Seeded: Day 15

Word Total: 90,075

Year to Date: 510,290

Summary of Events:

Brandt was making lunch when he was texted by Brandon, who had stopped by his grandparents' place to pick something up and been invited for lunch. Brandon's grandparents had a book on the church they attended which had photos of Brandt's family in it, so he sent them, as well as telling Brandt what little his grandfather would tell him about why Brandt's family no longer attended the church, which Brandt concluded was related to his parents' divorce. Lark asked her grandma about what history there was between the Remingtons and the Staneks, but was told that she would have to wait for her father to be ready to tell it to her, as it was his to tell. Having recalled all he could remember of his parents' divorce, Brandt had some questions, which he decided to take to his oldest sister…

Excerpt of the Day:

“Oh, okay,” Justine said. “So, what were you wanting to talk to me about?”

“Um, just… I was thinking about Mom and Dad’s divorce the other day,” Brandt replied. “And I know you said Dad kicked Mom out, and I kind of remember another woman before Dad started drinking, but… was there?”

“Yes,” Justine replied. “The next morning, after Mom and Dad’s big fight, Dad came and got us all for breakfast. There was a woman there.”

“Oh,” Brandt said. “Like, he’d had this other lady all lined up before he kicked Mom out?”

“Yes,” Justine replied.

“Was she blonde?” Brandt asked.

“She was,” Justine replied.

“What was her name?” Brandt asked.

“Dad introduced her as Drina,” Justine replied. “I never heard any other name for her.”
“Dad had a thing for Ds,” Brandt said. “I wonder if Veronica’s middle name starts with a D.”

“Yeah, I don’t know,” Justine said. “She was okay, like, I mean, coming downstairs for breakfast to find Mom gone and some other lady stepping into her role was a little bit scary, but she was nice afterwards. Summer didn’t like her.”

“Are we surprised?” Brandt asked.

“No,” Justine replied. “Summer had one of her tantrums and Dad sent us to Grandma’s for a few days, which is when Mom picked us up and took us to Olds before CPS came and took us home.”
“Oh,” Brandt said.

“Dad and Drina remodelled the house,” Justine added.

“You mean this place isn’t original?” Brandt asked.

“Nope,” Justine replied. “The basement wasn’t finished initially, so we weren’t allowed to play down there, but after Drina moved in the bedrooms and bathroom and everything else were put in, plus changing a lot of carpets and paint and stuff.”

“Oh,” Brandt said. “Okay. What happened to her?”

“She died,” Justine replied. “I think it was a car accident or something. It wasn’t on the farm. She and Dad were going to get married, but it was, like, really close to the wedding when she died. That’s why Dad started drinking.”

“He must’ve really loved her then,” Brandt said.

“Yeah,” Justine said. “It makes me wonder why he ever married Mom in the first place.”
Brandt nodded.

“But that’s why he hasn’t ever renovated the house too,” Justine said. “He wants to keep it the way Drina did it up.”

“But now he wants to tear it down and build a new place,” Brandt said.

“Yeah,” Justine said. “That’s why I was so shocked when I found out.”

Nodding Brandt recalled vividly the incredible look of astonishment that had exploded across Justine’s face when the news had been broken to her. Since she’d been pregnant with Sirena at the time, several people present thought she’d been going into preterm labour.

“My only guess is that Veronica is the new Drina,” Justine said. “I do feel like he is the same with Veronica as he was with Drina. Diana was enough to get him out of the gutter, but she wasn’t quite the same as Drina. I kind of never expected that Dad and Diana would stay together forever from the first moment we were introduced to her, although they did stick together longer than I expected.”

In order to pursue some non-manuscript projects this summer I will be taking a two-month hiatus, so there won't be another post until 30 July. Until then, R.A.

Seeded: Day 14

Word Count: 84,009

Summary of Events:

Brandt's dad revealed over supper that the irrigator on the one little piece of land they owned out by Rosemary wasn't working. Having completely forgotten about that piece of land, and realising its proximity to where Lark had said she lived, Brandt eagerly volunteered to go make the repairs; they went quickly and he was eager to use the spare time to see about figuring out exactly where Lark lived, only to be pleasantly surprised to see her riding through the field across the road. She came over and chatted with Brandt until an elderly man who had a gun in his truck that Brandt couldn't trust he wouldn't use if provoked told Brandt menacingly to go home. Lark was puzzled by the man's unkindness toward Brandt, musing on her way home that even if she knew he wasn't perfect, she didn't feel like he was quite fully deserving of the labels many people gave to him…

Excerpt of the Day:

Nevertheless, Brandt was respectful. He’d not sworn once around her, and she could tell that he’d even checked his details when it’d come to talking about the sins that he was inclined to commit which Lark found rather sickening and displeasing. Those probably were both effects of having Brandon as a friend, but they showed that Brandt was decent and courteous, even if he was a sinner, which was more than comments like the man had made about Brandt had led her to believe before she’d met him.

She steered Nia into the yard and over to the barn, where she dismounted and immediately loosened the cinch. She removed the saddle, blanket, and pad, setting them all on the rail of the fence before going and fetching a hard comb from the rooming box in the horse shed, which she used to give Nia a good scratch on the back, loosening the sweat-packed hairs.

Removing Nia’s bridle, Lark hung it over the saddle horn and walked over to the gate into the pasture. Nia followed her and trotted through the gate when Lark opened it, opening up to a canter in order to get to her herd mates faster.

Lark closed and locked the gate before taking up the tack and putting it in the shed on the rack reserved for it, as well as putting the brush away in the box and closing the shed door to keep birds and bugs out that wouldn’t like getting trapped inside.

“That was a longer ride than usual,” Dad said, causing Lark to startle slightly.

