As Family Requires

“Stop! Mom! He’s scaring me again!” screamed the little girl. “Tristen, what are you doing to your sister?” their mother sighed, as if she had heard this story before. “Just telling her about the owls in grandpa’s barn and how they use their deadly claws and night vision to hunt for little girls named ALICE!” he shouted while jumping to spook his sister yet again. “AHHH! MOM!” she screamed, only fueling her brothers fire. “Oh stop it Tristen,” their mother exclaimed. “Where did you hear any of that anyway?” she asked boldly. “Miss Maggie told me,” he replied. “We talked about it in science class, which means it’s true!” he followed with, while grinning an evil grin to his sister. “Nothing is going to hunt me, right mom?” Alice asked, while quivering slightly. “No hunny, nothing is going to hunt you,” their mother replied, glancing at the backseat with a reassuring smile. “But what about all the ghosts?” Tristen snickered. “Oh would you stop! We are almost there. You two can’t get along for ten more minutes?” their mom asked, hoping to quell the storm of impatience for a moment longer.

“Grandpa!” Alice hollered in excitement. “Grandpa! Mom, I can see Grandpa!” Looking out the window she could see her father too, riding on his old tractor through the pasture where she grew up riding horses. “Yes dear, I see him. But stay in your seats until your father parks, okay?” their mother replied. “Okay,” Alice said, reluctantly pulling herself away from the window she was glued to. “Here we are,” the father chimed in, while turning at the rusty mailbox, forgetting the driveway was nearly a mile long. “Oh not quite Dan, hold tight everybody,” the mother said to the kids, fighting back her own urge to jump from her seat. She hadn’t been home in a very long time.

Finally, after parking the car, the family was able to get out and stretch their legs. As her husband went to grab the bags out of the trunk and the kids started running towards the farm house, the mother stood silently for a moment, soaking it all in. She was surprised, however, to find herself slightly disappointed. This old farm, which was so familiar, seemed so different to her now. “A decade really changes things,” she thought to herself. “You okay?” her husband asked, after noticing her perplexing gaze. “Me? Oh yeah, it just looks different from what I remember,” she replied. “Well, let's go inside and see if your mother's cooking is still the same,” he joked back to her lovingly.

They didn’t have to knock when they caught up with the kids. Grandma Jane had been waiting in anticipation for their arrival. “Oh, it is so good to see you all! I am so glad you got here safe! How was the drive?” she asked eagerly, while giving out hugs and welcoming her family. Pausing for a moment, as everyone was fighting for her attention, the husband replied, “It went well! There were a few bumps in the road on the way here, but nothing to complain about.” Smiling, Grandma Jane joked back, “Only a few, in an eight hour drive, I call that a pretty good day! But you all must be hungry.” Turning to her daughter she continued, “Cheryll, come help me in the kitchen while I finish making dinner. We can catch up a bit.” Cheryll happily agreed, but then looked to her husband and asked him to take care of their bags and to prep the kids for dinner. As family requires, even after just barely arriving, they all went off to fulfill their duties.

“I saw dad out in the fields as we were driving up,” Cheryll said to her mother while pulling a casserole out of the oven. “Oh yeah?” Jane replied, prepping the salad. “I did He was on the same old tractor as always. Wasn’t he supposed to retire years ago?” Cheryll continued. “Yeah… well, you know your father. He will die well before he finds the ability to relax,” her mother replied, throwing up her hands gently, signaling that she had finally come to terms with this inevitable reality. “Are you two doing okay financially?” Cheryll asked. “You can tell me if you need some help,” she added. “Oh no, we are fine,” her mother replied. “We have plenty. Your father is just paranoid I guess. He can’t live without guaranteed security,” she continued. “I guess things haven’t changed that much here,” Cheryll thought to herself plainly.

The husband and kids came running in. “Oooh something smells good!” the husband exclaimed as he turned the corner, with the kids echoing the same. “When is it time to eat?” he asked. “Any second!” Jane replied. “Shouldn’t we wait for dad?” asked Cheryll. “No, he will come in when he is ready. He can’t leave a job unfinished. But everyone come and grab a plate!” Jane said cheerfully, while dishing up food for the kids. “It is good to have you home,” she reiterated, smiling softly at Cheryll.

The food was delicious and the conversation was lively and fun, but Cheryll couldn’t shake the sadness that came over her at the thought of her mother eating alone. Her father was still out working. When he did finally come inside, it was nearly time for the kids to be put to bed. They, of course, jumped up at the sight of him. “Grandpa! Grandpa!” they hollered, as they ran to him and clung to his knees. He welcomed everyone and hugged them back, joking and laughing as much as a quiet man does. But Cheryll could tell that he was tired, so she sped up their reunion and escorted the children up to their rooms. When she returned, however, she found a familiar scene, her father asleep in his chair with his boots still on. She had never much doubted her father’s love, but right now, more than ever, she questioned his priorities and motivation. “Why must you work so hard?” she wondered to herself as she tucked him in a blanket.

