Youll give me your daughter, and Ill keep quiet, Ian says.
Sorry, I missed it. Be a decent man, Zach, dont ruin everything
What am I to you, Zach? Youve forgotten how to address me? To you Im Ian Elliott.
Please, dont take this to court
Ian stands, straightens his shoulders until his shirt creaks. A fierce fire flares in his dark eyes, scorching Zachary Ziegler, whose shoulders slump in fear.
Zach has been a foreman for years, but Ian only became chairman a year ago. At first people doubted himonly twentyfive, still very young. Yet the district officers, seeing his grip on farm matters, his zeal and sensible approach, gave him the nod.
Youre a thief, Zachary Archibald, Ian declares, his voice ringing with steel. If I say it, you cant deny it; Ill bend the law to my will.
There were haystacks, and they vanished, the chairman continues. That was in spring. Think Ive forgotten? Ill bring you to court!
I swear Ive worked the fields honestly. I didnt take anything. Ian, perhaps we can strike a dealmy wife wont survive this, and I have children
Children, you say? Ian ponders. You want a bargain? You want protection, but whats the risk for me? If I shield you, there must be something in it for me.
Zach watches the chairman, feeling the possibility of a compromise, remembering they grew up on the same soil.
And your girl, Emilyshes lovely, isnt she? What if I marry your daughter? Ill take her as my wife
Zachs face turns pale. Think, Ian, shes still a girl
Its still a girl? Ian replies. I saw her at the farm the other dayshes no longer a child.
Shes only just turned seventeen, still a child, a baby still in my care, Zach protests.
Enough with the baby talk. Heres my condition: hand over your daughter, and Ill keep quiet about your error. If you refuse, Ill inform the district chief and youll end up in court. So choosegive me your girl or keep grinding grain, and youll never see your family again.
Zach falls to his knees. What do you want from me? This is too heavy a burden. How can I possibly hand my daughter to you? Am I a monster?
Ian returns to the table, sits, and pulls out a sheet of paper. Then well record it: Zachary Ziegler opposed the authority, meddled with the common good
Wait, dont write it, Zach whispers, his voice broken. Ill speak to Emily today.
Go ahead. Shes a stubborn one, might argue back you say shes a child.
Youre to blame, you seized her, Zach mutters. She got scared.
If youre sincere, Ian smirks, maybe Ill let it slide.
Zach sighs heavily. If only my soul would
He returns home, collapses onto the bench, and begins pulling off his boots.
Whats wrong? asks Martha.
On the table sits a pot of stew with potatoes, fresh bread bakes in the oven, and the whole house smells of warm baking. Whats the matter?
Emily! he calls. Shes just left the bedroom, hasnt even brushed her hair.
What, dear?
He looks at her. Our chairman has taken an interest in her says he wants to marry her.
Emilys lips tremble, her hands fidget with her loose hair, and she stands like a trembling birch. Why would he want me? I dont want this
Martha drops what shes holding, gasps, and sits on a stool.
Zach sighs again. I know you dont want it, and I dont want it either. Its too early for you but what can we do?
Father, why are we being forced?
Its the chairmans idea. Hes a bad man, everyone fears him
Youre right, says their younger son Charlie, leaning against the hearth, listening intently.
Im sorry, Im at fault, my head slipped and I missed the haystacks in spring
Oh, Father, theyll lock you up
Ignoring it will only make it worse. He threatens to imprison me, says Ive broken his trust.
So whats the plan? If he wants Emily, hell also take you, right?
Exactly. My daughter for my mistake and I dont need a soninlaw like that.
Dad, you should complain, says thirteenyearold Charlie.
Silence. Ill manage without your advice, Ian snaps. If you complain, youll end up in prison yourself. Hes the chairman, even if hes still green.
Father, Im scared of him, Emily cries.
Zach looks at his daughter, then at Martha, sighs, and gathers his things.
Where are you going? Martha asks.
Pack, mother, a clean shirt, dont forget the biscuits Ill go to Ian tomorrow morning, let him arrest me if he wants. Im not a foe to my daughter, I wont force her into marriage, its too early for her.
Martha embraces him, and Emily retreats to her bedroom, sitting on the madeup bed, listening to her mothers sobs and her fathers sighs. She watches the girls outside playing, remembering her friend Fredas brotheronly a year older, almost her equal. She never thought about the chairman, his stern face, his constant scolding, his harsh judgments.
