Heaven on Earth (original) (raw)

1775-New Beginnings-3 April

Elizabeth crouched down to take the silver but decided it was pointless now. The British would take it from her on her way out anyway and it would be less brutal for her younger siblings to see if she just left it here. She looked around desperately for anything she could bring that the British wouldn't take from her. She looked in the oak chest, but found nothing. She looked in the drawers, under the bed, in the bathroom, but nothing came up. "Aha!" she said softly taking the hand sewn quilt off of the bed. She folded it neatly and placed it on the old wooden floor boards. She made sure no one was around then she lifted up the mattress and took out a leather back book with a quill pen. The diary she had kept since she was ten. She grabbed a few yellowed books off of the shelf the placed them next to the quilt. Suddenly there was a moaning sound. She stood up, afraid that the British had come in; another moan. She pulled out a knife from the dresser drawer; the moaning was coming from the closet. She tip toed over quietly, turned the knob with a trembling hand; a scream. It was Jacob, Carla, and John; her siblings. "Elizabeth!" they cried running to her in a hug. 'BANG' the children gasped. It was the British on the front porch. Elizabeth quickly ran to the things on the floor and called to her brothers and sister, "We have to get out of here. Come with me." the children followed. Jacob stayed at the back of them, being twelve he protected the other two. John was third oldest, he was nine; Carla was the youngest, she was only seven, but she was very capable and walked near Elizabeth's heels. Elizabeth was of course the oldest. She was fifteen and in charge after her parents were slaughtered in front of their house not but twenty minutes ago. She had taken charge immediately and was doing well. Another bang on the door, they ran to it and Elizabeth opened the door. "Wh...what do you want?" she knew exactly what the red coats wanted, they wanted them. "Could you please step aside miss." it wasn't a question, it was an order. She moved the children aside and the red coats burst through the door. "Search the place for any live person. Take what you like, but leave any gold you find, behind you." the officer bellowed over the shouts of men rampaging through the home. "They belong to you?" the officer said pointing to the three children. "Y...Yes sir, they are my children." the officer looked her in the eye and asked bluntly, "Where's your husband then?" thinking frantically Elizabeth blurted out, "He was killed in the war." "Oh really? how?" the officer was wise to her lie, she had to make this a good one, or the children would be killed. "Fine." she said, "I lied, I stood there on the roof of this house and watched him shoot himself in the head. I saw the bullet go through his flesh, into his brains, and out the other side. I saw him drenched in blood, the crazed look in his eye. I watched my husband die right here in front of me." The officer looked unmoved by the story and didn't seem to care at all. He turned around and called to the men behind him, "Take rugrats. Kill 'em." "NO!!! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Elizabeth cried out as the officers took the children. Carla turned, tears streaming down her face, "Elizabeth!" She could see the terror in the children's faces. The officer made her watch his men execute her siblings. They left her on the site, cold, alone, drenched in tears. She sat on the dusty grass just sobbing. She watched the British burn her home and most of the houses in her town, she watched them laugh and ride away. She was alone. The only things she had were what she took out of the house before; the quilt and her diary. No food, no clothing, and no protection.

It was time...time for a new beginning.