Life on the farm was anything but laid back. The small farm, if one could call it that, Ethan grew up on was rundown by any standards. The house was small, with unfinished floors, little to no insulation, and filthy. Some towns folk said the place needed to be condemned. The barn was the joke of the community; how did it stay upright and keep the animals dry? The fields were mostly overgrown. The only redeeming quality Ethan could find was that the farm backed up to a National Forest. The Monongahela. With over 920,000 acres of forest, it wasn’t largest, but it was plenty big enough for Ethan.

  The farm had been passed down through the generations. Ethan’s great-great-grandfather, Roger, had purchased the farm sometime in the late 1800s. The dates weren’t clear, but the family had pin-pointed it to this time. He had bought the farm, two-hundred acres at the time, for next to nothing. Nobody wanted to live in seclusion of the West Virginian mountains. Roger had four sons, so he split the farm evenly between them.

  Ethan’s great-grandfather, Charles, bought one of his brother’s land from him. This brother had moved to Washington DC and had no interest in farming. The other brothers kept their land but when they passed the children had sold it off to the highest bidder. Charles had attempted to by the land from them, but the price went higher than he could afford. His niece’s and nephew’s timing couldn’t have been worse. Not even two years after they sold, the great depression hit. The money they got from selling their land dwindled to nothing. Charles let them move back home and help on the farm for room and board.

  Charles had only had one boy, Charles Jr., so he left the whole one-hundred acres to him. Charles Jr. sold a few acres here and there to his cousins, both to help his family financially and to help his cousins. Their families were still trying to get back on their feet after losing everything during the Depression.

  Charles Jr. had about sixty-five acres left when he married Laura. His new bride loved the farm but thought it was too big for just one man to run. She talked him into selling more of the land, some to his cousins, some to strangers, and even some to the government. He and Laura were left with twenty acres after it was all sold.

  When Charles Jr. passed, he left everything to his wife. This is when the farm started going downhill. While Laura loved the land, loved the mountains, she was too old to farm it. She had tried hiring help, but the farm just couldn’t generate the revenue needed.

  Austin, Ethan’s father, had inherited the property when his mother passed away. The death of his mother was both a blessing and a curse. It had allowed the family to move back to the country and leave the inner city. Ethan loved the city, but his parents could not afford any housing in the safe area of town. They were stuck in the projects. The death of Laura is also when Ethan’s father started drinking.

  The loss of his Auston’s father ten years prior was rough, but losing his mother was unbearable. He was a good father before she passed. Ethan was the only child old enough to remember those days. Ethan was six, at the time of her death, and loved spending time with his father. Madison was four and had vague memories of the man from before the loss of his mom. The other two girls were not yet born.

  The little garden plot Ethan and his sisters tended was the only place that looked like it belonged on a farm. Most of the seeds they used were from their grandparents, Angie’s mother, and father. Their own father was too cheap to buy seeds, and their mother rarely ventured out from the farm.

  Ethan would till up the ground for the garden every year. It was Madison’s job to get the seeds started in the ramshackle green house. Hannah was the one who planted the seeds that didn’t have to be started in the greenhouse. All three of the children had to keep the weeds out and keep the garden picked.

  It was Ethan’s job to take care of all the animals. He milked the cow both before and after school, then led her out to the pasture to graze. He would then feed the chickens, rabbits, and goats. The only part of taking care of the animals that did not fall on Ethan was gathering the eggs, Madison took care of that. It was not an easy job for an eleven-year-old. He did it though. He knew if he did not, he would have to deal with his father’s rage.

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  “Mom, the animals are all fed. Do you care if I go for a run now?” Ethan knew his mother would not care. He still felt the need to ask. Unlike his father, his mother genuinely loved her kids. Ethan, young as he was, still understood that it was the depression that made her seem uncaring at times. He remembered a time before his dad’s drinking had gotten so bad, when she was happy. When Auston had started drinking he did less and less with the family. This all but destroyed Angie. Unfortunately, his sisters were too young to remember the happy times.

