Book I: Burnt Bliss [BoyxBoy]

Chapter 10: Flight of Birds, Buzzing of Bees

15 March 1666 (the 'Ides of March', supposedly.)

Half-Six in the Evening

It is nearly spring now; the "Vernal Equinox" will be here in fiyve days' time, according to Uncle Deus, and I look forward to the upcoming weather including the return of so many animals who will come out after hibernating all winter. To-day he and I went out to observe Nature. I liked it there, in Bourne Wood. It's peaceful, quiet and this calms me. Every time Sarah is mentioned, I squirm un-comfortably and hope no one notices. There I can be safe from a life that is coming at me without a conceivable way to stop it. Things always go much better with my uncle...

It was an almost-springtime afternoon. Even though Will had a light breeze of tepid wind to contend with, he still felt comforted by all the nature around him.

The woods near the Wey River were vast in height, and sprawled beneath their feet. Roots and crumpled leaves from the previous fall mixed with the fresh earth. Birds were bravely tweeting to each other after so long at rest. The spindly tree branches sported a few green leaves, brazenly stretching out to grasp a ray of the sun as it shone down from far overhead. They would bud soon enough, and grow strong. Spring was a blessed time of renewal.

Uncle Deus had been showing Will plants, small animals and bugs he'd studied. The moist soil squashed beneath their shoes. The rich earth cast a strong, invigorating aroma. The early afternoon sun in March was peeking at them from cloud to cloud, with some direct shine in-between. The rapidly melting slush was a sure sign of better weather yet to come.

"How are things going at the Royal Society?" Will asked Uncle Deus as they walked along.

"Splendid." he replied proudly. "Did I ever tell you of the publication we finally put out last spring? It was almost a year ago, in fact."

"You mentioned it, but tell me more."

"It's called The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. It had various subjects, like a spot on Jupiter's belt, the use of optic glasses, and how to transfuse blood from one animal to another! As you know, I primarily study the stars and planets, so the one on Jupiter was fascinating! I don't know when they'll have another one yet, but there's talk of doing one on mathematics, although I admit to not being very good at it. I honestly think your sister is better at it than I am." He added with a smile.

"While I focus on natural philosophy, I want to study humans more; including their insides. We don't really know what makes us ill or well, but I would want to find out. I can't begin to imagine what a doctor must need now; the Plague is horrifying beyond words. I told everyone at the Society that we need to make a Medical report, but there have been disputes over theories on the transition of the Plague."

"And the devoutly religious have nothing better to offer." the older man scoffed as he leaned against a tree, arms folded.

"They claim it is deserved by whomever gets it and the cause is "naughtiness" and "wickedness". That doesn't sound like a 5 year-old girl to me. To make matters worse, they oppose studying human bodies. A 'desecration' they call it."

The pair stopped walking and rested for a few moments. Will found a patch of soft moss on a large, flat rock and drank from a leather costrel full of water. His Uncle found a trio of logs almost stacked together, thus suitable to drape his thin frame on. He leaned back, hands behind his head as he stared at the sky, continuing their conversation.

"I've thought about that." Will replied, handing the water to his Uncle. "Not about illness, but about morality: we don't know why we make good or bad choices." he paused, deep in thought. "I know that doesn't seem like a terribly important thing, but why we do things that are good or bad could help us understand why people are cruel or kind. And that affects everyone."