“Well, you often take longer places because you end up encountering neighbours and chatting,” Lark replied.

“Oh,” Dad said. “Who’d you run into?”

“Brandt Remington,” Lark replied. “Did you know they owned a piece around here?”

“Yes,” Dad replied, his face having taken on a reserved, displeased expression as soon as she’d uttered Brandt’s name.

“What’s wrong Dad?” Lark asked.

“I don’t know what I think of you talking to him,” Dad replied, looking past her.

“Why?” Lark asked.

“Well, his family aren’t particularly nice or upstanding,” Dad replied. “They’ve been particularly unkind. To us.”

Lark startled. She’d never heard her family say anything about the Remingtons, but the Remingtons hadn’t been nice to them?

“What do you mean?” she asked.

Dad shook his head and turned away.

Lark leapt after him and grabbed his arm. “Daddy, what do you mean?”

Stopping, Dad stood still for a moment, then gently removed her hand from his arm and clasped it between both of his, looking her in the eye, his eyes showing signs of moisture.

“This isn’t the right place,” Dad replied. “Or the right time. Okay?”

Nodding, Lark watched Dad’s face as he released her hand and turned, walking away briskly, his posture and expression showing signs of distress, which made her feel distressed in turn. What was that all about?

Pronunciation:

Nia: neeah

Seeded: Day 13

Word Count: 78,013

Summary of Events:

Lark was picked up by Ariel to go on a shopping trip to Medicine Hat, and as they drove to pick Shealyn up, and thereafter headed for Medicine Hat, they discussed Brandt's presence at church, and some thoughts that Ariel and Shealyn's parents had about his visit and his family. At a party with a bunch of his friends and other close acquaintances, Brandt watched others dance while deciding what girl he wanted to hang out with once Brandon went home, as Brandon never stayed all night. On Sunday, Lark wondered if she might see Brandt again, but as she exited the church after the service was over, she saw no sign of him while making her way over to Ariel and Shealyn…

Excerpt of the Day:

“Did you see any signs of Brandt?” Ariel asked.

Lark shook her head. “No.”
“I wonder if Mrs. Voss scared him off,” Ariel said.

“I doubt it,” Shealyn said. “He doesn’t look like the type to be intimidated.”

“Even still,” Lark said. “I feel like most people are more sensitive in a religious setting.”
“What do you mean?” Ariel asked.

“Well, a lot of people seem to think religious people are weak because they need a religion to function,” Lark replied. “Not that everyone doesn’t technically have a religion that they adhere to, some of them just aren’t as formalised as others, but anyways, when it comes to their deciding to explore religion, to them, it is putting themselves in a bit of a vulnerable position, admitting that they’re maybe a bit weaker than they might otherwise be inclined to let other people believe, so if they have even a minor negative experience, it can be enough to turn them off of coming back, whereas if they were to go to… say… a new restaurant and had a similar experience, it wouldn’t be enough to keep them from giving the restaurant another chance, and might even be insignificant enough that they brush it off.”

“Hm,” Shealyn said. “I’ve never really thought of that.”

“So even though I wouldn’t consider Brandt an easy-to-intimidate guy either, because it was in a religious setting and he’s not religious, it could’ve been enough to put him off,” Lark said.

“Yeah, he did look rather flustered when he left last week,” Ariel added. “But I also feel like he knew Mrs. Voss.”

“Well, she does live kind of close to the Westlands,” Shealyn said. “So maybe he’s seen her before.”

“But maybe he’s not really had a lot to do with her,” Ariel said.

Lark nodded. “So having her suddenly come down on him like that could be a bit shocking.”

“Yeah,” Ariel said.

“Although I do feel like, if I were trying out a new church — or if I were actually in his shoes and trying church itself for the first time — it would be mortifying to be suddenly accosted by someone shouting all kinds of unpleasantries at me,” Lark added. “Even if I know that person from elsewhere, I wouldn’t necessarily want to be noticed, and especially not in that kind of a way.”

Ariel and Shealyn both nodded.

“That is definitely also a valid point,” Shealyn said. “We as Christians shouldn’t conduct ourselves like that, and even nonChristians know that Christians are supposed to be nice people, so being accosted in that kind of a way would also be rather offensive.”

“Yeah,” Lark said.

“It’s consistent with Mrs. Voss, though,” Ariel said. “She has always been rather contentious.”
“Yes,” Shealyn agreed.

“Not that it excuses what she did,” Lark said. “She really shouldn’t be contentious at all. We’re not supposed to be as Christians. I’m pretty sure being contentious is something that’s cited in the Bible more than once as something that Christians shouldn’t be given to doing.”

Seeded: Day 12

Word Count: 72,169

Summary of Events:

Lark and her friends were shocked that Brandt had been at church, immediately changing their conversation from their plans for going shopping on the weekend to discussing what had brought him to church. At home, Brandt refused to answer his dad's questions about where he'd gone and fed the reheated lunch he was presented with to the dog at his earliest opportunity before going off into his room to ponder everything that had happened. Lark later mused privately about her surprise that her dad had said nothing about Brandt's presence, having expected him to have at least made a comment about it. A couple days later, Brandt was called by the pastor of the church, who apologised for the woman having confronted Brandt; the two then got into conversation about the Canada Day weekend, as Brandt told the pastor that he'd decided to come to the church after meeting a girl there because he'd not wanted to be with his family, prompting the pastor to enquire why…

Excerpt of the Day:

“My dad’s new girlfriend,” Brandt replied setting one slice of bread on the pan, butter side down. “She and Dad have been dating for a couple years, but she’d been unable to come to our campouts before, so it was her first time, and…”

“It was difficult?” Pastor Neal asked.

