The Bird People | ONC2024

Days Gone By | 1160 Words

Virginia Colonies 1646
Settlement of Cornelius Pennybacker Family

Somewhere along the Nottoway River Bottoms

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"Granny Dyer? How come nobody loves me?"

The innocent question was asked of Piety Dyer Pennybacker by her ten year old granddaughter Constance.

Piety dabbed her forehead with one of the many handkerchiefs she'd made over the years and her eyes teared up. She dabbed her eyes and looked down at the child who sat at her feet on the front porch in the heat of the day. Constance placed a delicate hand on her grandmother's leg. "Do you love me Granny?"

Piety unconsciously pushed a lock of Constance's hair behind her ear which was covered by her little white bonnet. "You're much too young to be concerned with such things Constance Mercy, now run along and play," Piety murmured.

"But I don't want to play Granny. I want to sit here with you. Besides none of the kids want to play with me," she pouted crossing her hands politely in her lap.

Piety's brow furrowed. The agony of her granddaughters sad musings stuck like a lump in her throat. The poor child was far too mature for her age, but Piety knew the reasons for this. A child without a mother, father or siblings had little choice but to grow up fast. A sigh passed Piety's lips.

She knew what was coming next.

Without fail, Constance always asked.

"Granny, will you tell me something about my mother?"

Piety sat back and rocked in the old wooden rocker. Her memory had little chance to fade with Constance Mercy Pennybacker around. Piety honestly had no idea what she would have done without Constance. After Cornelius died she would have been totally alone. Not that she wouldn't have had help. She had a big family. Ten children in all. Six daughters and four sons minus Edward who had died of a fever the year Constance was born. Edward had always been a retiring soul. Frail and sickly at birth. Piety connected his infirm health to her and Cornelius' trip to the Americas during her pregnancy with him. She had given birth to him during the voyage. It hadn't been easy and she had decided if the baby boy lived to make landfall she would surely name him after the vessel that brought them here. Coming to the New World was a time of exhilaration and somehow Edward 'Patience' Pennybacker lived.

Sickly, but the child had survived.

"Granny?" Constance asked cocking her head to the side.

Piety gave her a wane smile. "Yes child," she admonished. "I shall tell you something about your Mother."

Constance got up and crawled into her grandmother's lap and Piety pulled her close. Constance settled onto her side against Granny Dyer's bosomy chest and closed her eyes listening to her grandmother's steady breathing and the comforting sound of her heart thumping against her ear.

"It was awful hot the year you were born Constance. Sweltering and humid so a man could barely stand to breath. We had not yet seen such time since coming to the New World, because there hadn't been such a time and the mosquitoes descended in dark clouds of whirring menace. Poor Edward never had a chance. Contracted the fever and died shortly before you were born."

"What is the fever Granny?"

"Oh it's a dreadful sickness, brought on by the mosquitoes. Your Papa wasn't the only young man who died that year, no. So many died," Piety said softly.

"Was Mama sad?"

"Oh she was dreadful sad and for a time we wondered if you'd even be born," Piety hesitated. "Would you like to hear the story about when you born?"

"Is Momma in this part?"

"She is in this part," Piety answered with a sad smile. "Those were dark days indeed. So long ago but seemingly like it was just yesterday. . ."

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Ten Years Earlier

A child's high-pitched scream erupted across the quiet solitude where several women in long plain smocks and white hair bonnets were gathered at the rivers edge washing clothes. It was barely after dawn and too early for the foreboding unrest of such behavior.

"I've seen them! I've seen them!" A young boy shrieked running across the bank towards the women.

Several other young children both boys and girls ran behind him similarly dressed, boys in high waisted knickers held up with suspenders and the girls quite like the women with their long cotton dresses and white smocks.

Their shrieks of terror echoed in the still, humid fog that lurked throughout the thick wooded river bottom in mid August Southern Virginia.

What was meant to be a time of exploration and new beginnings had so far been filled with uneasy and abnormal fears brought on by the constant fixation of safety deep in the untamed country known as The Americas.

The people of the Pennybacker Settlement had experienced only discord and disaster stemming from the stories of brutal attacks visited on many settlements near and far by those heathen natives so it was easy to understand the terror felt.

Sadie Pennybacker jerked, dropping her washboard along the rock strewn shoreline and instinctively placed a hand on her chest as fear reverberated through her body. She placed the other hand on her protruding belly. Now eight months into a difficult pregnancy, and recently widowed Sadie reached out and grabbed one the boys as he ran past.

"You shush Basil Pennybacker! Do you hear me? That will be enough of your tom-foolery!" She rebuked him strictly with a shake.

The young boy laughed and took off running to catch up with his high strung companions where they disappeared into the village proper.

Sadie crossed herself with a deep shuddering breath, and slowly retrieved her washboard. The child in her belly kicked and she looked around anxiously but saw nothing of concern herself. Glancing back, she caught the women staring at the woods across the river. "What is it Elisa?" She asked with a tremor in her voice.

Elisabeth Pennybacker cocked a hand on her hip. "Oh they're just being silly children Sadie. I can't see anything for the fog. Why don't you go and lie down for a bit, hmm?"

Sadie resumed scrubbing. "No. I'll be fine," she reassured her sister in law. She felt bad for scolding her nephew but Elisa didn't seem perturbed.

Since Edwards death she had hardly slept. She had given thought to staying with his parents as Cornelius had tried to convince her but she hadn't yet felt up to the change. It would be hard to leave the tiny cabin Edward had built for them. And then, there was the other reason she hesitated to put herself in their care. Another purpose to which she would not even speak of.

It was in fact, a reason so intolerable, so unmerciful it was forbidden to even bring it up in the entire settlement of Cornelius Pennybacker.

1160 words.