Ever the Prankster

 By Abigail H. (ages 14-18 category)

Circle C Ranch, California, July 11, 1885

 

How much do I know about  Chad’s past ? The question thundered in Ellianna Coulter’s head like a stampeding herd of cattle, kicking up the dust. There she sat next to her soon-to-be-husband on his porch and she didn’t know a thing about his boyhood.

Well, she added silently, except the less than a week I saw when he was at our campsite in —

“Ellie?”

Ellie turned her head towards Chad’s face. When her nut-brown-eyes met Chad’s fun-filled blue eyes, she knew she had to know about his younger years.

“I’m sorry. What did you say?” She said, shaking her head to rid her mind of her daydreams.

“I asked you if you would be happy living in a house with three extra people.” Chad ran his fingers through his unusually neat, coal black waves. “I truly want you to be happy. So if you don’t, we can live in a tent.” Chad said patiently.

A tent! I lived in a tent nearly my whole life. Ellie silently screamed.

Ellie’s face must've given away her thoughts for Chad finished in a hurry. “Well until I build a nice big cabin”

A small smile cracked Ellie’s face. Chad searched her eyes for any hint of discontentment.

“Chad,” Ellie smiled wider, “wherever you are will be my home too.” she sighed. ”And I don’t mind sharing with your mother, brother, and sister. Remember my Mother died when I was young, so it would be nice to have an ‘adopted’ Mother around. Mitch.. Well, he adds some sunshine to the house! And Andi? you and I both know she and Riley are getting married. Plus I never had a sister.”

Chad’s eyes twinkled, clearly liking Ellie’s answer. He smiled. “I love you Ellie.”

If I want to know more about  Chad, I’d better ask now.

Ellie took a deep breath.

“Chad, could you tell me stories about your boyhood? You know, pranks, big events, or memories.”

There I said it. Ellie stared out towards the horse barn across the wide yard. Soft nickers and sounds of horses moving about their stalls could be heard. Half-laugh, half-choking noises brought Ellie’s head around to Chad’s red face.

I ask a simple question and he laughs at it. She sighed.

“I’m sorry. It’s just that I doubt you want to hear of the pranks I did!” Chad took his bandanna out of his pocket, mopped his forehead, and took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

“Well you underestimate what I want to hear. Besides, I want to know what trouble you dug up for yourself.” Ellie began to chuckle. “You certainly got into enough trouble when we first met!”

“That I did. My silly antics gave Jem a mark he’s not soon to forget!” He shook his head at the memory.
       “I remember something your father said. ’My son has the makings of a good rancher, but when it comes to thinking things through, he falls a bit short. He gets all fired up about something then– BANG— like a pistol shot - he’s off’.” she chuckled. “Boy was he right!”

And that is one of the many things I like about him. She added silently.

Ellie stood up and walked to the edge of the porch. She looked up at the star-filled sky marveling at God’s perfect handiwork. Realizing Chad hadn’t spoken, she turned around. He was staring at the floorboards of the porch.

“Chad,” when he still didn't respond, she tried again. “Chad.”

As if awakening from a trance, Chad’s head jerked up.

“Oh, yes Ellie, you wanted stories.”

Chad shook his head then sat still for a moment.

Should I call him again? Maybe he’s too tired. I should leave—

“The first one I’ll tell you is when I was twelve. That day in hot July weather, the family-Father, Justin, Kate, and myself- were sorting peaches for canning—”

 

July, 1865, Carter house

“Chad, make sure you take the good ones to your Mother in the kitchen.” James Carter instructed his second oldest. “And no silly antics of yours. You hear me?”

Chad sighed. “Yes sir.” He bent down, picked up his box, and walked towards the kitchen. About half-way there he spotted a bad peach someone had missed.

Wouldn’t it be funny if Justin happened to come around the corner, and I just happen to throw this peach. He grinned slyly while putting the finishing touches on his plot to ‘peach’ Justin.