“I mean, I’ve never really liked her or gotten along with her from the beginning,” Brandt replied. “She’s, like, the personification of all the traits I dislike in girls, and she has Dad absolutely wrapped around her finger, which… is… hard. I’m, not the only son anymore, but the oldest son, my half brother is ten years younger than me — and his trying to film a viral fail video with me as its star didn’t make the weekend any better — but, like, from… as long as I can remember, Dad and Grandpa and everybody’s been talking about me taking over the farm and Dad has bent over backwards to get me whatever I wanted.”

“Mmhm,” Pastor Neal said.

“And, like, Dad never really would believe other people when they said bad stuff about me,” Brandt added. “But… now… Veronica seems to be that person. She’s the one he always believes, and he gets mad at anybody who upsets her, which usually ends up being me because I don’t like her.”

“Hmm,” Pastor Neal said.

“And, the weirdest things bend her out of shape too,” Brandt said. “I don’t want to say good morning to her, and my dad tears a strip out of me. He has never forced me to say good morning even to himself. I don’t want to be in a selfie because I don’t like them, and I’m berated for it. I want to make my own lunches instead of having lunch made for me, and–”

Brandt flinched and dropped the cheese he’d been grating. He looked at his finger; the grater hadn’t cut it, but it still hurt. His agitation was affecting his cheese grating.

“It’s just frustrating,” Brandt said. “I feel like she’s trying to drive me and Dad apart.”

“Hmm,” Pastor Neal said.

“Not that we’ve been, like, inseparable or anything,” Brandt said, taking up a handful of grated cheese and sprinkling it over the bread. “I’m closer with his brother than with him, but, like, after he broke up with his last long-term girlfriend — my half brother’s mom — it was just the two of us here, and he was working really hard to try and bond with me. I mean, he was completely clueless about how to interact with a teenager, but I could tell he was trying, and now he’s not. It’s like all of the effort he put into bonding with me for those years was… a waste of his time.”

“Mm,” Pastor Neal said.

Brandt heard the garage door opening. He hurried into the living room and looked out the front window. Veronica’s sporty little SUV was pulling in.

“Um, I’m gonna have to go,” Brandt said. “She just got home, and I don’t want her to hear any of this.”

“Alright,” Pastor Neal said. “Well, I do hope that you’ll come give Grasslands a visit again soon. Until then, have a good day.”

“You too,” Brandt replied.

Seeded: Day 11

Word Count: 66,092

Summary of Events:

Brandt decided to go to Brandon's church — which was also Lark's church — in order to see Lark and hopefully find out more specifically where she lived, among other things. He arrived a little late, but ended up encountering Brandon's brother Declan, who informed him there were more seats upstairs, where Brandt sat through the service, unable to see Lark, who was in the lower part, and also finding the message surprisingly interesting compared to past sermons he'd heard. Following the service, Brandt headed for the exit so as to hopefully talk to Lark in privacy outside, but was confronted by Brandon, who knew what Brandt's motive was, and upset Brandt by continuing to urge Brandt against it. Brandt got into his truck to get away from Brandon, but didn't drive away…

Excerpt of the Day:

Brandt didn’t want to talk to him; in fact, he actually wanted to start his truck and speed away, but a small, stalwart part of himself was resisting the desire to do so, not wanting to remain angry at Brandon. He never enjoyed it when he was at odds with Brandon, as Brandon wasn’t reactive and bellicose like pretty much everyone else he got into spats with, Brandon was always committed to making things right, and the longer Brandt held out on Brandon, the harder he always found it to admit his part in their disputes.

The two desires within him warred. Much of him wanted to remain mad at Brandon for presuming he was one-dimensionally pursuing Lark in an effort to get her into bed with him, but the small part that didn’t like being at odds with Brandon was stubborn, holding out against the greater urge until finally Brandt stabbed his key into the ignition.

Instead of turning the key away from him until the engine turned over, however, Brandt turned it toward him, which engaged the battery to turn on the fan and the clock, cause all the needles on the control dials to rise to their positions, and — most importantly — allowed him to operate the windows.

He pressed the button to lower the front passenger window, allowing in the sounds of distant chatter, some cheery morning songbirds, and quiet sounds of a just-waking city on a late Sunday morning. Brandon advanced the last bit of distance and rested an arm on the ledge created by the window’s retraction.

“I have to be your conscience in this Brandt,” Brandon said. “I know Lark is pretty, in fact, I think she’s pretty too, but I know she would turn you down. I also know that her dad wouldn’t likely be favourably inclined toward you. His daughters are precious to him, and he has no intentions of giving them away to boyfriends, only husbands.”

“How are they supposed to get husbands if they don’t have boyfriends first?” Brandt asked.

“They only date guys who intend to marry them,” Brandon replied. “Wren is the only one who’s dated, and now she’s married with a little girl. Lark and her other sister haven’t actually dated before at all. And I know that you’re not exactly intent on marrying anytime soon.”

Brandt shifted his jaw. Brandon was right. He wasn’t inclined to get married if he didn’t have to. Maybe when he was older he’d be inclined to get married, but not now. Not anytime soon.

“I’m sorry for not being as clear as I should’ve been,” Brandon said.

Sighing, Brandt shook his head. He didn’t really know what to say, but he felt dejected to think that he pretty much had zero chance to get the girl he wanted. Why were the pretty ones always so hard to get?

Seeded: Day 10

Word Count: 60,083

Summary of Events:

Waiting for supper to be ready, Brandt wished Brandon a happy birthday and made arrangements to hang out as a result of the occasion the following evening. Over supper he got into a spat with his dad because the meal contained mushrooms, which Brandt had never liked, but his dad didn't want him picking out. The following evening, he met Brandon for supper at his family's preferred restaurant and, before long, they got talking about the difficulties he was having with his dad owing to Veronica's presence in the house…

Excerpt of the Day:

“I don’t really know,” Brandon said. “All I can really suggest is that you be patient with your dad. Try and respect him when the issues are small, and try to explain to him in a calm and thoughtful way why you might not be inclined to comply with his request when it’s a bigger issue.”

