Surrender

Ethan James' POV

Ethan James' POV:

I thought back to what happened when I brought the slaves over for dinner, as I layed on my bed. My bed was next to the window so I layed there gazing at the twinkling stars and the bright crescent. I smiled warmly as I thought of my mother's reaction. She was shocked but when she recovered I saw her eyes gleaming with pride.

We had a very small dinner, but to the slaves it seemed that this was a grand feast. I was happy that I did a good deed. I even heard the slaves whispering something. But it was only small parts of the true conversation. But all I heard was, "...kind... master...".

Then random thoughts flooded my head. But my last thought was, "What if my father was captured?"

***

Boom! Boom! Boom!

There was a metallic taste in my mouth. I touched my mouth to realize that it was blood, my blood. But I didn't care, I was looking for something or maybe someone.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

I hear those dreadful noises as the cannons fire. Then I hear something or someone calling.

"Ethan? Ethan, where are you?" a voice calls.

"Who are you?" I call, scared and frightened to know the answer.

"Ethan!" the voice becomes even more desperate and sounds closer.

"Ethan," I finally see the speaker as I turn around to see my father lying on the ground with his uniform torn and blood gushing out.

But when I go towards him, I hear another voice that says, "You'll never find him. And by the time you do, it'll be too late." The voice starts laughing and I stare in horror as my father's body drowns in red liquid. I realize too late that he was drowning in his blood.

I woke up to hard knocking coming from downstairs. I was tired, sleepy, and still a little frightened from my dream so I decided to ignore it. Then, the knocking stopped. I relaxed a bit, until the knocking was louder and even more urgent.

I looked at myself and saw that I forgot to change from yesterday's clothes. But that thought was interrupted when the knocking became even louder.

"Hello? Is anyone in there? I need to speak urgently with the son of Mr. John James." came the voice from downstairs.

Hearing my father's name, I quickly went down to open the door.

I opened the door to see a very flustered Stonewall Jackson.

"You're father... has been...," he gasped trying to speak but was interrupted by a fit of coughs (which were also from him).

"Let me give you a glass of water," I said, as I rushed to get a glass and quickly poured the water. As I gave the water to him, he drank as if he never had water before. His face started to return to normal.

"I have very depressing news for you," he started, "I don't know how to begin but..."

"It doesn't matter, just tell me what happened," I said, because I know that it had to do with my father.

"Your father w-was..." he couldn't finish because he was interrupted by my mother.

"What happened to John?" came my mother, I'm still surprised as to how she actually slept through the knocking. I guess she's a heavy sleeper while I'm a light sleeper.

"You know what. I think I should start from the beginning so that it is more clear," he said as he began recounting the events, "We were going to one of the forts in Virginia to experience the war without actually getting involved. But on our way, I had to go." His face turned scarlet when he said that. I didn't realize what he meant until I actually thought of it. He heard the Call of the Wild.

"So", he continued, happy to get over the embarrassing part, "I was in the bush doing my business..." He was yet again interrupted by my mother, "What business did you have to do behind a bush that was so important, that you'll leave my husband all by himself?"

His face was priceless as it turned a deep shade of red, "I-I u-uh..."

"He had personal business to do," I said to my mother, staring hard at my mother, who finally realized what he meant and turned a deep shade of scarlet.

"As I was saying," he started for the umpteenth time, "I was behind the bush, when the war started. It was the First Manassas and the Union soldiers mistook John, for a Confederate soldier who was actually fighting in the war, due to his uniform. They took him hostage to serve as a reminder to all Confederates to stop what they are trying to do."

We were all speechless and shocked.

"Mother, what is all the noise," said Katherine rubbing her eyes as she came in, she was a late sleeper so she finally woke up at 2:23 PM. She first looked at my mother, then me and finally at Mr. Jackson.

"I should be going now since I thought that it was my duty to inform you. Goodbye," he said as he left, closing the door.