Reluctant Berserker: Isaacson Trilogy Book One

Chapter 14

His parent's home, where he and his brothers had grown up, stood two stories high, and his father had added many improvements over the years. Somewhere in the last seven months, the walls had been plastered and now shone pearly white, making the rooms feel bigger. The sofa, chairs, and tables—with their assorted knick-knacks and table lanterns—were all unchanged, but the character had been altered. Gunnar hated it.

Lanterns were lit, casting the room in a welcoming glow and playing tricks with his mind as memories of when he and his brothers were younger filled the room like old friends come to visit—a lot of laughter and just as many tears had been shed within these walls.

Gunnar walked to the East wall of the front room and ran his palm over the area Ulric had tried to fix when they were ten years old after a bout of horseplay had gone too far.

"Don't tell Mother," Ulric gulped. "We'll fix it. She'll never know it's busted."

They found narrow wood planks in the barn and nailed them awkwardly over the large hole. A half-hour later, their pitiful attempts at fixing the wall were brought to a swift end when Helena entered from the garden to prepare dinner.

"What have you boys done?" Helena gasped in dismay.

They had each turned to her one by one, hanging their heads in shame. The back door squeaked open a few minutes later, announcing the arrival of their father.

It had taken one look from Vernon to know they were in a world of trouble. Gunnar nudged Esmund and Ulric before they lined up in front of the hole and waited.

Vernon rested his hands on his hips, leveling a disappointed stare. "Is this how you treat your home? Do you not realize the time and effort that went into building this house for your mother or how sad it makes me when you treat it with such disrespect?"

They all nodded in contrition. Poor Esmund, only seven at the time, was reduced to hiccuping tears.

Ulric stepped forward and said, "It's my fault, father. They were trying to help me fix it."

Vernon turned his attention to Gunnar, "What do you have to say on the matter, sunny boy?"

Gunnar swallowed and squared his shoulders, hoping his father wouldn't notice how badly he shook. "It's my fault, father. Mother told us not to play rough in the house. Ulric's just trying to protect me."

Esmund sniffled and wiped at his face. "No, it's my fault, father. I pushed Ulric into the wall."

Vernon's eyes appeared teary, but Gunnar had never seen his father cry, so he quickly discarded the notion. After four long minutes, Vernon crouched in front of them. "You have acted in a very disappointing manner because I expect much from you three. You are Berserkers, but more importantly, you are Isaacson's, and we treat our homes with care and respect."

He looked at each of them until they nodded in reply. His features gentled as he said, "However, you didn't lie to me, and for that, I am well pleased with you." He stood to his full height of six foot four, "Come with me; we'll get this fixed correctly."

They went to the barn and watched as Vernon chose three planks of sturdy wood, explaining why as he did so. He handed each boy a plank, which they carried into the house after he had grabbed the other necessary tools for the job. An hour later, they'd fixed the wall, and over the next few years, Gunnar realized Father taught them more than a bit of carpentry that night.

Now, Gunnar stared at the wall, saddened that no one would ever know what lay behind the plaster unless they specifically told them about it. Even then, they'd have to imagine how good it had looked after being correctly fixed. It was one of the many times Father turned a disciplining moment into a learning experience that Gunnar secretly cherished.