The Children of Fear (2 page)

He saw his father working desperately on the reins and heard him calling out to calm the terrified animals.

Luke shot off the porch and raced after the wagon.

“Stop!” he yelled. “Stop!” But his voice drifted on the wind. Not strong enough to stop the stampeding horses.

The horses raced on toward a deep ravine, dragging the wagon behind them. He saw his father flung backward into the box, slamming headfirst into a wooden barrel.

Clinging to the side of the wagon, his mother looked back at him. The wind had torn off her bonnet and her hair whipped wildly around her head.

Snorting with rage, their lips curled back against their teeth, the horses galloped madly along the ravine. The wagon teetered on the edge… .

Then it rolled over.

L
uke shuddered with the memory. Ten months later he still didn't understand why the horses had bolted.

Was it the lightning? The thunder? he wondered for the hundredth time. He'd never known his father to lose control of any animal. No matter what. His father had a gift when it came to handling animals. A gift he had passed on to Leah.

If only I had the gift too. Maybe then we'd have a chance. Maybe then I could at least get this stupid mule to pull this plow.

He stared at the unplowed fields surrounding him. Doubts and worries swarmed within his head.

I don't know what to do, he realized. I don't know how to keep the farm.

He thought about his visitor the day before—Mr. Stone, the president of the bank.

He felt hot anger mingle with his fears. Mr. Stone had threatened to take the farm away if Luke didn't make a payment on the land soon. What would happen to Leah and Corey then?

I'm sixteen, old enough to take care of myself, but Leah and Corey are both too young to be left alone. They need me to be strong. Who would take care of them if I didn't?

With determination, Luke slapped the reins. “Come on, you stubborn mule. We'll stay in these fields all day and all night if we have to.” The mule brayed and took a step forward.

“That's a start,” Luke said as the strap from the plow dug into his shoulders. He tightened his grip on the handles and pushed the plow, turning the black dirt. Every muscle in his body strained with his efforts.

We won't lose the farm, he vowed. I'll do whatever I have to do to stay on the land.

He turned at the sound of someone yelling his name. Leah raced across the field, tugging Corey along behind her. Her black braids flapped wildly against her shoulders.

“Luke!” she screamed.

Luke's heart thudded painfully in his chest. Something's happened, he thought. Something horrible has happened again.

He began running as fast as he could toward his sister and brother. “What is it?” he yelled. “What's wrong?”

Leah stopped and began to laugh. “Don't worry, Luke. Everything is fine.”

Luke stumbled to a halt, breathing heavily. “Why are you yelling for me?”

Her green eyes sparkled. “You promised to take us into town for the centennial celebration. Don't you remember?”

The centennial celebration. He'd forgotten all about it. Stormy Ridge was having its own centennial celebration. It would be nothing like the exposition his parents had planned to attend in Philadelphia, but it would be exciting.

“Leah, I'm sorry, but I can't take you to town today. I have too much work to do.” He waved toward the unplowed fields.

Her green eyes darkened. Her mouth turned down into a frown. “But you promised!”

“I know I did, but—”

He felt a hard tug on his trousers. He looked at his brother. Tears welled up in Corey's green eyes.

Luke knelt in the brown soil. Corey's and Leah's green eyes were like their father's, a strange sort of green that would be light one moment, dark the next.

“Do you want to go to town, Corey?”

Corey nodded, his eerie silence raising the hair on Luke's neck. His brother had not spoken a word since the day their parents were killed.

Luke brushed the dark hair off Corey's brow. It fell back into place as though it had a will of its own.

Why won't you speak? Luke wondered. Why can't you say a simple yes?

He flicked a ladybug off Corey's bare foot. Corey's overalls were getting too short. Luke glanced at Leah. Her blue calico dress looked worn and faded. Until the crops came in, none of them would have new clothes.

“I know you want to go, but if I don't get the field plowed, we won't have a crop. Without a crop, we'll lose the farm,” he explained.

“But, Luke.” Leah dropped beside him. She dug her fingers into his arm, her green eyes flashing excitedly. “There's a horse race. The winner gets fifty dollars! And I know I can win!”

“Fifty dollars?” Luke echoed. Fifty dollars would surely be enough to keep them on the farm until the crop came in. Could Leah possibly win it for them?

Luke scoffed at the idea. He felt silly and childish for thinking for one moment that she could really win all that money.

“Leah, I know Pa taught you well about horses,” he told her. “But they'll be a lot of people competing for that much money. And a lot of horses that are even faster than Phantom.”

Leah crossed her arms over her chest and angrily glared up at him.

“I can win it. I know I can,” she insisted. “And if you don't take us to town, I'll just go by myself.”

Luke knew that look. Short of locking her in the house for the rest of the day, he knew his sister would make good on her promise. He sighed and bent down to pick his dusty hat up from the ground.

“All right.” He nodded. “We'll go.”

♦ ♦ ♦

With Corey perched on his shoulders, Luke trudged down the dirt road toward town. Leah walked beside him, leading her black horse, Phantom. She wouldn't let them ride the horse to town because she didn't want it worn out before the race.

Luke felt she could never win the race. But he forced himself not to say anything more about it.

When we get to town, Leah will see for herself that winning this race is just a dream, Luke thought.

They neared the town and heard the crowds and the sound of a brass band. As they turned up the crossroads and walked down Main Street, Luke saw banners strung up from one side of the road to the other and people milling about everywhere. He'd never seen so many people in the small town. Most of the clapboard stores had signs hanging in the windows or on the doors that said
CLOSED FOR THE BIG RACE.