“He’s done just a complete one-eighty,” Brandt said. “His argument is that I need to change because I’m an adult, but, I’ve been an adult for three years.”

Brandon gathered his lips in response to Brandt’s profane emphatic.

“It’s like he’s trying to deny that he’s only pushing me to change because of her,” Brandt said. “He’s even alleging that he’s not changed his standards or anything like that, but that I’ve randomly decided to be pigheaded or something. It’s so frustrating.”
Nodding again, Brandon looked sober.

“I mean, I know, we Remingtons are stubborn,” Brandt said. “But, he’s… he’s lying.”

“You’ve lied to him, Brandt,” Brandon replied.

“But, like… I’ve had a legit reason,” Brandt said. “I don’t understand why he’s lying, I would rather he just tell me he wants me to change to make Veronica happy instead of continuing to beat the broken drum of ‘you’re an adult, you’re an adult, you’re an adult’. I would rather the truth.”

“As you know,” Brandon said. “I would never say there’s a legitimate reason to lie, but I will agree that it sounds to me that his lying isn’t really warranted, considering that the truth is kind of obvious.”
“Kind of?” Brandt asked. “It’s as obvious as the nose on my face.”

“I’m functioning on hearsay,” Brandon said. “As much as I’m your best friend and know you well, I’m not going to speak in definitives of things I’ve not witnessed.”

Brandt sighed. “I feel like Veronica doesn’t like me, and she’s twisting everything to Dad, trying to drive him and me apart. Even Uncle Maynard says he feels like Veronica’s trying to drive him and Dad apart.”
“It’s kind of early to be saying that, isn’t it?” Brandon asked.

“They’ve been dating for three years,” Brandt replied. “And they’ve made all kinds of plans in that time without telling me, including the plans to build the new house. They might well tear the old one down around my ears on me for all I know.”

“I wouldn’t think they’d go quite that far,” Brandon said.

“That’s what it feels like,” Brandt said. “But… I mean… Dad tried so hard, I know he was trying — misguidedly, but trying — to forge a bond with me once Justine and Summer moved out and it was just the two of us, and now he’s just obliterating it, as if it never mattered.”
“Have you told him that?” Brandon asked.

“What good would it do?” Brandt asked.

“You never know until you try,” Brandon replied.

Brandt sighed. He wasn’t sure that it would do any good, but he doubted Brandon was going to let him get off without trying, no matter how much he might want to.

Seeded: Day 9

Word Count: 54,097

Summary of Events:

Having changed over the laundry and made sure all the dry laundry was sorted according to its wearer, Lark went outside to lay on the hammock because she'd gotten through all the chores until the last of the laundry was dry, her mind turning to thoughts of Brandt, mostly reminding herself that he wasn't a Christian, meaning her dad wouldn't approve of him, no matter how handsome he was. Being the first to arrive home from the campground, Brandt put the boat away and went onto the deck to sit with the dogs in peace and quiet, which gave him the opportunity to engage in long, lingering thoughts about Lark, such as he'd been unable to do throughout the weekend…

Excerpt of the Day:

Overall, she’d looked appealingly feminine, and when he’d engaged her in conversation he’d found that she possessed a lovely voice that suited her perfectly, he suspected it was also lovely when she sang, but he’d not been close enough to her at the campfire singing time to have been able to discern which voice was hers.

Additionally, she’d been intelligent, being not only rather knowledgeable about her religion, but also rather knowledgable about agriculture, which indicated that she was rather involved in the operation of her family’s farm, something neither Justine nor Summer had ever been, nor had any of his cousins outside of Iliana, although with Italia it was mostly a case of she was too young yet, Uncle Maynard and Aunt Deanna weren’t letting her get too involved in the farm yet for safety reasons.

A lot of girls Brandt knew — even the ones who came to the parties — didn’t really know a lot about agriculture, or if they did, it was never a subject they wanted to talk about, whereas Lark had been more than willing to talk about it, and they also didn’t seem to have a lot of other stuff they wanted to talk about, they just wanted to get to the good stuff.

To be fair, he was rather interested in getting to the good stuff most of the time too, but there were times that he didn’t mind being able to talk to a girl in a conversational context, but most of the time he had to do that with someone like Justine, Aunt Deanna, or Mrs. Westland, all of whom were at least five years older than him; no girls around his age were interested in just having a conversation.

Brandt lowered his gaze from the trees to the dogs, who were both still basking under the movement of his hands, which were starting to get tired of scratching their heads, sighing with disappointment as he did.

He’d not seen Lark before in his life, and he had little real chance, as a result, of seeing her again, as he didn’t know where exactly she lived, other than northwest of Rosemary, while he lived southeast of Duchess.

It was probably not more than a half an hour’s drive between their houses, but considering his family farmed mostly east of Duchess, he suspected her family farmed mostly northwest and west of Rosemary, so they couldn’t even cross paths while farming — as evidenced by the fact that they hadn’t so far — and crossing paths in other arenas was even more doubtful. It had taken them some twenty years to cross paths this once. It might well be twenty years before they crossed paths again.

Seeded: Day 8

Word Count: 48,045

Summary of Events:

Brandt spent part of Saturday piloting his dad's boat around the lake with various family members riding the tube behind, but eventually he and his dad had another spat and he went to sit on Uncle Maynard's boat, which was hiding in quieter waters so that Brandt's grandparents could fish. On Sunday after church Lark and Ariel discussed Brandt and the Remingtons in general, as Ariel's parents told Ariel that the Remingtons had once attended their church, but had left about twenty years ago…

Excerpt of the Day:

“He wasn’t really anything like what I expected, though,” Ariel said. “Like, I’d always heard that he was an entitled jerk.”

