novelraw Chapter 88: Ready
Chapter 88: Ready
The two brothers went down to the farm to see how the crops were coming along.
Both the brothers were somewhat injured, but they could both walk along fine, so they went down the farm checking everything.
The crops weren’t in the best condition, with amateur work being clear everywhere. But the Dulls had done their best with regard to what was written in the text that was given to every Dull to help them grow the different crops.
There was even an empty plot of land on each person’s farm where they could test out stuff before moving on to the rest of the farms.
The crops were laid either too closely, or too far apart. Some weren’t put in straight, and instead sideways, but that wouldn’t hurt the crops as much.
After going through the farm, the two brothers realized that they didn’t have to worry about the crops for now. They were in the stage where the entire farmland was filled with water so the grains would take some time to grow before they had to physically intervene.
Stanley wouldn’t have to start working just yet it seemed.
Bradley waved to his friends near the veil when they arrived at the edge of the farm. They talked for a little bit, the others teasing and congratulating Bradley for not having to work around the veil anymore.
"I’m still a defender, guys. I still work here, albeit not as much as before," Bradley said.
"Yeah, but that will change once you become the mayor in 10 days," the others said. "You have what? 4 days of Veil duty in total?"
"3," Bradley said. "The last one is 2 days before I become the mayor."
"Right," the men said. "Speaking of which, I heard George tried to kill you. Is that true?"
Bradley nodded. "And he might have even succeeded had my brother not been there," he said.
Stanley was standing some distance away, so the others only looked at him and did not say anything. After a bit of talk, Bradley finally walked away from the other Defenders and returned back to his brother.
"Let’s go back," he said, and Stanley nodded. The two of them walked up the farm, arriving back at the house.
The chickens needed feeding, so Stanley went to get some feed from the storage. Bradley helped him change the water, and then together they went to deal with the pigs, which needed to be fed as well.
The two brothers reminisced about the time in their youth when they would help their mother with these tasks. Ever since they were old enough to know that their mother needed help, they would aid whenever they could.
They remembered the times when they were helpful, then they remembered the time when they were more trouble than help.
Bradley remembered the one time Stanley slipped on the pig’s dung and completely ruined his newly bought clothes.
Stanley remembered the one time when Bradley accidentally released one of the chickens and had to run around the entire farm trying to catch it.
Fond memories emerged one after another as the two brothers dealt which problems that were both familiar and nostalgic. They laughed remembering each other’s goofy actions in the past, they teared up remembering the sadness, and smiled when they remembered how happy they used to be.
Stanley smiled the widest he had in a very long time as he talked with his brother about everything.
Doing so helped him understand something very important that he had taken for granted for the past 6 months.
His mother was dead, yes, but his brother was still alive. All was not lost just yet. He still had someone he loved just as much as he did his brother.
Bradley couldn’t have been happier seeing his brother smile the way he did. Maybe, maybe this was going to help get rid of the nightmare that haunted his dreams most nights these days.
They sat on the back porch, the sun closing in on the veil at the top. White clouds flew in the sky, providing shade to the two brothers as the rays would their faces this time around without it.
It was hot nonetheless, but they had just washed themselves in the stream, so the breeze helped them stay cool.
The two stayed there, not talking but simply enjoying the time together. They watched the grass move in the distance, birds chirping from trees nearby, and enjoy the silence that came with being in a place with no other humans around them.
Even the chicken and pigs were silent as they were resting after eating what was given to them.
"This truly feels amazing, doesn’t it?" Bradley asked.
Stanley nodded but said nothing. He simply enjoyed it.
As time went along, something changed inside of him. It was as if something that had frozen up for a long time had started thawing and something that he didn’t think he would desire for a while longer slowly came to him.
He questioned himself if this was what he wanted or not as it all felt so surreal. But the truth was, he did. He did want what his heart was asking for. He was ready.
"I think I’m ready," Stanley said to his brother.
Bradley turned around, slightly confused. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "Ready for what?"
Stanley took a deep breath and said, "I think I’m ready to go meet Mom."
Bradley’s eyes widened slightly as a smile formed on his face. "You really want to go meet Mom?" he asked.
Stanley nodded. He was sure he wanted this.
He had come to terms with his mother’s death, and the pain he felt for her loss had lessened as well. So, it was time to talk to her one last time, to say goodbye and let her go.
Bradley hugged his brother with a tight grip. "Good," he said. "Let’s go talk to mom."
Then, the two brothers got up from the porch and left for the cemetery where their mother’s ashes were buried.