The Fields

The Fields 
By Meagan Sutherland

Run. That’s all I could think. My life changed from peace to tragedy in the blink of an eye. As I ran I heard the peacefulness of the farm go by. I faintly heard the cows mooing and the tree leaves brushing against each other as I quickly went past. I rushed towards the grassy green pastures and blue sky’s. Father was on my trail. He was still a bit far behind. He was an old man, in his late 50’s. He wore his overalls, covered in tractor oil and manure, his jet black books, soles covered in dirt and of course, his favourite, old, worn down Chevrolet baseball cap. “Get back here boy or I’ll whip your ass until it bleeds!” He yelled with his leather belt in hand. He may be old, but boy could he run like the wind. He wasn’t as fast as he used to be, but he still had that extra power in him. I disappeared into the wheat fields. Every grain of wheat hurting more and more the faster I run. Luckily the fields were tall and thick so you couldn’t see anything from the sides. As soon as I felt far away and safe, I stopped. “God damn it!” Father shouted. Making the fields ripple like when a drop hits water. I fell to my knees, heavy and weak. Almost as weak as my arms feel after we stack the bales of hay in September. My short brown hair covering my eyes as I look up to the bright blue sky. The warm July sun, covering my skin like a cozy wolf blanket. For once, it felt a bit calmer on the farm. As I bask in the glow of the warm sun and watch the wheat sway as the gasps of wind go by, the peacefulness suddenly vanished. I stopped and stared blankly into the mounds of wheat before me. No expression. Not the sense that Father was near, but something else. Something more dreadful. I slowly picked my body weight back up and stopped in shock. I couldn’t move. I suddenly remember that it was Thursday July 15, 1973. Thursday. Then the terrifying sound of wheat being cut started just north of me. My knees turned to jelly all of a sudden, and I fell to the dirt ground with a thud. Head in hands, I slowly look up at the sky for the last time. A single tear ran down my freckled cheek. The tearing sound getting louder and louder, worse and worse and snap. It’s all over. But how did I get here?