  “Are your other chores done, the garden weeded, your room tidied up?”

  “Yes mama.”

  “Okay then. Don’t go far. Lunch will be ready soon.” She replied.

  “Are the strip pits too far?”

  “I reckon not, just make sure you’re home before your father gets home. You know how he gets when you’re gone too long. I don’t have the strength to deal with that today.”

  “I will momma.”

  “Can I go with him mom?” Madison asked.

  “No, not today, not if he’s going all the way to the strip pits. Besides, you need to help Hannah with lunch.”

  “Why does he always get to go, and I get stuck here, doing housework?”

  “Are you questioning my decision, young lady?” Angie never liked being questioned by her children. She felt she was a fair, yet strict mother, and any questions of her authority felt like a slap in the face to her.

  “No, momma. It’s just he never has to do anything.”

  “Oh, really? Was it you or Hannah that fed and watered the goats this morning before sun-up? I know it wasn’t Chloe; she can’t even reach the feed bucket. Maybe you were the one milking the cow this morning or, were you the one mucking out her stall?”

  “No, momma, I didn’t do any of that.”

  “That’s what I thought. Well, next time you start going on about people not doing anything around here, make sure you have your facts straight. Ethan does more work before the sun is up than any kid his age should have to. At least you have me and Hannah to help with the housework.”

  Madison knew better than to say what was on her mind. Angie had not done any of the housework since dad started drinking. All she does is watch her stupid shows. That and boss the kids around. She turned and went to her room.

  On his way out of the house Ethan stopped by Madison’s room to gloat. The two siblings were close to one another, most of the time, but Ethan never missed a chance to pick on his little sister.

  Ethan opened the door and found his sister laying on her bed, crying. He decided not to rile her up anymore. He went to close the door, but something made him stop.

  “You okay, sis?” he asked. He half expected his sister to yell and tell him to get out. They had a tenuous relationship. Ethan tried to protect all his younger siblings from his parents. He would usually even take the blame for something he knew would get the girls in trouble.

  When Madison turned, she had nothing but sadness in her eyes. There was not the anger Ethan had anticipated. “Why do they hate us, Ethan?”

  Without asking he knew she was talking about their parents. “They don’t hate us, Sis. They just don’t know how to handle everything.” Ethan and his sister had had this talk many times before, but Madison refused to believe Ethan.

  “What would it hurt for me to go with you? Hanna is older than I was when I started cooking, she can finish supper. Momma just doesn’t like me.”

  “That’s not true, Maddy.” He didn’t know if the words his was telling his sister were true, but he had to try calm her down. He knew with her temper; she would end up going of own their mother and truly get herself in trouble.

  “Then why do you get go off running when your chores are done but my chores are never done. I have to cook, clean, and babysit. The only time I’m not working is when I’m doing schoolwork or sleeping. It’s just not fair.” She started crying again and he could sense the anger rising in his little sister. He had to do something to defuse the situation, or Madison was about to do something they would both regret.

  “Listen, I know your upset, but there is nothing we can do about it. How about I work on talking Mom into letting you go this time.” Ethan had always been close to his mom and had learned to get his way with her by making her think it was all her idea.

  “She won’t let me, and you know it. She never lets me have fun.”

  “Maddy, that’s just not true. You’re just upset and don’t want to admit Mom does love you. Remember last week she let you spend the night at your friend Haley’s house? And the week before you and mom ran off to town and spent the whole day shopping?”

  “You make it sound like that trip was fun. It was not. I was miserable the whole day, getting drug from one store to the other. Just watching Mom trying on clothes while I got nothing.”

  “Yeah, but you weren’t working. Me and Dad had the girls. He was not very happy when Mom told him he was watching them either.”

  “I don’t know, Ethan, I wish things could go back to how they were before Granny died. Dad was nicer and Mom actually did fun stuff with us.”