Ezra was green as a lizard when he arrived home.
"What is it, son?" Vin asked. When he got no response, he touched Ezra's shoulder.
"Hm? Oh – sorry, Pa. We were going home and Lizzie saw a spider. Girl nearly blew my ears out, screaming like a banshee."
"That wouldn't make you look so ill."
"No, that's entirely Josiah's fault."
"What did he do?"
"The older children – and more advanced readers – are studying the Roman Empire in history. Josiah took it upon himself to educate us at recess on some of the details the books didn't cover."
"Uh-oh."
"Yeah. He told us of Christians being torn apart by various types of beast, of being used as a human torch under Nero..." His green colour deepened and he swallowed hard.
"Best not to think too hard on it, son."
Ezra nodded. And tried. He honestly tried.
But the images crept into his dreams like a nightcrawler.
Return to The Magnificent Seven page
Return to The Realm