The Ghosts Of Regret

Fire crackling, echoing into the night, a deep voice cuts through the force of the flames. “For generations, we have tended this farm, this apple orchard has produced for our family; fed us, clothed us, paid us, given its life blood to support this family, and you, you don’t even want to continue its legacy?! YOUR LEGACY! You want to go off and be an actor. What kind of uncertain life is that to lead?! The legacy of this farm runs through your veins, the spirits of the ancestors flow through these lands! The bodies of those before you, have helped grow these trees that give us the life we have! I can’t look at you right now, go prepare the water from the spring, and take your time!”

Aaron, humble in stature, docile and courageous, runs away from the warmth of the fire, and flames of his father's distaste. The sun sets quickly, as this happens, Aaron realizes that his dreams of leaving and becoming an actor may be setting even quicker. Aaron looks over at the shed, with the unstained fence where the family bull is, with a great sense of tamed anger and rage, Aaron locks eyes with the bull, staring each other down, as the bull knows his fate is already chosen, laid out behind that unstained fence. Aaron feels it, that sense of being trapped, with the power to get out, but mentally, in jail. And so he just stares, as his fathers voice circulates through his mind.

For generations, a Smith has taken care of the land, maintained the orchard through blood, sweat, tears, and slavery! The ghost of his ancestors haunts his choices now, like chains of enslavement, his life was already decided for him before he was even born.

Finding his way to the spring, he starts syphoning water into large jugs linked to the house. A long process, Aaron takes off his top shirt, folds it neatly into a pillow, taking a brief nap.

“Aaron. Aaron. AARON!” A voice whispers. Shooting like a bullet from a brand new rifle, looking around frantically, noticing that the spring has become foggy and the water calm. Looking on, panning his head slowly from right to left, he looks on in confusion. Checking the water jugs, he disconnects the line with caution of his surroundings, remembering now to fill his canteen with water. He notices the sparkly shimmers in the water, intrigued, and thirsty, he takes a sip, then starts his trip back home.

Like any other journey to that spring, Aaron knows his way around those lands, because it is in his veins. But, he starts noticing different things, strange things. It seems as if the trees are coming alive, as they sway and howl in the night wind. Through the dense forest, he smells a fire burning, knowing he isn’t close enough to his house to smell the fire, his second guess is – someone is living on their family property without permission! Sneaking up, he finds a family sitting around a beautifully lit fire, praying. “Please God, watch over my family, we have endured a lot during these times, we know it is a sin to hate, but we hate what is bad, and we just want peace on this land, we have tried to leave, but we can never go, as master has always tracked our brothers and sisters down, and made examples of them. One day, we pray that you grant us this land, please bless us. Amen.”

Looking on in amazement, he notices their clothes are from a different era, unreal even. Trying to get a closer view, he steps on a stick, startling the family, they see Aaron through the bush and run towards him. Aaron turns to run and trips falling on his back. A black, tall, burly man jumps on top of him and takes a knife out, in shock Aaron can't move, the burly man thrust his knife into Aaron’s skull.

Waking up startled! Breathing heavily, Aaron looks at the canteen, pours out a little water – a sparkly glow. Checking the jugs again, still full. He gets up and leaves with haste. With the house in view, he starts walking across the small bridge over the moat. “Aaron…” He turns around, there is a woman behind him in a dirty white nightgown.“Why do you want to leave us? We’ve given so much for you!” she says. Aaron, bewildered. She walks close into Aaron’s personal space, looks him up and down, “I DIED FOR YOU!” Violently pushing Aaron into the water, his body crashes, he pops up violently gasping for air! Trying to breathe, hands rise from the water and pull him under. Fighting for dear life, his eyes bulge out his head, the more he struggles, the more life leaves him as his eyes fade shut.

“STOP!” Popping up, “What the hell was that!” He drops his canteen, races home, not stopping or slowing down, he finds his father crying where he left him. Sparkling streams flow from his father's eyes. “This place is special, many would call it a curse, but you’ve been blessed! This land has the blood, sweat, and tears of our ancestors, all which have been buried here. Since we’ve benefited and partaken, we must give back to the soil that grows these blessed apples. I’m trying to protect you, we are slaves to this land...good slaves. They didn’t know that they were free to leave when slavery ended, their mentality was still to be servants, they spoke of freedom, but only knew slavery, so whenever one of them tried to leave, the others killed them, burried them right here, now we tend to this land.” In shock at his father’s words, Aaron is silent.

His father notices someone walking behind Aaron, he puts his head down, it’s the man that stabbed Aaron previously. Turning around slowly, an eerie voice says, “You forgot this”, the man throws the canteen to Aarons feet, “you should be more careful with family heirlooms boy”, the man walks off into the night fog – “To dream is to die, we never know if we’re dreaming or it’s reality.” Slithering out of the canteen, he notices a red shimmering substance, takes his pinky, dabs the substance – blood, sweat, and tears.

His head down, Aaron’s father says with a regretful voice, “You know, your mother tried to leave with your sister once…”

Aaron whips his head up, eyes full, quivering, staring off into the distant fog, the bull he sees, free, in the open, staring back at Aaron. Aaron blinks, the bull vanishes, the tears run down from Aaron’s eyes onto his lips, listening to his father cry, mumbling. Knowing he must escape, but he does nothing, as regrets hold him in place.