In the rain

As he slept nestled in her arms, nothing mattered, his anger didn't matter, he slept like a baby and he fell into a dream, a dream about the past.

It was more of a memory he had forgotten, of the years prior to when he met her, when he met the war mother. The memories streamed through his mind, images of men and monsters, dark nights and red days.

He was sweating and twitching in her arms as the memories haunted him. She patted him on the head gently, calming him down.

in his dreams he saw their cartridge, one him and Mr Dunn had painstakingly built. They had built it to last the journey through the hells to paradise.

They use the finest and toughest tree and the strongest and newest nails and the best tools, to cut and put the wood together.

Prior to their journey he had been Mr Dunn's farm help for most of his live. Mr Dunn was practically his father.

He had been with them for ten years, ever since he was ten years old. Mr Dunn had saved him from the grasp of a crime lord, one whom his parents had owed money to. When his parents mysteriously disappeared, the crime lord took him and forced him to pay off their debts.

Most people suspected that the lord had sold his parents as slaves or as organs for the war machine. But one day when Mr Dunn came by in search of a rare seedling, an expensive and mass producing hybrid, he met him there and took pity on him.

After a few negotiations with with crime lord, the arrive at an agreement and he paid of his debt but not without taken a few blows for the kid. he felt nervous,

Why me? Who's this guy and what does he want with me?

He feared what the man might do to him, he could be worse than the crime lord for all he knew. But when the man took him to his home he willingly followed. Not questioning him openly, he had resigned to the fate of him being a mere tool to be used.

When the man gave him clothes, he wore them without question, when he gave him food he ate without question, when he gave him a place at his barn to sleep even at the behest of his wife.

Something troubled his heart, he did know why at the time but Mr Dunn was giving him back his humanity and this scared, he didn't trust people enough to let him treat him as more than a tool, it all felt suspicious, he grew paranoid until it became too much for him.

so he ran away and in the roaring storm Mr Dunn chased after him on horseback. He found him hiding behind the bushes by the river. Mr Dunn laughed and said.

"You know how I found you?"

He shakes his head deathly terrified at what he might do to him, he even considered jumping into the fast moving river.

Mr Dunn gestures pointing at his nose. He had expected Mr Dunn to be angry but he came with glee even chuckling as he spoke. He tried to convince him to come back home with him.

"But I made you come out here, your all wet now, why, why won't you let me be"

"I could smell you all the way from The barn come on boy let's go wash that stench off you"

"It won't come off, l slept with the rat back at the dungeons. This is how they smell, this is how they smell when they die and rot away. That's why she doesn't want me around the barn, I scare the animals."

Mr Dunn chuckled

"Come on, son, what's all this talk about rats and smells and ma aren't got a say in what I do, she damn well knows I need me a farm hand and I choose you and as for the smell, I tell you what I'll go in to town and I'll get you one of them expensive soaps. That's bound to wash it off, aren't it, boy?"

He saw that the man was indeed deeply sincere, the glee in his eyes and the love with which he spoke with, broke him, his eyes filled with tears and he screamed at the man.

"Just what do you want from me?"

"I told ya, I need a farm hand. He said it in such a playful way. That's if you'll have me. He smiled at the boy with tender warmth, he couldn't bear to look him in the eyes.

You want me to get on my knees to make it more formal, would you like that?"

Mr Dunn chuckled at his joke and so did the boy, he burst out laughing with tears in his eyes.

"Come on, let's go home, Mr Dunn said."

"I don't know if I can"

"Well that's okay, we'll take it a step at a time. The rain was still beating down heavily and they were both completely soaked."

Mr Dunn put out his hand to him, he looked at it and nodded, he took a step towards the river.

"Come on, don't even think about it,don't jump in! Mr Dunn shouted"

He bursts out laughing

"I was just going to get my stuff"

"Oh, I thought you wanted to escape a again but that wouldn't have done you and good, cause this here river leads to a waterfall"

He went back to the bushes by the river and searched through them for his stuff. He brought out a small handkerchief rolled into a ball filled with many little things inside. They seemed metallic as they jingled as he picked them up.

"Is that all you got son?"

He nodded

"Well, you can add that soap to that collection later."

"Are you sure sir, I don't mind, I can do without it."

"Nonsense I can smell you from the barn, how will you play hide and seek with Estiah if she can smell you five miles away."

He dropped his head in embarrassment and Mr Dunn laughed. They got on the horse and rode off, joking and laughing in the rain.