Echoes in the Woods by Georgina Scott (ebook reader web txt) 📕

and hugged him and they both cried together as she wrapped him in her arms.

“It’s me that should be sorry; I should have taken you away from this place a long time ago. O, my baby boy, I am so, so sorry! I love you so much,” she said, as she kissed, cradled and rocked him in her arms.

Faith carried him upstairs to the bathroom, where she ran him a warm bath. She tended to the wounds on his ankles, where the ropes had been tied too tight, leaving sore broken skin. She tenderly applied a wet cloth to his bruised and battered body. He whimpered and flinched at every touch she made, which brought tears to her eyes.

She passed him his toy boat, hopefully to try and take his mind elsewhere, away from the pain. “I am going to take you away from here,” she said wiping his face with a flannel. “I am going to call Nana and Gramps to come and get you. Jake, would you like to live with Nana and Gramps?”

“Will you come too, Mummy?”

“No baby, I have to stay here and look after your dad and brothers, but I will visit you often,” with tears in her eyes knowing she was lying to him. John would never allow a visit. She dried him off and put some fresh pyjamas on him and put him to bed; he was asleep in moments.

Faith called her father. After an hour of an argumentative conversation, he agreed to come and get Jake, and said he will be with them by tomorrow morning.

It was 3 o’clock in the afternoon and Faith was late in leaving to go and collect the boys from school. She phoned the school and apologised to Mrs Rose who agreed to stay behind with them until she got there. It took forty-five minutes before she pulled up at St Benedict’s Catholic School. Faith got out of the car and thanked Mrs Rose, a tall thin woman, always dressed in bright florals, colourful from top to toe; she was pleasant, amiable enough, but always looked at you like she had shit under her nose. Faith hugged and kissed all three boys, apologised again, then returned to the truck.

Matthew, the eldest of the four boys, would be fourteen this year; he had his fathers’ ocean blue eyes and dark blonde hair with an adventurous nature and loved the farm, always helping out, wanting to know the ins and outs of everything. He noticed straight away her marked face, but didn’t say anything; he just gave her a big hug and helped his mum put Henry and Mark into the truck and then they set off back to the farm. “Jake is going to live with Nana and Gramps,” said Faith, holding back the tears.

“O,” said Matthew, then paused and continued to say, “maybe it’s for the best mum, the house has been in a turmoil since he was born.” He said staring out of the window.

“That is not fair Matthew. What happened was not his fault!”

“Maybe not, but Mum, he’s not right!” said Matthew looking at her.

She pulled the truck over to the side of the road, “You explain that, Matthew!”

“All I am saying is, he isn’t like us, or like any of our friends.”

“He is only eleven years old. How can you say that about him!” said Faith, trembling, knowing it is true but not wanting to come to terms with the idea that Jake is different.

“He hurts things, mum,” said Mark and Henry looking at each other.

“What things? What are you saying? Oh my god, he is only eleven years old!” Faith said in disbelief.

Finding it very hard to accept what her boys were telling her, she learned of the killing of insects, frogs and birds. Mark and Henry told her that he hurt them by pinching, biting and kicking them when no one else was around and that they are afraid of him. “You’re both lying and making all this up. What you are telling me is that Jake, my son, your brother, is some kind of monster,” said Faith placing her head in her hands, shaking her head in disbelief, unable to digest what was being said to her.

“Mum, what we are saying is that he needs help, not Nana and Gramps, that won’t help him,” said Matthew, but all three boys together said, “He needs the people in the white coats.” Then, in unison, significantly, waved their fingers in a circular motion at the side of their head.

She restarted the ignition and they made their journey back to the farm; the truck was quiet all the way with no one saying a peep until they got home. She told the boys to sit at the kitchen table and do their homework. She made her way upstairs to the bedrooms, firstly, to check in on Jake who was still fast asleep. She stroked his hair and kissed him on the forehead then told him she loved him. Then she checked in on John who wasn’t in bed. Making her way back to the kitchen, she heard the tractor in the distance and asked Matthew to go and tell his father that dinner will be ready in one hour.

Matthew ran from the house towards his dad and caught his attention; he saw him ploughing the top field. His father waved out of his window and told Matthew to stay put in hand signalling. He turned the tractor off and got out and made his way over to Matthew. When he was close enough, Matthew ran to him and wrapped his arms around him, hugging him tight. “I love you, Dad,” said Matthew.

“I love you too, Son,” he said, squeezing him tight.

“So, what has happened, Dad? Mum is upset and she says Jake is going to live with Nana and Gramps,” said Matthew, looking up to his dad.

“It’s not been a good day, Son.”

As he sat on the ground next to Matthew, both stared at