 He comes around the corner, I throw the peach before he sees me. I pick up my box  quickly and walk away. Nobody will know.

But just as quickly as the plot came together, his conscience popped in for a visit.

Oh Chad, God will know. And didn’t your father tell you no antics?  That question brought Chad up short.

I should obey Father, but there must be something that I can do to keep Justin from telling. I’ll tell him I’ll ……. I’ll do his  chores for a week.

Before his conscience had a fair trial, a shadow appeared around the corner.

Okay I’ll do it.

Chad then threw the peach with all his might at the approaching figure.

Splat.

Ha, ha, I got him good. He’s in a ‘sticky’ situation now. Were Chad’s victorious thoughts as he picked up his box and walked away.

Although his victory felt good, it was very short lived. One single word brought Chad’s victory to a screeching halt.

“Chad” a low, firm voice said from behind. The voice was calm, but to Chad’s ears dangerous.

Chad stopped. He swallowed. Beads of sweat began to appear on his brow and his heart was beating so hard, he was sure it would break through. Chad knew he’d been caught, he turned around and lifted his eyes to whom he thought was Justin. As his eyes reached the victim's face it was not his brother, it was his unsmiling father with peach dripping down his face.

“Chad, I told you no horse-play.” Father said, blowing through the peach slime.

If it wasn’t Chad that threw the peach, he would have laughed his head off at the sight. Slimy, sticky, rotten peach goo covered Father’s face from hair to chin. His eyelashes and nose had peach dripping from them. His coal back hair was a sticky, matted mess with the little peach stem on top. Last but not least the pit lay cradled in the collar of his shirt.

 

Present day

“Oh, boy, did I ever get a whipping that day!” Chad stood and crossed the porch.

“My backside was sore for a day.”

Ellie sat giggling in a wicker chair. She wiped the tears from her eyes.

“If your father looked anything like you, I could just see his eyes turn to chips of ice and flash with annoyance.” she sighed “Tell me another.”

Chad walked back across the porch and sat down. He sat there for a few minutes, getting the right story.

“Alright, I got one. This one is in September of the year I was twelve. We were at school—--”

 

September, 1865

“Attention class! I know it is a lovely day outside, but please remember your parents sent you here to learn. And–” Miss Hall broke off. Her shoulders slumped. She sighed.

Chad looked around, none of the kids were listening. He saw her head turn towards perfect, straight A’s, oldest, most favorite student. Justin Carter.

Uuuggg. Not again.

She nodded her head. Justin winked back. Chad lowered his head to his arms. Closed his eyes, and thought about something else. He heard Justin yell something, but he was enjoying a rodeo in his head.

“Next up Ladies and Gents, Chad Aaron Carter.”  the announcer said.

The crowd went wild.

“While few in years and pounds, he is trying a never before tried– that is by a twelve-year-old—- stunt” he paused for a dramatic, tense-filled moment. “ He is going to try to switch from riding on his horse’s back to the bull’s”

Cheers burst from the crowd once more. Sky started prancing, getting anxious to run. Chad could feel the energy building and the muscles rippling underneath him.

A gate opened. The bull came out. The crowd gasped at the thick, well muscled bull.

“You can do it son.” Father called from his place between Mother and Kate.

The bull’s red coat matched the evil gleam in his eyes. Chad stared at the bull.

“Chad, just think of him as a thick steak on your plate.”  Chad assured himself.

The bull- whom Chad had named Steak- pawed, then he charged. Out of the corner of his eye, Chad saw Kate faint.

Wimp. he thought to himself, then focused all his attention on Steak. He was about four yards away, Chad put his heels to Sky. Sky leapt forward. The bull drew closer—---

“Chad.”

A single word from the teacher and a painful jab in the back jerked Chad’s head up with an audible snap, and made everything evaporate into the air like steam.

“Yes, ma’am.” Chad tentatively responded.

