{"id":2971,"date":"2012-06-21T17:37:23","date_gmt":"2012-06-21T21:37:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2971"},"modified":"2026-01-20T14:46:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T19:46:44","slug":"what-do-you-tell-your-children-or-the-art-of-explaining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=2971","title":{"rendered":"What Do You Tell Your Children? or The Art of Explaining (by faust)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary: <\/span>There’ll come a time your children ask questions, uncomfortable questions. And then you might find answers that’ll help you, too, to cope with what was and is.<\/p>\n

970 words, rated T<\/p>\n

My Story Index and reading order for the Art-Universe<\/a><\/p>\n

Author’s Note:\u00a0 If you haven’t read “Oh Brother” this is what you need to know before you read this story: in 1863, Adam enlists in the Federal army, leaving behind his wife and new born son, Henry.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

What Do You Tell Your Children?
\nor
\nThe Art of Explaining<\/strong><\/h3>\n


\n<\/strong>
\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Ben said patting the horse\u2019s swollen leg one last time. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing to be done. We have to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo!\u201d Of course, the boy didn\u2019t cry. He never did. But the hazel eyes under those expressive black eyebrows said more than a thousand tears could have.<\/p>\n

Ben sighed. \u201cLook, he\u2019s in pain\u2014do you see his eyes? He\u2019s in pain, and he\u2019s afraid. And we don\u2019t want that, do we?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan\u2019t we…\u201d The boy bit his lip. He crouched down, stroked the horse\u2019s heaving flank, and over its nose and cheeks; then he looked up. \u201cNo, we can\u2019t, can we.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ben shook his head, silently.<\/p>\n

There were no more words necessary. Everyone but Ben left the stable; and they hadn\u2019t even reached the front porch when they heard the shot. With a choked sob the boy buried his face in his mother\u2019s skirt, Hoss reached out for him, but Juliet shook her head and with a look sent him inside. She sat down with Henry on the bench at the flowerbed, where he cuddled up against her, close, so close; as close as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy must things die?\u201d<\/p>\n

A sense of foreboding seized her.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause that\u2019s how it is. Everything that is born will die some day. It\u2019s natural.\u201d<\/p>\n

Henry wriggled free from her arms and, gazing at her, made a face. \u201cI know that,\u201d he said in a tone that sounded eerily familiar. He did not roll his eyes, but then his tone alone indicated rolled eyes. He clearly had inherited that from a master. \u201cYou\u2019re born, get old and gonna die,\u201d he stated ticking off his fingers. \u201cBut Hector wasn\u2019t old.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, he wasn\u2019t. But he was ill, very ill.\u201d<\/p>\n

Henry frowned. He looked down at his feet, watched them dangling from the bench and how they swung back and forth, back and forth.<\/p>\n

His mind was working, she could tell it from his rigid back, from the white-knuckled grip his fingers had on the seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cHenry,\u201d she said softly, \u201cyou don\u2019t have to find a clever way to get there. Just ask what you have to.\u201d<\/p>\n

He looked up, studying her appraisingly. \u201cPapa wasn\u2019t old, either,\u201d he eventually blurted out.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, he wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut he also wasn\u2019t ill.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, he wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen why…?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was in a war. He died fighting for\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHenry, people tend to die in wars.\u201d She cringed at the sarcasm, but Henry didn\u2019t seem to notice.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, I mean, why was he in a war?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause he thought the war was about something worth fighting for.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWas it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour father fought to help make this land a place where all people are equal. Does that sound like a good cause?\u201d<\/p>\n

Henry didn\u2019t have to think long. \u201cYes,\u201d he said and nodded. \u201cLike a very good cause.\u201d He stared at his shoes again, then asked in a very low voice\u2014as if he were afraid of the answer, \u201cAnd is this land a place now where all people are equal?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is,\u201d she said, leaving the part where theory and reality met for another time.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen the people can be very glad Papa fought for them,\u201d Henry said and nodded contently.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey should.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then the frown came back to Henry\u2019s face, and he puckered his lips the way Adam had done it a million times while he thought. \u201cMama,\u201d he said eventually. \u201cDid Papa like those people more than us?\u201d<\/p>\n

Her vision blurred. She tried to answer, but she found she had no voice. Her lips moved, but no sound came from her.<\/p>\n

\u201cMama?\u201d Henry asked again, and then increasingly louder, \u201cMama? Mama? Mama?\u201d until his voice was one single long scream. \u201cAhhhh!\u201d<\/p>\n

Juliet bolted upright. For the first time thankful for her baby\u2019s wailing, she disentangled herself from the bedcovers that clung to her sweating body and walked over to Henry\u2019s cradle. She picked the baby up, cradled him to her chest and rocked back and fourth in that ancient rhythm all mothers used and all babies needed to calm down.<\/p>\n

\u201cPapa loves us,\u201d she whispered into Henry\u2019s spiky black hairs. \u201cPapa loves us.\u201d<\/p>\n

And even though her logic disputed it, her heart knew it was true.<\/p>\n

__________
\nWhile we try to teach our children all about life,
\nOur children teach us what life is all about. ~ Angela Schwindt<\/em><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

With many thanks to Sklamb for the beta-read.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
***<\/div>\n
\n

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.\u00a0 The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise.\u00a0 No copyright infringement is intended.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Next Story in The Art-Universe Series:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fortuna Smiles<\/a><\/p>\n

My Story Index<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There’ll come a time your children ask questions, uncomfortable questions. And then you might find answers that’ll help you, too, to cope with what was and is. <\/p>\n

970 words, rated T<\/p>\n

The Art-Universe seriers, links to all the stories within the series are included.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":12467,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1005,7,23,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adam-cartwright","category-a-u","category-drama","category-short-stories","wpcat-1005-id","wpcat-7-id","wpcat-23-id","wpcat-8-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":1322,"today_views":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/vlcsnap-2015-12-13-01h31m26s85.png?fit=768%2C576&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9652,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=9652","url_meta":{"origin":2971,"position":0},"title":"Night Duty Or The Art of Living the Moment (by faust)","author":"faust","date":"September 4, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"\"You go.\" Dreaded words, Juliet knew that, but Adam simply had to admit that this night's duty had lain heavily on her shoulders and to understand it was his turn to pacify their unhappy child. 1225 words, rated K The Art-Universe Series, links to stories within the series are included.","rel":"","context":"In "Adam Cartwright"","block_context":{"text":"Adam Cartwright","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?cat=1005"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Henry-CartwrightTitle-Im.jpg?fit=308%2C477&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13666,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=13666","url_meta":{"origin":2971,"position":1},"title":"Fortuna Smiles (by faust)","author":"faust","date":"January 17, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Written for the prompt: Adam wins the lottery. 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