“Me too,” Lark said. “But he was actually really nice.”

“Yeah,” Ariel said. “And he was really tall.”

“Not necessarily too tall,” Lark replied. “I mean, yeah, I had to look up to make eye contact with him, but I know taller people.”

“Well, but I didn’t expect him to be that tall,” Ariel said. “I mean, I think Remington is an English surname, not a Dutch one.”

“Well, maybe his mom’s family is Dutch,” Lark said.

“Yeah, I guess that might be,” Ariel said. “I don’t think his mom lives around here anymore.”
“He didn’t mention his mom at all when I talked to him,” Lark said. “He didn’t really actually talk about his family in general.”

Ariel nodded. “He certainly did seem talkative, though.”

“Somewhat, yeah,” Lark replied. “I also feel like he latched onto me.”

“Latched onto you?” Ariel asked.

“Yeah,” Lark replied. “I think it was just the fact that he and I had spoken before the game, so when we ended up on the same team I was the only person he ‘knew’, so he kind of hung close to me, kind of like VBS kids do sometimes.”

“Hm,” Ariel said. “I wouldn’t have expected him to be insecure.”

“I don’t know if it was,” Lark said. “Maybe it was.”

“I would’ve thought that he would’ve been somewhat rowdy too,” Ariel said. “I mean, he got a bit intense in the volleyball game, but otherwise he was actually rather quiet.”

Lark nodded. “I’ve heard a lot about the Remingtons over the years, and he didn’t really match any of it.”

“No, not really,” Ariel agreed. “It’s kind of interesting. I wonder where all the people who told us about the Remingtons got their information from.”

“Unless maybe that was what his dad and uncles were like at his age, so people are presuming that he’s going to be the same, when he isn’t,” Lark said.

“Maybe, yeah,” Ariel agreed. “Maybe we’ll have to ask Brandon about him.”

“What, and make Brandon think we have a crush on him?” Lark asked.

“Well, it’s not like he’s ugly,” Ariel said.

“He’s not a Christian, though,” Lark said.

“I guess that’s true,” Ariel said. “But you can’t deny that he does look nice, right?”

“Like you said, he’s not ugly,” Lark replied. “But the more important thing is that he’s not a Christian.”

“That’s kind of surprising,” Ariel said. “Considering that he’s such good friends with Brandon.”
“I don’t think he lets Brandon talk about Christianity with him,” Lark said. “He told me that he’s perfectly fine with religious people so long as they don’t try to proselytise him.”

“Did he really use proselytise?” Ariel asked.

“No,” Lark replied. “I’m paraphrasing.”

“But Brandon’s not the sort of guy I would think would be okay with being limited like that,” Ariel said. “Nor would he really be the sort to do a long, dragged out version of friendship evangelism.”

“No,” Lark agreed. “But maybe he’s still doing something positive in Brandt’s life.”

Seeded: Day 7

Word Count: 42,003

Summary of Events:

Brandt stayed for the campfire songs, even though he didn't know a single one of them, and he didn't even really want to go back to his family when he had to. As Lark headed for home with her dad and sister, she thought about Brandt, who hadn't been anything like she'd expected a Remington to be, based on the hearsay she'd heard over the years. The following morning Brandt woke up early and found his uncle was also awake, so they sat down by the fire and chatted, eventually coming onto the topic of Veronica…

Excerpt of the Day:

“Yeah, that too,” Uncle Maynard said. “I mean, Angie’s closer to a farm girl; she has a better idea of how farming works and whatnot, but Ron…” he shook his head.

“She thinks that she knows,” Brandt said. “But she just believes all the pseudoscientific rot that’s been put out there over the years.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that too,” Uncle Maynard said.

“And try and change her mind,” Brandt said.

Uncle Maynard shook his head.

“It’d be easier to get an elephant into a Prius,” Brandt muttered.

Chuckling, Uncle Maynard shook his head again. “That’s about it.”

“I mean, even building a new house and some of the other stuff,” Brandt said. “Like, getting Dad to eat better, that’s great, I’ve noticed improvements in him; he’d not admit that he was that bad, but he actually was, and he seems to have a lot more energy and stuff, but, like, the new house, and, just other stuff in general, it’s like… it’s like I’ve been replaced or something.”
“How do you mean?” Uncle Maynard asked.

“I don’t really know, “ Brandt replied. “It’s not like I really care what happens to the house, I mean, it’s not derelict, but, you know, it is kind of dated and stuff. I don’t have any exceptional memories in the place that would make me want to keep it for sentimental reasons, but I really don’t anticipate that I’m going to like the place she and Dad have in the works either because it’s likely going to be a very city house that’s made more to look like a showpiece than a place to live in.”

Uncle Maynard nodded.

“I don’t even really care about some of the other stuff either,” Brandt said. “But I just feel… maybe… like… she’s trying to take Dad from me.”

Brandt focused his gaze on the fire and took deep breaths in an effort to calm himself, not really sure where the rise of emotion he was feeling had even come from.

“I mean, I don’t necessarily feel that Dad always means what he says about me,” Brandt continued. “But… it’s… still… he’s my dad.”

Uncle Maynard nodded. “Yeah.”

“I mean, you even saw it yesterday,” Brandt said. “He’s always taking her side on things and seeming to think that I’m the one who needs to change my attitude. I haven’t changed who I am. He has. She’s changed him.”

“I’ve noticed that too,” Uncle Maynard said. “I feel like she’s driving a wedge between me and him too.”

“But getting rid of her is easier said than done,” Brandt said.