The next morning, the grandfather was back in the fields before the rest of the family awoke. Cheryll tried to get up early, hoping for a chance to see him, but barely missed him. So she sat outside and drank her coffee alone, listening to the sound of her father’s tractor puttering just upwind. The cold morning air made her quickly go back inside, but her mother then came in to cook breakfast and make the day wonderful, so she didn’t mind.

“It’s crazy to see the barn like this,” Cheryll said to her mother, looking out of one of the windows in the kitchen. “Do you think it’ll collapse soon?” she continued. “Your father assures me that it’s just cosmetic,” her mother responded. “I have argued that we should tear it down and replace it with a new one, but for whatever reason he insists on fixing it up himself,” she followed with. “Well, I wish he would already… it looks like a death trap,” Cheryll said sharply, doubting her father’s judgment. “I’ll be sure to have the kids steer clear of it just in case,” she added. “Maybe that’s a good idea,” her mother replied, clicking the starter of the old gas stove.

That noise might as well have been an invitation to the rest of the family, as the husband and kids came rushing in moments later, excited to start their morning with some freshly made eggs, bacon, and hash browns. They soon ate, and just as Grandma had intended, the morning was wonderful. Cheryll could see the joy that hosting the family brought to her mother, but couldn’t help but think that it stemmed from her being mostly alone every day. She pondered a slight resentment that was growing inside of her, as the sound of her father’s tractor carried on in the background.

Grandpa did take a short break around lunch to spend time with the family, but like always, stayed mostly quiet. He was a kind man, but never cared much for attention, which at times made him seem quite callous and cold. Despite having known this her entire life, Cheryll had secretly hoped for more. It had been a couple years since they had last seen each other, and she desperately wanted a chance to connect with him. However, the rest of the day was much the same as the night before.

The following morning, the kids were getting antsy. So much so, that their father had to send them outside to run around and burn off some energy. Cheryll was keen, however, to remind them to stay away from the barn. “There are many ways for a child to get hurt on a big farm,” she pointed out. “I’m sure that they’ll be fine,” Dan said to her, ushering them out the door, eager for a chance to relax. “I think we ought to take a nap, don’t you?” Dan said to his wife. “You can, but I think I’ll stay up just in case anyone needs anything,” she responded, truthfully hoping for a moment to share with her father. “Suit yourself!” he joked back to her, lying down on the couch in the main room.

Some time had passed and the kids were still quite restless. Up until this point they had heeded their mother’s warning and stayed clear of the old, decrepit barn. However, being left to their own devices, Tristen thought it a good idea to challenge his sister. “I bet that you’re too scared to go inside the barn,” he smirked. “I’m not scared!” Alice rebutted firmly. “Then go in,” he pressured. “Mom said that we aren’t allowed to,” she responded, trying her best to plead her case, hoping that he would just leave it alone. She was actually terrified. The fear of the owls, that had been implanted by her brother, had been weighing on her mind since they had arrived. “Well, mom isn’t here is she?” Tristen replied boldly. “You go in it!” Alice bit back, trying to deflect the attention away from herself. “I have a thousand times,” he responded, lying through his teeth. He was secretly afraid of it too. He was barely older than a baby when the family had last visited, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. “Chicken!” he laughed and pointed. “Chicken! Alice is a chicken!” he went on annoyingly. “No, I’m not!” Alice yelled back in frustration, feeling the full weight of her brother’s pestering. But he just grinned and nodded his head in the direction of the barn, knowing that he had gotten to her. So Alice, despite her better judgment, started walking that way.

As she got closer to the barn, fear began to swell within her. The darkness that peeked through the splintering boards screamed “danger” in the mind of the young girl. Her heart was racing as she stood frozen, only a few steps away from the door. “Don't just stand there, open it!” Tristen hollered from a safe distance. Reluctantly she listened and used all of her might to pull the door open, just enough for her to slip by. She paused for a moment, turning back to look at her brother once more before going inside.

Stepping in, Alice was nervous. This was far outside of her comfort zone. However, there wasn’t an owl in sight and the space seemed to welcome her with air that sparkled in the rays of light shining through the cracked boards. Because of this, she felt more free to explore. As she walked around, she saw remnants of a world that she had never experienced. There were old saddles, boots, and stirrups that lined the walls, all surrounded by old and rusty farm equipment. This fascinated young Alice. She had heard of the old farm but had never gotten to see it with her own eyes. But here in this moment, the stories that her mother had told her began to come to life. She roamed about the barn, imagining the horses and other animals who used to live there. She was delighted.

Tristen, however, was starting to grow nervous. It had been awhile since he had seen or heard anything from his sister. Fearing that she may have gotten hurt, and what that could potentially mean for him since he had sent her in there, he began to walk toward the barn himself. When he got to the door, it wasn’t opened quite far enough for him to fit, so he yanked on the door to slide it open a sliver more. Unknown to Tristen, however, there was a ladder that had settled just on the other side of the door. When he pulled the door further open, the ladder came crashing down.

