The World's Greatest Gift Options

[redsrock]

The World's Greatest Gift

The world's greatest gift is sometimes deceiving
A bundle of joy, with problems that need heeding
"Think before you play", oh so says the Almighty Mother
"Or face the consequences you so which will endure"


CHAPTER ONE: The History of the 'Gift'

He rolled across the brown and dirty wool carpet floor, laughing up a storm and looking straight at me. His green eyes were staring straight into my own set, just begging me to crawl down to the floor and join him in what he would call 'fun'. He is my son, and his name is Jacob. It's funny, really, that Jacob is named after a man I once adored and now despise; a man that started my own life and then took the same thing away from the only woman I ever loved.

"Daddy, pay wif me!" Jacob yelled joyously, oblivious to anything in the world besides what he saw around him.

Little Jacob was a tad bit over two years of age, and unfortunately for me, was already talking up a storm as well. I didn't mind it too much right now because the past several years have certainly been lonely to say the least. However, when wanting to fall asleep late at night I was finding it quite difficult. The little runt always napped from around five o'clock in the afternoon until about eight at night, meaning he just a raging ball of energy at night, and especially when I wanted to get some shuteye of my own. I would wake him up if I could, but that is, I cannot. I just don't have the heart to do it, nor do I have the heart to scold him when he does wake me up, which has been quite often lately.

The reason I speak of this time of lonesome is because two years ago Jacob's mother, and my wife, was killed by a drunken mad man who I once called my father. Now I only call him a monster, but thankfully I don't have to do it to his face, for he is locked in the city prison hopefully forever. I myself would rather see the monster killed for the terrible crimes he has committed, but alas when you are a noble things tend to fall into your lap no matter how bad of a person you are deep down inside.

And I will not bore you with the details of my father, or of how the gruesome way my wife Jennifer was killed, at least not yet anyways. I didn't even want to think about it right now, but of course that is impossible. No matter how hard I try I cannot escape the eternal nightmare that I know will haunt me for the rest of my life.

"Daddy, will you peez pay wif me?"

The only thing that truly matters now is raising my son, even if I am only twenty-three years old. Think what you want about that, because I really don't care. I'll admit, Jacob was an accident, but one that I have no regrets about whatsoever. The deed is done and there is nothing to do but be thankful that I have been blessed with such a wonderful and beautiful boy.

Besides, it's not as if I am an immature kid or anything like that. Jennifer and I were more than able to provide Jacob with whatever he needed, and then some. But that is the problem; Jennifer is no longer here, and I am by myself now to take care of my son. And let me tell you one thing, it sure ain't easy.

"Alright, Jake. But not for too long, I need some rest, buddy." It was one in the morning after all. It amazed me how active Jacob was this late at night.

He threw up his small skinny hands and screamed with joy and happiness. It lifted my heart so high to see the kid happy because that is all I want right now. I love him just as much as I did his mother and I don't really care what happens to my own self, as long as Jacob is taken care of and is happy. Sure, paying for everything is a huge task I am still getting used to doing by myself, but it's going well enough to where none of our possessions are in jeopardy. Though if I keep missing weekly payments on the house something is bound to happen. I mean, I haven't paid one septim since Jen was killed. Oh well, I'll figure out something. Jennifer and I had borrowed a large sum money from her brother to pay for our two story house as soon as Jacob was born.

So I got on all fours and crawled over to Jacob, who was now hiding under our couch. Such a tactic was intelligent for a kid of his age, but bless his little heart his two tiny feet were sticking out from the couch. And as I crawled on the floor I realized how much my body was taking a beating. It hurt both of my knees so much to crawl around, and it also hurt my right shoulder as well. I work for the local ebony-mining company in Caldera, so needless to say I endured hard labor every single day.

"Where's Jakie at? I don't see him!" I asked out loud, acting as if I had not a clue where Jacob was hiding. He then giggled softly, slightly muffled under the couch. His feet started to wiggle from the laughter and that is when I grabbed them and pulled Jacob out from under the couch, lifting him high in the air by his feet. He began laughing wildly as any other toddler would, and I noticed his thin strands of dark blond hair were dangling towards the ground.

For a baby so young he sure had a thick set of hair, almost identical to how Jennifer's was styled and colored. He reminded so much of her that at that exact moment that I was holding him I sat him down on the ground and started to cry softly.

"Wut wong, daddy?" He asked me, totally sincere and caring even at his young age. The boy was more than I could ever ask for, and there were two reasons I was crying. One because I feared that soon I would not be able to provide for him anymore. I know I said I'd figure something out, but obviously that was easier said than done. For the other reason, I knew Jacob would never see his mother again. Not that he would be able to remember much anyway, if anything at all, but it was still a pain that was constantly tugging at my heart.

"Nothing, buddy, just a little something in my eyes. Are you ready to go to bed now? Daddy has to get up early in the morning tomorrow because there are many things that he needs to do."

"Ok, but will you wead me a stowy fust?"

So I took him up to his rickety wooden crib, one that I had attempted to build myself, and read him a short story from the book, Tales of Tamriel. After he at last fell asleep I blew out the candle that lit his room. Then I walked into my own room, crawled into bed, and cried like a baby for several hours.

[redsrock]

CHAPTER THREE: The Eye of the Fire

The smoky fumes hit hard even before I entered Bailey's house itself. It filled my nostrils, clouding them up and making it extremely difficult to breath. Of course during this time I tried my best to keep my mouth shut, because obviously I didn't want to taste it as well as smell it.

When I got to the entrance of the house many bystanders were already gawking at the large fire, just standing there and talking amongst one another. They weren't even making an attempt to save Bernie and Mara from the flames.

"Why are you just standing here? Come and help me save them!" I yelled to the crowd, but mainly to the men.