Uncle Maynard nodded. “It is.”

Brandt sighed and watched as the flames licked at the wood. The fire seemed to be fading somewhat from its initial strength, but considering that the day was only going to get warmer from here, warmth wasn’t really needed, and the fact that the fifth wheels had stoves also meant that the fire wasn’t even really needed for cooking or anything like that either.

Seeded: Day 6

Word Count: 36,052

Summary of Events:

Lark went to discard the paper plates and other used, disposable products she and those with her at her table had used for their supper and was startled to find Brandt right behind her, he introduced himself and they chatted for a bit before going their separate ways. Brandt hung around to participate in the young adult volleyball tournament after supper, deliberately making sure that he and Lark ended up on the same team together. After they won their first game, they sat down with their teammates to rest and watch two of the other teams face off…

Excerpt of the Day:

“I was just thinking about this,” Brandt said. “Since your parents have only girls, is one of you taking over the farm?”

“I don’t really think so,” Lark replied.

“I guess you did say your oldest sister was off in Saskatchewan,” Brandt said.

“And my other sister and one of our cousins are looking to rent a place in Strathmore now that they’ve graduated college,” Lark said.

“Did they take the same thing?” Brandt asked.

“Yes,” Lark replied. “They’re best friends, and they both love music and singing, so they got degrees in music and want to be close to Calgary to get involved in the music business.”

Brandt nodded. “What about you?”

Lark sighed. “I don’t know.”

“Are you graduated?” Brandt asked.

“From high school, yes,” Lark replied. “But I haven’t gone to college.”
“Oh,” Brandt said. “Why not?”

“I don’t know what to take,” Lark replied. “So there’s no real point in going to college if I don’t know what to take there. It’d be a waste of money then.”

“True,” Brandt said. “Like, what are you interested in?”

“I don’t mind helping people like my oldest sister, and I also don’t mind singing and music like my other sister, but I also like agriculture too, but not enough to run a farm,” Lark replied. “My cousin Cameron is really interested in taking over the farm, and he and his wife are already really getting involved in it.”

“Well, you should know as well as I do that agriculture is a pretty broad spectrum,” Brandt said. “So, what specific parts of agriculture are you interested in?”

“I don’t mind helping out with milking and taking care of cows and calves,” Lark replied. “I don’t drive any harvest equipment, we don’t farm enough land to need the extra help, Dad, Uncle Tom, Grandpa, Cam, Tristan, and Iden can handle it pretty well, and if they need help, we have relatives and neighbours with class ones, and even equipment of their own who can come help us out, but we don’t need that necessarily all that often. I feel like I just enjoy being available to help, but still having ample free time to do other things, such as helping with the garden. Basically I like doing what I’m doing right now, and I don’t really need to go to college to learn how to do it.”

“Hm,” Brandt said, giving a small nod.

“I guess maybe what I’d like to be is a farm wife,” Lark said. “But I don’t have a husband.”

“Nor any prospect of one, I would presume,” Brandt said. “If you’re single.”

“No, not really,” Lark replied.

“Not really?” Brandt asked.

“I mean, there’s a lot of options,” Lark said, gesturing at the young people around them. “A lot of these guys are farmers or intend to remain in agriculture, but…”

“There’s no spark?” Brandt asked.

“No, there isn’t,” Lark replied. “These guys are just friends, I’ve never really seen them as anything more. I had crushes on a couple in the past, but now the feelings have changed, not in the sense that I hate them, but, I just don’t feel that any of them are right for me.”

Seeded: Day 5

Word Count: 30,099

Summary of Events:

Suppertime was nearing, so Lark went to help set out the salads, including doing the final bit of preparation on the salad that she'd contributed to the selection before joining her friends in the line for the meal. Brandt and Brandon made their way through the line a little behind Lark — for which Brandt was glad, as that meant Lark would be seated before him, so he could find a way to sit close to her — and Brandt was texted by his dad, who was finally wondering where he was, and why he was inclined to miss supper, but Brandt ignored him and found a place behind Lark, where he sat and admired her as Brandon went to get them drinks…

Excerpt of the Day:

She had her hat off now, revealing that her two braids were done in the same kind of unusual French style as her redheaded friend’s single braid was. Brandt wasn’t sure that he’d ever seen braids where what was braided against the head stood out like it was just resting on top of the hair covering the scalp, but it looked rather pretty, if he was honest.

The rest of her outfit complimented her golden hair well, as if her hair was the sun that was causing the coloured rays of her plaid shirt, which he could see up close now was made up of orange, pink, purple, and blue stripes intersecting with one another.

He saw that she was eating the same salad he’d taken, so he took a forkful of mostly peppers and ate. He grimaced a little bit at the peppers, but he was willing to tolerate them more than he was willing to tolerate lettuce.

Brandon returned in a few minutes with two cups of lemonade. Brandt nodded thanks because his mouth was full of peppers, and accepted his cup from Brandon, who set his own down by his plate before sitting down beside Brandt.

“Who were you texting in line?” Brandon asked.

“Dad,” Brandt replied. “He was wondering where I was.”

“He’s obviously fine with you being here?” Brandon asked.

“I just told him I was with you,” Brandt replied. “I didn’t tell him where we were.”

“Why not?” Brandon asked.

“I don’t want him to come here and get me,” Brandt replied. “Besides, it’s not like I really like having what they’re having for supper.”

“What are they having?” Brandon asked.

“This,” Brandt said, fetching out his cell phone and showing Brandon the picture Dad had sent.

“That looks kind of tasty,” Brandon said.

“I don’t like it,” Brandt replied. “I mean, I’ll eat it, but out of all the camping trip menu staples, it’s my least favourite. Grandpa, Dad, and Uncle Milton really like it, though, so it’s not coming off the menu anytime soon.”