He spotted some signs that said the horse race would take place on Main Street at one o'clock. He guessed by the sun that it was nearly that time already.

“Isn't it exciting?” Leah said. “It looks like everyone is here to watch the race.” Standing on tiptoe, she pointed to the town hall. A group of men—laughing and talking—stood on the porch and front steps in front of the building. Beside them, another man stood on a barrel. He held a wooden sign over his head that read
SIGN UP FOR THE RACE HERE.

“That's where I need to go,” she told Luke.

Luke nodded. “I'll hold Phantom for you.”

He took the reins from his sister, shifted Corey on his shoulders, and followed Leah.

“I need to sign up for the race,” Leah said excitedly to the men standing on the porch. They suddenly grew quiet and stared at Leah as though she had sprouted another head. One tall young man with broad shoulders stepped forward.

“You can't be in the race,” he told Leah. “You're a girl.”

Leah tipped up her nose. “Thomas Wade, you show me the rules—in writing.”

Thomas Wade ran his fingers through his dark red hair. “The rules aren't written, but we all know them,” he said. “No girls.”

“You don't want me to enter because you know I'll win,” Leah said.

Thomas narrowed his black eyes. “No one can beat the Wades,” he said, his voice low.

Luke stepped forward. He knew everyone in town feared the Wade brothers. They were the wealthiest family in the area. They had used their wealth and influence to run more than one family out of town. Luke didn't like them, but he knew Leah had her heart set on entering the race.

“If no one can beat you,” Luke said, “then it shouldn't bother you if Leah enters.”

“Luke's right,” a deep voice agreed.

Everyone turned to see Earl Wade walk toward the town hall, leading two golden stallions with long silver manes. Luke's gaze roamed over the horses' powerful builds. He saw their muscles bunching as they followed their master. Luke's heart sank. He knew Leah's horse could never outrun them.

“Let her enter,” Earl said.

Leah squealed with delight. “Thanks, Earl. I won't beat you too badly.”

One man on the porch picked up a large chalkboard and stepped over to Leah. Luke saw that the names of everyone entered in the race were written on the board.

“Write your name under there,” the man grumbled as he handed Leah a piece of chalk.

With quick, neat strokes Leah wrote her name out on the board.

Luke saw Thomas and Earl exchange glances. Then
their mouths curved up into grins. He feared what the Wade brothers planned.

Leah brushed the chalk dust off her hands and took the reins from Luke.

“Watch out for the Wade brothers,” he whispered as they strolled away from the store. “I don't trust them.”

Leah's eyes darkened. “They're bullies, but they don't frighten me.”

Maybe they should, Luke thought. But he didn't want to worry her too much before the race. He knew she needed to keep her attention focused on riding Phantom. “We'll go find a place to stand where we can watch the race,” Luke told her.

“Yell for me,” she asked.

“We will,” he promised.

With Corey still perched on his shoulders, Luke pushed his way through the laughing, boisterous crowd. People stood shoulder to shoulder, lining both sides of the dirt road where the horses would race. Luke studied the track as the riders gathered at the far end of the street. He saw that they needed to race to the other end of town, circle a barrel, and return to the starting point. Luke found a spot halfway down the road.

“Good day, Mr. Hammond,” he said as he threaded his way to the front of the crowd.

Mr. Hammond, the owner of the general store, spun around. Although he had closed his store for the day, he still wore his white apron. “Well, hello, young Fier. We don't see you in town much these days.”

Luke forced himself to smile. “The farm keeps me busy.”

“I imagine it does at that. A sad thing—your parents dying the way they did. A sad thing indeed.”

Mr. Hammond pulled a sarsaparilla stick from his pocket and held the candy toward Corey. Corey grabbed it, nearly tumbling off Luke's shoulders in his eagerness. Luke righted his brother while Mr. Hammond laughed heartily.

“Thank you for the kindness, Mr. Hammond,” Luke said. “We don't get many sweets these days.”

“That will change if your sister wins this race, won't it?” he asked.

“Yes, it will,” Luke replied as he glanced toward the area where the riders and horses waited. He caught sight of Leah standing beside her black horse, stroking his neck. Luke pointed. “Look, Corey. There's Leah and Phantom.”

Corey clapped and waved.

Leah smiled broadly and waved back.

“Your father told me that Leah has a gift when it comes to animals,” Mr. Hammond said.

Luke felt the pride swell within him. “Yes, sir, she does. Animals seem to sense what she wants them to do.”

“She'll give the Wade brothers a run for their money,” Mr. Hammond said. “But I don't imagine she will win. The Wade brothers have their minds set to win this race. They don't take kindly to losing.”

Luke watched as two boys stretched a rope across the dusty road.

“Mount up!” Mr. Stone yelled. He not only owned the bank, he was also the mayor. He oversaw the races and anything else of importance in town—

Like turning a family out to starve, Luke thought
icily. Yesterday he threatened to throw us off our land. Now he stands there, with his big round belly and pudgy cheeks, smiling at everyone like Santa Claus.

How I wish Leah could win.

A dozen horses approached the rope, their riders urging them forward.

Leah was the only girl. Even from a distance Luke could see the excitement in her eyes, the glow in her cheeks.

Luke watched anxiously as the Wade brothers took their places, Thomas on one side of Leah, Earl on the other. He saw them crowd Leah and push Phantom away from the starting line. Leah shoved on Thomas Wade's arm. Thomas only laughed and nudged his horse against Phantom.

Alarm rippled through Luke when he saw the Wade brothers exchange knowing glances, as though they were more interested in hurting Leah than in winning the race. Leah looked so small and fragile sitting between them.