"Are you crazy? I'll burn myself alive in there! The guards are on their way, just wait for them, fool!" One of the men said, someone that I did not familiarize with.

"It'll be too goddamn late by then!" I screamed back angrily. Then I climbed up the steps leading into the house and I put my hands just inches from the doors knob. without even touching the iron I could still easily tell it was hotter than a summer's night. It was impossible to enter through the front door.

So instead I ran around back and looked to the work she where Bailey was always working on his many projects. The entire building was clear of any fire whatsoever, and I took a quick peek inside just to make sure Bailey and his wife safely hidden inside. They were not.

I rushed to the back door of the house and felt my hands inches away from the handle. It was not very hot, but I still didn't want to take chances. Very carefully I kicked in the door with my right boot. The door slammed inwards off its iron hinges and fell to the ground. I couldn't see much inside because of the smoke and fire, it was as if it had already covered the entire area. To my left on the ground there was on old towel with dirtied wit grease and other mess. I grabbed it and wrapped it around my hair to protect it from the flames. I took one last deep breath and then barged inside the house.

My body was sweating tremendously from the heat and already I felt as if I were about to pass out on the spot, which was definitely saying something. I work in the mines day and day out, and even then I don't suffer much from the brutal heat. But this was different, much different.

Dammit, where would they have been when the fire started? I thought to myself quickly, not wanting to spare any time. That's when I remembered why Jacob and I were coming over to visit in the first place. We were coming over for dinner, so that means that at least Mara almost had to have been in the kitchen when the fire had started.

Jacob and I had not visited Bailey's house often, especially after Jennifer had been murdered, but I still knew where the kitchen was. It was impossible for me not remember it because the first time I had seen I had been in complete shock. The last I remember their kitchen was the finest I had ever laid eyes on: large, filled with all kinds of silverware and fancy dishes. It had truly been a sight to behold, just like the whole house. Of course, that was all changing by the second.

I rushed through the house, avoiding the flames and other debris that was covering the once-beautifully carpeted floor, until I came to the kitchen the back right part of the house. There was not a door, only an open entrance, and in the entrance all I could see was the flame circling and hovering about, just daring me to enter. I knew my chances of survival weren't too high, and I certainly thinking of Jacob during this time as well, but I wasn't about to just leave when there was at least a slim chance of Mara and Bailey still being alive. Just before I was about to hurdle through the flame-engulfed entrance an explosion went off from within the kitchen, sending me flying backwards and onto the dining room table, which itself was already on fire. I rolled off the table and tore my shirt off, because it was too was now covered in the fierce flames.

That's when the breathing got harder and harder, until finally I collapsed to the floor. The last thing I saw before passing out were three muscular shirt-less men rushing to my side. But before they reached me my body finally gave in and I saw no more.

*******************************

"Give him some room, give him some room!"

My eyes began to open and fortunately enough I found myself quite cooled down, rather than blazing hot and sweaty from the fiery house. I looked up and saw a middle-aged man's face with many wrinkles and lot of gray un-kept hair atop his head. He was yelling to people around me and only then did I realize that I had been pulled from the flames and was now lying in the grass just outside the house.

I was covered with water an blankets, no doubt given to me by the men who had rescued me from a certain death. "Where's Bailey and Mara? Are they okay?"

The man looked to me in disbelief and then began yelling back to the crowd, "I said give him some room!"

Guards in Imperial Legion armor appeared from all around and were pushing back the crowd of staring people, the same people who had selfishly thought of only themselves earlier when I had asked for their help. "Just lie still, friend, you're gonna be alright," the man reassured me, even though I knew it myself. I had likely only taken in a little too much smoke. There were also a few cuts on my arms and legs and my lower back was sore, but I was still alive.

"But where's Bailey and Mara?" I repeated, this time with more force than before.

The man looked me in the eyes and said blankly, "They are no where to be found. We got the flames under control about an hour ago and their bodies were not found. It is likely they were burnt to ashes. I'm sorry, did you know them?"

I sat up on my bottom and just stared at the grass for a few minutes, simply taking in everything. Earlier in the morning I had talked, and even cried, with Bailey. Now I am sitting here thinking about he and his wife's death. "Yes, Bailey was my brother-in-law, the brother of my deceased wife. My boy and I had been-"

I stopped midway and thought immediatly about Jacob. "My boy, I have to go get him..."

I started to get up and run away but the man called out to me, "Wait a second...", but I didn't listen. The only thing I was worried about was finding my son. It was nighttime by now, meaning that roughly three or so hours had passed prior passing out.

When I reached the nursery there were many guards standing outside with torches in hand. I said nothing to them and paid them no attention when they asked me to stop. It wasn't something I was worried about at that moment. Once I had Jacob in my arms and I would talk to them all they wanted.

But when I walked inside there were three guards standing over a body, whose head was covered with a white towel. The towel was covered in blood and the head itself was resting in a puddle of the stuck crimson substance. I didn't need to ask any questions, someone had been killed and I knew exactly who it had been.

"What happened here? Where's my boy?" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Before the guards could do anything to stop me and I ran over and lifted the towel from the body's face and Nadilia's still-open eyes stared right into mine. I saw that here throat had been slashed and I quickly covered back up, took a few steps back, and then tumbled to the floor in shock.

The three guards, and the others outside who had made their way in to see what was going on, ran to me and lifted me up against the wall while I sat on my bottom. I was in so much shock I could barely breath, having to take huge gasps that shook my body violently. "W-where is m-m boy?" I just barely mumbled.

The guards looked at me with sad eyes, and then one of them said something that I really did not want to hear, even though I already knew it myself. "I'm sorry sir, but he's been kidnaped."

This post has been edited by redsrock: Jun 30 2008, 06:39 PM