childhood innocense

“Daddy?” I said carefully, watching a man on lookout intently.

“Yes Heather?” He straitened up, scythe glinting in one hand, a cut bunch of golden wheat in the other.

“He’s on watch duty isn’t he?” I pointed to the man I was watching.

“Yes,” He nodded, but raised an eyebrow at me, “Heather, remember what we said about pointing. We don’t do it do we.” But he was smiling. Daddy was never angry with me when he smiled.

“No,” I grumbled, “Well how do I show you what I’m talking about if I don’t point?!”

“You nod with your head” He reminded me, and bent again, swinging the blade through the crop again.

Chewing my bottom lip, I looked around bored, walking slowly behind daddy and picking up the bits of wheat he’d missed.

“But daddy?”

He sighed and straitened up again, “Yes?”

“Why is he on guard duty? It’s because of the silver men isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Daddy nodded to me, but looked up around the field, as if he were looking out for something.

“But daddy – oh!” I spotted a bit of wheat I’d missed on the ground and quickly picked it up, “Why do the silver people hate us?”

Daddy looked down at me, but didn’t say anything. Was he angry with me? Did I say something wrong?

“Heather, I’ll explain it to you later, when we get back home. Now though, we need to cut this wheat don’t we. How are you getting on collecting the bits I miss?”

I held out my hand to show him, and he smiled at me, “Good girl, my little wildchild!”

“But I want to know now!” I whined

He sighed again. Mummy said he did that a lot. “Not here Heather.” He wasn’t smiling now.

“Why not!?”

“Because we need to do our job first.” He said gently, and turned again to cut the stalks.

“But I want to know now!” I stamped my foot.

“No Heather.” He didn’t straighten up this time and look at me.

“Please?!”

“No. Later.”

“But I want to know NOW!” I stamped again, folding my arms.

“No Heather!”

“WANT TO KNOW NOW!” I frowned as well. Mummy did that when she argued with daddy and she always seemed to win!

“Heather, stop shouting.” The curved knife swung again.

“WANT TO KNOW NOOOOWWW!”

“Stop it!”

“NO!”

“Heather stop it now or I’ll send you back!” He turned fast.

“No you won’t!” I didn’t shout this time, though I wanted to. My voice did something funny. It sounded like a growl afterwards.

Daddy stopped looking angrily and watched me. He knelt down in front of me, his eyes flicked up and down and side to side as he looked at my face. He made me giggle.

He stopped looking worried and smiled, shaking his head, “Your right, how could I send my best little helper back.” He grabbed my sides and began to tickle me,

“DADDY – STOP IT!” I screamed at him, but I couldn’t help giggling, which seemed to make him laugh.

“Silvershed – lunch break?” Daddy’s friend called over.

Daddy stopped, grinning at me, then took me under my arms and swung me up, “What do you think, hungry little wildchild?”

I nodded hard, “Can I have some blackberries – you said I could this morning?!”

He laughed, walking through the waist high wheat, “Let’s go on a hunt for them shall we? First battling the terrors of Daddy’s pack? If its not there then I’m afraid we might have to dare ask big scary Brook?”

*********
“Heather? Those silver people?”

“Yes?” I sat on my bed. I made my legs swing, trying to make them reach the floor. Daddy sat next to me.

“What do we do when we see them?”

“We run!” I grinned at him, knowing I was right, “We run for the hole, we keep quite and say ‘Help’ to the guards at the hole.”

“Very good Heather, yes. Now why do you think we do that?”

“Because there bad people!” I knew that was right too.

He nodded, opened his mouth, but then closed it. He did it again. And again.

I giggled, “Daddy you look like a fish!”

He smiled, and did it again, making me giggle more.

“Heather,” He had stopped smiling now and I frowned at him,

“What’s wrong daddy?”

“I’m trying to think how to explain this too you without scaring you.” He leant back against my wall and I looked at him,

“Just tell me. I’m not scared Daddy.”

He half smiled this time, “I know Heather. And that’s worse…”

“I know they’ll hurt me if they catch me.” I scratched my foot.

“Heather…I think you’re old enough to know this. You go ‘up top’ with me quite a lot now…Those silver people – the ones we sometimes call Bots…they…they…” He was doing the fish thing again, but I knew I should answer him instead of giggling,

“They’ll kill me won’t they daddy…?” I felt scared saying it, and crawled to his side, hugging him.

He wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head, “Yes.” He whispered.

“But you’ll save me won’t you Daddy?” I was sure this was right as well.

“Yes. I will. But you have to do what I say when we go ‘up top’ Heather, remember that!”

“I will – I do!”

He hugged me hard, “I know my little Wildchild, I know…Now, I think it’s about your bedtime now, don’t you?”

“NO!”

“Yes, now come on Heather…”

“NOOO!”