out.
He knew he must have had a strange look on his face, because Boaz stopped jumping and came over. Jachin put one hand out to stop him from coming further and the other to his mouth to tell him to be silent.
Making sure the animal was safe he spoke into his shirt. “It is ok. I’ll take care of you.”
“What are you doing, brother? Have you gone completely mad?”
“Shhh, there is a bird in my shirt.”
“Riiight, and I have a mouse in my breeches . . .”
“No, really, I do!” Jachin gave him a look to say he meant business and wasn’t playing around. It was one of those looks that signified that it was time to stop wrestling.
“You are safe little one. The evil won’t harm you now.”
Jachin felt the warmth of the bird on his belly and felt the rapid beating of its heart slow as the bird stopped flapping. It felt good. He vowed, “I will always keep you, take care of you and protect you from harm.”
“You got to let it go, ya know?” Boaz said softly.
“No I don’t.”
“You’ve hurt it, or killed it. Either way, it will surely make you sick. Birds are nasty – unclean.”
“Boaz, it’s not dead. It’s still alive. I can feel its heartbeat!” He felt his own as well. He couldn’t believe this was happening.
Just then, Primus came out of the grass and right to where Jachin was. He came up slowly and put his nose up to Jachin’s stomach. He smelled the bird. Jachin was afraid he would scare the bird away; but he didn’t. As Jachin looked carefully down his tunic to see if the bird really was still alive, Primus started growling. When the dog let out a loud bark, the little bird flew out of the shirt, into the air, and away.
Boaz gasped in astonishment and looked in wonder at his brother.
“The bird was really there!”
Jachin turned to chastise the dog.
“How could you do that?” He had kept the bird so safe!
Primus wasn’t looking in the direction of Jachin . . . or at the direction of the escaped little bird. His focus was on something in the tall grasses to the south.