Emily feels pity for herself, for being thrust toward a marriage she doesnt want, especially to the bitter Ian Zorin. She also feels sorry for her father, who might be taken away forever. She begins to braid her hair, pulling at it angrily, feeling only rage and desperation. She returns to her parents, takes the satchel from her fathers hands.
Dont go anywhere, Father, she says, finally speaking to him as an adult.
If I agreed, I wouldnt be hurting you now. Youll have a hard time with him better I serve my time, so you can live without tears.
Father! Emily clutches him. Dont leave! Hell imprison you, and the whole village will judge usmy sister Antonia, her husband, her children
Zach sits heavily on the chest that also serves as a bench by the door. I know, Antonia will suffer too. Shame will fall on the whole family, theyll say Zachary Ziegler stole the hay
Tell him tomorrow I agree, let the matchmakers do their work, Emily pleads.
Martha gathers the packed belongings, puts them by the stove, wipes her eyes, and sets the table.
That night Zach and Martha lie awake, talking, shifting, breathing heavily. From the next room they hear Emilys cries.
No, Martha, she fears him. Marriage would be a burden for her now. Youll have to fetch my satchel early tomorrow, Ill go to the yard and then to Ian, but I wont hand her over.
Martha leans on her husband. Zach, as you say, well manage without you
At dawn they rise, careful not to wake the children. While they work in the yard, they dont notice Charlie slipping out the gate. By the time they look up, the sun is high.
Wheres our little boy? Zach asks.
I think he ran to school, Emily answers, I havent seen him since morning.
Alright, hell come back. Ill stay a little longer at home
Zach, stay home until lunch, the enemy Ian wont get a chance, Martha says, still hoping the war will pass them by.
Zach decides not to rush to prison.
Meanwhile, Charlie rides on a cart with his uncle Martin to the district centre.
Charlie, why are we heading to the centre? Martin asks.
I have a school assignmentcollect the certificates, Charlie lies, pretending its for school.
Martin nudges the horse, and the noisy carts clatter into the centre.
Charlie jumps off, thanks the clerk, and runs to the district office. The first secretary, Graham, a solid, terse man of fortyfive, arrives. Charlie thinks Graham might help his father and Emily.
What do you want, lad? Graham asks, surprised.
My name is Albert Mitchell.
Why?
I have a matter to discuss.
Children have no place here.
Then Graham steps forward.
Whats this I hear about the chairman wanting to take your daughter? Charlie blurts, confusing the clerk.
Youre accusing the chairman? Graham asks, shocked.
Its true! He stole the haystacks and now wants to marry Emily she refuses.
Where did you hear that?
Its all Ian Archibalds doing, to snatch Emily.
Graham sighs, Ill wait by the gate until the carriage arrives.
Back in the village, Ian Zorin gives orders, inspecting fields and the farm, reprimanding Peter the tractor driver. When Graham arrives, everyone falls silent. Ian straightens up, ready to report on current matters.
Charlie wanders near the council, watching windows, never one to complain, but now he feels sorry for his father, wondering why hed be sent to prison.
Graham asks, So, tell me, how do you run things here?
Albert Mitchell, everything as usual, we try
Graham notes, I see youve lost the hay in spring, only now raising a storm. Why were you silent before? Waiting for a convenient moment? And why do you think your foreman Zach is guilty? Because your daughter rejected him?
Questions rain down like peas, catching the chairman off guard. Ians face grows pale.
Understood. Im guilty, he admits. It wasnt Zach, someone else took it I tried to scare him.
Thats your answer, Graham says quietly, his words striking like a whip. I elevated you, Ian, and now Ill push you back youll face court for overstepping.
Charlie bursts in, flinging the door open. Turn it on, the radiotheres news. He points at the old set.
Graham and Ian switch it on, hearing an announcement about war, the date flashing: 22 June 1940.
Charlie rushes home, the news still fresh.
Im not denying my fault, Albert Mitchell, but now is not the time, Ian says, pale. Dont bring this to court, let me go to the front; Ill be called up anyway.
Graham, stunned, leans over the desk, pondering Ians fate.
The hay is gone, Ian continues, we dont know whose cattle ate it. Im needed on the front now.
Wholl stay here? Graham asks.
Others will step upMartin, though old, could serve as chairman
Fine, Zorin, I have other matters.
A week later, several carts line the council square, the villagers gather, some weeping, some singing, some laughing.
Ian bows, removes his satchel, and steps into the circle. He stretches his limbs, starts a lively dance, and the crowd forms a tight ring around him.