“The picture looks like it belongs on a food blog,” Brandon added.

“Veronica probably took it,” Brandt said. “Dad isn’t really great with the technology.”
“That still surprises me,” Brandon said. “My parents both took computer classes in school, and my dad’s not that much younger than him.”

“I think computers class was one of the ones Dad chose to skip,” Brandt said. “Uncle Maynard has told me all kinds of stories about how they skipped school and got up to shenanigans, yet still managed to get grades that were more than just skin-of-the-teeth passing.”

“You wouldn’t think he would’ve skipped computers, though,” Brandon said.

“Well, maybe he saw computers as a city thing for office jobs, but not as something that would be useful in farming,” Brandt said.

“Maybe,” Brandon agreed.

Brandt took another mouthful of food and looked up at the girls. All of them were pretty in their own way, he wouldn’t have been opposed to have made the acquaintance of any of them, but Lark seemed to stand out from the rest of them, and he couldn’t even put his finger on why.

Seeded: Day 4

Word Count: 24,009

Summary of Events:

Lark participated in another game before going with her good friend Ariel to see Ariel's sister's family, who'd come up from Medicine Hat for the weekend, as Ariel's sister had recently had a little baby whom Ariel, in particular, wanted to cuddle. Brandt was waiting for his cousins to decide who was riding on the inflatable device behind the boat next when he was pressed to join in a group selfie despite his dislike for selfies, prompting him to get annoyed enough to leave. Not wanting to hang around the campsite, he texted Brandon, whom he was surprised to learn was at the campground's beach, so he joined Brandon there and surveyed the people on the beach, with his gaze being drawn to one person in particular…

Excerpt of the Day:

She had dark golden blonde hair that was held back in two braids, and mostly covered by a western hat that looked like the types that were typically painted white, except that it wasn’t, it was natural straw-coloured.

A brightly-coloured plaid western shirt with its sleeves rolled up and its hem tied at the waist covered what was either a tank top or a t-shirt that was in a coordinating colour, with a pair of khaki shorts completing the ensemble, as she stood almost knee-deep in the water.

Close to her a little blonde-haired toddler in a pink swimsuit was splashing. She stepped up to the toddler, holding a small cup in her hand, and poured water that had been inside the cup over the little girl’s head, which seemed to elicit delight from the child.

She used the cup to toss some more water at the toddler before the little girl took the cup from her and looked like she was going to drink from it, but she stopped the little girl from doing so in what seemed to him something of a maternal reaction.

Considering the fact that they both possessed blonde hair, and she was definitely physically mature enough to bear a child — and shapely so, in Brandt’s opinion — it was possible that they were mother and daughter, but Brandt wasn’t convinced.

It wasn’t just the fact that she was wearing two braids — which was a hairstyle more commonly borne by little girls — but overall she didn’t seem like she was mature enough to have a toddler child, even though Brandt wasn’t really inclined to think she was immature overall.

“Who’s that blonde in the sunset-coloured shirt standing out in the water there?” Brandt asked.

“Lark Stanek,” Brandon replied.

“That little girl isn’t her daughter, is it?” Brandt asked.

“No,” Brandon replied. “I’m not sure who– that might be Ariel’s niece, actually.”

“And who’s Ariel?” Brandt asked.

“The blonde building the sandcastle with the little boy just down the beach,” Brandon said, pointing.

Brandt spied them. Ariel was another blonde, and she was even wearing a similar outfit to Lark, but she had denim shorts, and what looked from this distance to be an exclusively green and white plaid shirt, plus her hat was actually painted white.

“They’re pretty close friends,” Brandon said. “Oh, yeah, and over there is her sister and the new baby. They’re up from the Hat.”

Following Brandon’s pointing, Brandt saw a blonde woman who looked about Justine’s age holding a little bundle in her arms that he presumed was the baby in question. He turned his gaze back to Lark, who was scooping water toward the toddler, who still seemed to be having fun.

There wasn’t a lot for physical differences between Lark and Ariel, but Brandt felt more drawn to Lark than to Ariel, so he watched her for a long moment, admiring her slender figure.

Seeded: Day 3

Word Count: 18,066

Summary of Events:

Having finished setting up for the picnic — for which people were starting to arrive — Lark and several of the other volunteers went and started playing one of the games they'd set up to pass the time until lunch, after which the fun would really get underway. Brandt and his family enjoyed pulled pork for lunch at their campsite — even if Brandt got doused by his half-brother, who was trying to film a fail video — following which Brandt wanted to know what dessert was, but on his way over to his grandma to ask, his half-brother threw his paper plate into the fire, so Brandt tossed his half-brother's cell phone off into the trees, only to be reprimanded by his father…

Excerpt of the Day:

“Brandt, honestly, what is going on with you today?” Dad asked. “You can’t seem to be civil to anybody.”

“Why should I if people aren’t going to be civil to me?” Brandt asked.

“Who hasn’t been civil to you?” Dad asked.

“Him maybe,” Brandt replied, pointing at Cullen.

“He’s a kid,” Dad replied.

“I could never play that card,” Brandt said. “Why can he?”

“Brandt, just go get his phone,” Dad said firmly.

“No,” Brandt replied.

He walked over to Grandma, who looked disappointed. She set aside her plate, which was now empty, and stood up, grabbing his hand in hers, which was smooth and soft, yet with a measure of firmness beneath that came from having done a lot of working with her hands.

She towed Brandt over to where he’d tossed Cullen’s cell phone, which was easy to find thanks to its brightly-coloured case. She picked it up and looked at Brandt.

“I agree with you that it wasn’t very nice for Cullen to have done that,” Grandma said. “But retaliation isn’t the best answer dear. You should do to others what you want them to do to you.”