“I asked you if you could tell the class what Justify meant?” Miss Hall’s patient voice repeated.

“Ah…no…n-no not exactly.” Chad’s sheepish reply came. He heard Justin sigh from behind him.

“Alright Chad, since you did not study your vocabulary words, you will now write them one-hundred times each.” turning to the rest of the class, she announced. “You all may go for a half-an-hour  recess.”

Forty-five minutes later Chad felt his seatmate, Tom O’brian’s, slate hit his arm. Chad glanced over and read what it said.

I’ll bet you the biggest frog in the county

 that you can’t hit the ‘O’ on the

Blackboard with a pea.

Chad grinned. He loved challenges, especially ones with targets. Chad silently reached his hand into his desk for his weapon and ammo. Looking into his lap, he placed the wrinkled, dried pea into one end of the shooter. He placed the opposite end up against his lips, and with great practice, blew. The pea flew through the air and hit the ‘O’ smack-dab in the middle. It bounced off, hit the floor, and rolled to a stop next to Miss Hall’s desk.

Chad leaned over, “Guess I get that frog you were talking about.”

Tom sighed. “I’ll have to find him first.”

The next few hours passed and Chad forgot about the pea. That is until Miss Hall stood and walked around to the side of her desk.

Chad saw the pea, Her foot was coming down on it.

“Miss Hall!”

Chad’s shout was in vain. Miss Hall stepped on the rounded object. Her foot slipped. Her head hit the desk hard, and then she lay still.

All the students jumped up, but it was Justin who reached her first. He shouted something to someone and they took off running.

Chad just sat there looking at the pea, which had rolled underneath the desk, out of sight of those wondering what happened.

I shot the pea. It was me who hurt her.

Present day

“Miss Hall didn’t get hurt very seriously. Although she did wear a bandage for a while. A great reminder about my stupidity.”

“What did your parents say about it?” Ellie asked.

“Mother sent me to bed without supper, and broke my peashooter. It was my favorite one too!” Chad chuckled.

“Are you done with that one? Because I want to hear another one.” Ellie settled back into her chair.

“Okay, this one was when I was ten. It was wash day—-”

April, 1863

Chad’s hands gripped the slipperiest, greenest, largest frog he had ever laid eyes on. He poked the top of the frog’s head. The frog blinked. Chad was fascinated at how the frog’s two eyelids closed and opened. A weird, disturbing thought popped into Chad’s head.

Why don’t I hang him on the clothesline? That would give Kate a start.

At eight-years-old Kate was useful in helping Mother, but she always got frightened by little critters.

Chad walked over to the clothesline, plucked two pins from the basket, and struggled to pin the helpless victim. After a while of struggling, Chad stood back to survey his handiwork. The frog dangling by his hind legs was putting up a fuss, twisting and flipping. Chad moved closer and looked into the frog’s eyes.

“Alright, Mr. Froggy, you need to obey. No moving around. Your job is to scare my little sister, Kate. If you do it well, I’ll give you a big, fat fly.”

The frog stopped moving and for a second Chad thought he was pleading with his eyes. The frog’s eyes were brown with the diamond shaped pupil. They had a look of sadness, a look of submission.

Chad turned away before he unpinned the frog out of pity.

Present day

“I quite forgot about the frog. Well that is until Kate screamed.” Chad sighed. “My plan worked, but I had to unpin all of the laundry.”

The screen door creaked. Mother stepped out onto the porch.

“Chad, it's getting late. How about you take Ellie to town and call it a night.” Mother said.

“Yes Mother.” Chad turned to Ellie. “On the way to town I’ll tell you about the time I nearly killed Kate with a box of peaches.”

They walked to the buggy together. Chad helped Ellie up, climbed in himself, and chirruped Pal.

I am now truly glad that I asked him. I’ll have to ask him another time for more.  Ellie thought as the buggy moved into the night. Ellie was truly ha