The noise startled Alice, making her jump and turn around quickly to see what had happened. When she saw the ladder on the ground next to her brother in the door way, she sighed in relief. But then noticed something moving frantically up in the rafters. It was an owl, who had been alarmed by the sound as well. She let out a shriek, but that only frightened it further. The owl flew down to scare off the young girl out of instinct, which petrified Alice. After a moment of nervous silence and a few passes of this owl, she collapsed to her knees and wept in fear. Tristen too was shocked beyond belief, he hadn’t really thought that any owls lived in the barn. But without knowing what else to do, he took off screaming for his mother.

When he got to the house, Cheryll met him outside. She had heard his screaming and got up as quickly as she could. After hearing briefly of what had happened, she took off toward the barn. It was several hundred yards away from the farm house, so even in a full sprint it took some time to get there. At about half the distance she began to hear Alice’s weeping, which made her worry even more. However, she wasn’t alone in this. Just over the small ridge she saw her father riding up quickly on his four wheeler toward the barn. He had heard the commotion as well.

Her father made it there before she could, and when she got close enough, she over heard her father consoling his granddaughter with care, “Oh it’s okay lovely, Grandpa is here.” He said to Alice. “But the owls are going to hurt me,” she cried in response. “No, I won’t let anything hurt you,” he said back to her, hugging her tightly. This took Cheryll slightly by surprise, she had never heard him speak so tenderly before. When she got to the door, she stopped herself from running in and instead paused to listen a little longer.

Still shaken by the experience, Alice explained to her grandfather everything that her brother had told to her and then what had just happened. Wiping her tears from her eyes and hugging her tighter, he replied, “Brothers can be cruel sometimes, but you have nothing to be worried about. These owls here are actually quite gentle. I can show you if you’d like.” Alice nodded in agreement. So her grandpa led her up the barn steps to peak at them on the top ledge. “Now be very quiet,” he said to her. “These owls have been living up here for a few years, and every now and then I like to come watch them.” He continued. “Can you see them, back in the corner there?” He asked. “Yeah I can see him,” Alice whispered back. “That’s actually the mother,” he responded. “And behind her are her two little babies,” he continued. Alice smiled and got excited when she saw one poke its head out from behind its mothers wing. This excitement however, caught the mothers attention and she was beginning to become agitated again, so the grandpa brought Alice back down to the main floor, to let them rest. “But do you see lovely? They just want to protect their babies.” He said to her. “Barn owls are fantastic parents.” He continued.

Alice was no longer afraid, but she had grown obviously confused, “Where is their dad though?” she asked. “He must be out finding food for them.” Her grandpa answered. “Thats where he spends most of his time,” he continued. “Why?” Alice asked curiously. “Well… that’s his job. For those babies to grow up big and strong they need a lot of food, but they also need a lot of attention. So the parents split the bill.” He replied. “Do they ever get to see him though?” Alice asked inquisitively. “Of course they do! But maybe less than they would like to,” He replied. “But that’s just how it goes sometimes,” he added. “Why?” Alice asked again.

Looking around the barn for a better way of explaining this to his young granddaughter, he saw the old saddles and boots, “Do you see these over here?” He asked Alice, “When your mother was about your age, she always wanted to have a horse, so your grandmother and I worked really hard to get her one, and we did. In fact we got a couple, one for her and one for your grandma so that they could ride together.” He added. “You didn’t have one?” Alice wondered. “No, I didn’t have the time to go and ride often enough.” He replied. “In fact, on top of managing the farm, I had to take care of the horses as well. Had to feed them, bathe them, clean out their stalls, fix up their shoes, and so on. I had less time than ever, it was a lot of work! But I saw how happy it made your mother, so I did it.” He continued. “But in order for her to have that, she never got to see me very much. I was always too busy at work here on the farm.” He said. “Did that make you sad Grandpa?” asked Alice, “Sometimes, yeah. But that’s what family requires. And the smile that I saw on her face when she would ride her horse made it all worth it, I think about it every time I look at this barn,” her Grandpa replied, smiling softly at Alice.

Cheryll could no longer contain herself. She ran up from behind and hugged her father for the first time since she had been home. It was clear to her in this moment that she had been misjudging her fathers intentions for her entire life. He had always been a quiet man, who maybe was never comfortable enough to express his emotions openly with her, but that didn’t mean he loved her or her mother any less than she had always hoped. He just had a different way of expressing it. Being the provider was the only way he knew how, and every day he broke his back to do so. Because of this, they had been given a wonderful life. “I love you dad,” Cheryll said to him, squeezing him tightly. He turned around surprised, having not known that she had been there the entire time, but hugged and held to her tighter than ever before and replied, “I love you too.”

They spent the next hour or so going through the barn, telling Alice and Tristen, who had come to join them, a bunch of stories from when their mother was growing up. Laughing and spending the time that they both had wished to share. Eventually however, her father had to go finish his duties around the farm before the day could be finished. So Cheryll brought the kids back up to the house and helped prep for dinner. Because as family requires, there is always work to be done.