Chapter 8

Billy and his family grow older: Big Bill was fifteen, Billy was fourteen, and Susie was twelve years old. John and Betty were now in their fifties.

The parents were starting to break down physically and the three teenagers were forced to perform more and more on the farm. The couple did not like that the children had to do so much but they had no other choice they were barely able to get around, yet alone work.

John and Betty knew that they were ill and that they would not die of old age. But they would not show it openly to their children, but the three teenagers knew that they were not well.

The siblings were taught everything that will be needed to run the farm after John and Betty was gone. The couple took their time in this effort until the teens were almost self efficient on the small farm. Billy and his siblings all take it in stride and do not belly ache about having to work so hard. The three believed that a parent takes of the child and then when the parent grows old then the

adult children take care of the parents.

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Big Bill and the other siblings walk back to check up on the parents after a hard day’s work. John and Betty had not came out to check up on them on all day which was unusually.

The three walked into the house and saw that it was still dark and no lantern had been lit.

Billy spoke,”Something is wrong!”

The other two siblings nodded in agreement.

Bill yelled out,”Momma! Poppa! Where are you?”

The parents did not respond and Susie yelled,”Please, answer us!”

Billy spoke,”Maybe they are playing a prank on us.”

Big Bill spoke,”Let us separate and find them.”

Susie walks into the front room alone and lets out a scream.

Big Bill and Billy run to the source of the screams and they found Susie siting on the floor in the front room. But that was not the worst thing that they saw when they entered the room.

The teenagers saw their parents were laying motionless on the floor.

Susie is in the floor with hands on both of them as she yells,”They are both ice cold.”

The three teenagers were taught CPR by John and Betty years ago just in case they needed to use it. This was such a time that they had to use such skills.

The teens tried to revive their parents for over one hour but to no avail.

John and Betty were both long since dead.

The siblings were totally speechless and they did not know what to say to themselves or to even God in prayer.

A voice speaks,”I have taken them to be with me in paradise. You can stop your CPR and do not

worry. I will provide for you.”

The three stopped and a peace came over them.

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Big Bill spoke,”We can’t tell anyone or they will separate us! We will be taken to horrible orphanage that will abuse us! We can not allow that to happen!”

The two others silently agreed.

It was the middle of night so Big Bill spoke,”We need to bury Mamma and Poppa in a place where it will not be obvious to others.”

The three all looked at the wooden floor in unison.

The wooden floor was less than a foot above the dirt below the house. Billy gets the tools needed to bury the couple while Susie and Big Bill removed the wood planks of the front room.

Billy returned to find the dirt ground exposed and ready to be dug.

#

The three buried their parents without stopping for even a minute. The mess was cleaned and

wood planks were placed back as they were always there.

The three held each other and prayed over their dead parents as a form of burial rites.

Billy prayed,”Good Lord, please help us with our loss and allow us to be able to run this farm in place of our Mamma and Poppa. Amen.”

#

It has been several years, since Billy and his siblings were left to run their humble farm after their parents died. It had been hard times but the three had somehow managed to keep things together. They worked hard, prayed hard, studied the good book hard. They were in the front room praying out loud and praising the Lord for all the help that they had received. They did all they could to keep the farm from foreclosure and it was not an easy task.

Big Bill spoke,”Thank you God for his wonderful blessings this year after the harvest. You had given so much in keeping up with the biggest harvest that we had ever received!”

Billy, Susie, and Bill rarely entered the front room due to all the bad memories of their parents death taking place there. It hurt the siblings to stand upon their parents’ grave but they did it once a year after the harvest was completed.

Big Bill had told his siblings that he could allow the farm to leave their hands since it was in their family for over one hundred years. It was their parents, John and Betty’s pride and joy.

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Billy had said one day,”We can't let us take the blessings that our family had been given the last few generations. Heathen must not be able to steel those things set aside for God’s purpose!’

Susie had said,”Amen!”

Big Bill said,”You are right Billy!”

Big Bill knew that they must keep the farm for the simple reason that their parents bodies would

probably be found and the three would be arrested for murder. The law wouldn’t believe what they

said since the Urano police were trained to expect that every citizen was a criminal.

The three had always prayed to God for a better life.

#

Billy had gotten mail from the mailbox and three siblings all read the mail. Big Bill gasped when he came to his letter.

Susie asked,”What is wrong, Bill?”

Bill spoke,”It is a letter from the government and they want this farm land! We are to leave this place at the end of next month or else we will all be imprisoned.!”

Billy spoke,”They can’t do that since this land is rightfully ours and all the bills are up to date!”

Susie yelled,”They gave our family the worst of all the farm land but God blessed it anyway.

Now they want to steal what the Lord has given us!”

Billy spoke,”It took our Great grandparents decades to get the land into the condition to even be able to farm. He had done what that they said to do in the Good Book and rested the land every seventh and fiftieth years. This method had been ordained by God, thousands of years ago and it had always been plentiful to carry on into the eight out of every fifty years that our family did not harvest crops in. It gave the people and the land the much needed rest.”

Big Bill spoke with tears in his eyes,”Our family had been given the best crops out of the surrounding area and now the government wants to steal it! Let us pray to God over this matter!”

The three siblings all prayed they slept in a puddle of their own tears on the floor.

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Weeks later at Billy’s farm, a confrontation was occurring. His family had been told to leave the homestead.

Billy spoke,”You will take this land on my cold dead body.”

The government worker spoke,”Then you will have to die!”

Billy punched the teeth out of the worker’s month and the fight was on.

Billy’s family farm, the three siblings are working in their corn field. Then several government vehicles pour down the farm’s gravel road. The trio was in shock by the sight and dropped

their tools.

Several government workers jumped out and ran out to meet the siblings.

One official spoke, “We have come to evict you from this government property!”

Big Bill is shown paperwork which immediately rips up the paperwork and throws into the face of the official.

The man grabs Big Bill by his shirt collar while Billy and Susie yell at the official.

#

Billy and his family had killed the government workers that attacked their farm and hid their bodies in the nearby canyon.

Big bill spoke,”Billy you are way too hot-headed! We will have payback for your wrath. We are the past the point of no return! We have a lot of repenting to do.”

#

Kill Joy had been born into a family of doctors and other medical experts. They never flaunted

their wealth and treated all those who could not afford medical treatment. Both of his parent’s were doctors and they lower upper class. They could had been richer but they always picked the poorest area to work in. The Joys were in the helping profession and they believed they must do no harm.

Kill Joy looked to his parents and always wanted to follow in their example. He wanted to help

others with everything that he had.

The Joys knew all too well that the Urano government was in constant demand of the best and

the brightest. Every family of wealth had to give a child to be trained by the Urano military, even if it was there only one child. The poor was done the same but without any notice, Those children without any promise were forced to work until they were unable to anymore. Most of the poorer people did not die of old age but due to a work related condition.

Finally the day came for Kill Joy to be taken but he had not a frown on his face. But, he had a smile on his face. His parents hugged and kissed the lad before he left.

Kill Joy spoke,”I get to help others like I always wanted. Bye!”

The parents cried out of both of loss and also the pride that they had in their son.