Ah, Ian Elliott, those hands of yours you could cradle a wife, but now youll have to hold a rifle, mutters Martin, now the acting chairman.
The Ziegler family bids farewell to their soninlaw. Antonia clings like a whip, not letting go until the call to move the carts! sounds.
Hard years follow the emptied village, women now run the farms, the fields, the woodcutting. Zachary Ziegler avoids conscription but works as if three mens quota were placed on him.
Cold winters, unpredictable springs, and grim news keep coming.
Martha sighs, looking at her daughter, It seemed the worst was over, yet another sorrow arrives. Compared to this, the old grief fades like a dying fire in the hearth.
Four years pass, the village shrinks, widows and orphans increase, but spring 1945 lifts spirits as victory nears.
Fedor returns in March, wounded but home, a handsome fiancé in the making.
Whats wrong with Fedors face, Emily? Martha asks, now grown. Where else will you find a groom? Dont turn your back on him, hell propose.
I understand, Mother, but I feel nothing for him
What feelings, Emily? Youll stay a girl forever.
A month later Ian Zorin returns. Women stare as he walks the dusty road, noticing his empty coat sleeve.
Good day, ladies! How are you? he asks. Wheres my mother?
Oh, joy! Shes on the farm, where else? Come, cheer her, today is a celebrationmy sons return.
Ian jumps straight into work. At the next council meeting, they propose electing him chairman.
We have a chairman, Ian says, Martin kept the farm running through the war; shouldnt he stay?
Selfremoval? villagers ask.
Its settled.
He changes, both outwardly and inside. No more shouts, no arrogance; the war has polished his character.
Im glad, Zachary Archibald, Ian greets first, we finally meet.
Im glad, Ian Elliott.
Enough of patronymics, Im younger than you, Ian admits, I used to brag I thought about you throughout the war, regretted not asking forgiveness. So now I say: forgive me for those haystacks; I knew I wasnt at fault.
Zach coughs, Then forgive me too, Ian, I moved those stacks
How?
It was simple. The cows had nothing to eat, and the higher command told us not to touch the stacks, but I needed feed. I defied the order.
He removes his cap, clenching it with trembling hands, I took nothing for myself, so Im not to blame
Thats the story, Ian says, you fed our cows well, lets not dredge up the past, its long gone, before the war.
Dad, why are you yelling at him? Charlie asks, as Zach steps away from Ian. He was a snake, now his sting is gone.
Charlie receives a slap.
You know little! You havent lived, yet you judge. Ian, with two medals, is no snake.
Dad? Charlie says, Im recalling the past
Forget it one things clear: its easy to err, hard to fix. He pats his sons shoulder. Alls well, son, the wars over, well live.
The cart line clatters and Emily, delighted, steps forward. Large milk barrels await transport.
Ian ties a horse with one hand, turns, and Emily grabs a barrel, saying, Hold on, lets do it together. He lifts with one hand, she with the other. While moving the barrels, she unhooks the horse, feeling his hand on her shoulder. He lowers it gently, Dont worry, Ill manage even if Im missing a hand.
I only wanted to help.
You already did, he nods toward the cart, were all pulling together.
He pats the horse, and Emily watches, her heart swelling with compassion for Ian, despite his past.
Days pass with Ian absent, teenagers from the Voloshin family arrive instead. One warm May day, Emily spots a familiar silhouette, a lone sleeve from afar.
He hops off a cart, walks toward her, smiling. The wars over, Emily, thats the end of the nightmare.
She leans her head on his chest, both surprised, embraces. What wonderful news, weve waited so long
He feels her breath, stammers. I never imagined youd hold me. He wraps one arm around her. My hands arent enough to hug you fully, he whispers.
She looks into his eyes, whispers, I have two hands! Together we have three! Well manage.
She brushes away her tears, kisses his cheek, presses him close, his breath catching. I wont let go! I survived for a reason.
Later, Martha empties the chest by the door, filling it with embroidered blankets, towels, sheets. She folds the linens meant for Emily, placing them on the chest, treating them as a treasure. But Emilys joy now comes from her future husband, not the blankets.
Ian Elliott, why did you take off your medals? Martin asks, meeting the former chairman.
Not just me with medals, whats the point of jingling them? My only reward now is Emily, the one I must protect.
The sun shines brightly,And together they stepped out into the warm sunrise, their hands clasped, ready to build a new life side by side.
