Dec. 15, 2008 - Chapter One
Chapter 1
1985…
The quiet of the night is broken by a shrill scream of pain. The stillness of the woods around the backwoods home five miles from Smethport, PA shattered in one moment. The snow that covered the ground was receiving a fresh coating as another scream pierced into the darkness. Another voice, not the one uttering the cries resounds through the door of the cabin.
“Come on, push!” it is a man’s voice. The woman grits her teeth and pushes, uttering another cry of pain.
Brent Henderson aided his wife in the birth of their first children. I say children, for they were going to have twins. Brent didn’t trust hospitals. Neither did his wife, Anna. He had read up a little on the subject of childbirth and was ready to do anything to bring these little ones into the world. They knew it was twins for two reasons. One, they could both feel two little babies inside Anna’s stomach. Another was that her stomach was twice the size it would be if it were only one baby.
He had done a little reading on what the process of childbirth was like, and how to tell certain things about the birth. He did this to train himself to be the midwife. He didn’t trust any of his neighbors either.
“Push!” he said again. “I’m trying! Would you be patient Brent!” she said in an exasperated voice. She let out another cry and pushed even harder.
“I see one! I see one! It’s coming out now!” Brent exclaimed in happiness. It was a long time before it came out.
“It’s a boy! It’s a boy!” Brent said as he was jumping in place. “Here comes another!” Brent yelled in jubilation.
Anna gave another hard push and it came out.
“A girl Anna! We have a little girl!”
Anna slumped back on the pillow and said in a low and raspy, yet joyful voice, “I’m so happy, Brent. But I just don’t have the strength to…” She cut herself short.
She closed her eyes and let out a short gasp. She had died. Brent hadn’t taken his eyes off his new son and daughter until Anna gave that short gasp. He gave his son a slap to get him to breathe and then he sat him down on the cloth next to him. He almost forgot about the little girl as he rushed to his wife’s aid, but he slapped her as well and set her beside the boy. “Anna?” he asked in a trembling voice.
He repeated himself, “Anna?” “Anna!” he exclaimed, crying as he rushed to her side.
He felt for a pulse and could not find one. He grabbed her head and cried, leaning on her rocking back and forth. Brent realized she was dead, and in a flood of tears he screamed. In unison the babies chimed in. Brent was angry, very angry and hurt by this.
“WHY???!!!” he screamed through his tears, “WHY MY WIFE???!!!!”
He stayed like that all night, and slowly rocked himself to sleep. He woke the next morning not caring what would happen. The sadness that had plagued him in the night followed him like a dark cloud, never leaving, only increasing…
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