Sorry, I don’t have a chapter for you today. The week of Thanksgiving proved to be busier than I expected. I attended not one, not two, but three Thanksgiving celebrations with my family, and we have fun. Basically, I had two days where I didn’t do anything that wasn’t related to eating, football or spending time with family. Other than that, I had other, more mundane obligations. What I’m driving at here is that I didn’t have as much time to work on Koeleth as I would have liked. Thus, I will be unable to post this week. However, I will not allow myself to fall behind as I have in the past; next Wednesday you will get two chapters instead of one. As usual, I will not leave you without anything. I always talk about Tom, so let’s visit Aaron this time.

As the battle-ax sliced through the air, carving a path to Aaron’s unguarded head, his life did not flash before his eyes, he did not see all his fondest memories or relive his past; instead, a single memory, long forgotten, buried under layers of cynicism and apathy, rose to the surface. It was an important memory, but one that Aaron wished never happened.

A young lad cried into his mother’s chest while she stroked his head, trying to calm him.

“There, there, Aaron,” she said gently. “I know it may be hard to believe, but there is good in the world.”

The boy continued to sob, his body beaten and battered by cruel masters. He was the bastard son of a slave mother and an unknown father. His mother, as beautiful as an abused and spent slave could be, did her best to take care of him, knowing that she had very little time before they took him away. His life was doomed to be a bleak one, and she was determined to make it as bright as she could while she still had the strength to do it.

“One day, you’ll escape this hellhole, this pit of suffering, and you’ll find good people who will love you and care about you just like I do. This is not the end of your road, even if it’s the end of mine. Keep your chin up.”

“Snap out of it, Aaron!” Tom shouted, breaking his trance. “Get out of here!”

Maybe you’re right, Mom, Aaron thought to himself, as he watched Tom fight of his would-be killer. Maybe there are genuinely good people in the world…Fools and dreamers, the lot of them.

“Maybe the world needs more fools and dreamers,” Tom said, as if he was reading Aaron’s thoughts.

“How did you-” Aaron began, before Tom interrupted.

“C’mon, man. I’ve known you long enough to know what that look means. I’m hurt,” Tom jested.

“Geez, if I’d known I was going to be scolded, I would’ve let him kill me sooner.”