“Who says it’s retaliation?” Brandt pressed. “If he’s going to do that kind of stuff to me then obviously he wants me to do it to him.”

Grandma looked at Brandt with a disappointed gaze.

“As Manley pointed out, Cullen is a child,” Grandma said. “You, on the other hand, are a grown-up, and as such, you should be a good example to Cullen of how we should behave.”

“But shouldn’t he also get punished for stealing my plate and chucking it in the fire?” Brandt asked.

“It’s just a paper plate, Brandt,” Grandma said.

“But the principle, Grandma,” Brandt protested. “What if he were to be at a restaurant and just decided to steal some random stranger’s plate or tray and chuck it across the room to make a fail video?”

“That would be rude,” Grandma said.

“But it’s not rude for him to steal his half-brother’s paper plate and chuck it in the fire?” Brandt asked.

“No, that’s still rude,” Grandma said.

“Then is he going to get punished?” Brandt asked.

“That’s up to your father to do,” Grandma said.

“I know he won’t,” Brandt muttered.

“Now Brandt,” Grandma chided. “Even if I don’t like it, Manley does play favourites with his children, and I’m sure you know that you’re his most favourite.”

“Then why don’t I feel like it?” Brandt asked.

“I don’t know dear,” Grandma replied.

“Give me the phone Grandma, it’s still filming,” Brandt said, having noticed that the screen was still illuminated.

Grandma handed Brandt Cullen’s phone and he ended the video before deleting it not simply from the library, but from the trash area as well, as he was sure Cullen wouldn’t have the technological genius necessary to circumvent the attestation by the pop-up warning that the action couldn’t be undone, either in his own brain, or in the brain of a friend.

Seeded: Day 2

Word Count: 12,131

Summary of Events:

After milking was done, Brandt changed his clothes and packed the last couple things he wanted for the weekend before he ended up getting into a spat with his dad about his disinterest in bidding his dad's girlfriend good morning. Lark's ninety-two-year-old great-grandma arrived at the beach for the annual picnic, so Lark set up her chair for her and helped her across the sand to sit in it before heading off to help set up other things for the picnic. With the help of his uncle, Brandt hitched his truck to the boat trailer, as his dad and uncle had other trailers to haul, before setting out for the campground…

Excerpt of the Day:

Reaching the end of the driveway, Brandt signalled his intent to turn, rather more for the benefit of any potential oncoming traffic — and to ensure that he didn’t get lazy about using his turn signal everywhere — before turning onto the gravelled road and picking up speed until he was at the speed limit.

He made his way along the back roads to the east-west secondary highway that was the nearest paved road to the farm, where the speed limit allowed him to go faster. If he weren’t hauling the boat he might’ve pushed the speed limit, but the last thing he wanted was to have Dad tear a strip out of him because he wrecked the boat, which was the most expensive toy Dad had — based on brand-new purchase price, as technically restoring the Chevy had cost more.

Brandt got to haul the boat because Dad had to haul the fifth wheel that he and Veronica were going to be staying in on the back of his truck and his uncle had his own boat to haul, and this year Brandt was particularly glad of the arrangement because of the fact that it meant he got to drive alone.

It wasn’t that he was opposed to driving alone under most circumstances, he actually preferred to drive alone than to have a passenger, but considering that Veronica was travelling in Dad’s truck, he was extra glad to be going on his own, as he could leave early — which he had — and he could be on his own, free from having to talk to Veronica.

Slowing down as signs proclaimed the junction with the north-south secondary highway, shortly after which the rumble strips carved into the roadway rattled the truck, informing less attentive drivers of the approaching stop sign, Brandt flipped on his left turn signal and came to a full stop.

He looked left first, then right. There was no one headed north, but there were a couple vehicles headed south that Brandt knew he wouldn’t be able to get up to speed ahead of, nor slip in between, so he waited for them to go by before turning to follow them southward on the pavement toward, as a sign soon proclaimed, the city of Brooks, through which the secondary highway he was on would jog a little east before continuing out of town and to the Provincial Park on the lake where his aunt had reserved a cluster of sites in the northeast corner of the campground, close to the boat launch area, as soon as reservations for the year had opened.

Pronunciation:

Chevy: shehvee

Seeded: Day 1

Word Count: 6,025

Summary of Events:

Brandt woke up and went through his usual morning routine before heading out to help his uncle with milking the cows. Lark helped her dad milk the cows as well, including bottle feeding the calves, before returning inside to prepare the last bit of food ahead of the picnic to which the whole family were going to be heading for the afternoon…

Excerpt of the Day:

She opened the fridge and got out the bags of bell peppers, setting them by the sink before fetching a knife, the small cutting board that they almost always used for small cutting jobs, and a bowl.

Opening the first bag, she rinsed off one of the peppers and cut the top off. She removed the centre and all the whitish flesh before splitting the pepper into quarters, which she sliced into thin sticks and cut into small squares, clearing off the cutting board into the bowl as it filled.

Once the bowl was about half full of peppers she put the leftover peppers back into the fridge and discarded the seeds and other parts of the pepper that weren’t typically eaten into the bucket of organic matter that was usually fed to the laying hens.

She fetched the unopened bottle of Catalina dressing out of the pantry and opened it, emptying its contents into the bowl of peppers before stirring it all thoroughly. She put a lid on the bowl once it was all combined and put it in the fridge.

Next she turned to the cookbook holder on which the recipe card she needed was sitting. She consulted it for the ingredients she needed and fetched them, as well as one of the straighter-sided bowls, the hand-mixer, and the beaters, which she locked into place.

As she measured the ingredients into the bowl she heard the side door open as Dad came in. She turned on the beaters to combine the ingredients as Dad came up the stairs, heading past behind her to the bathroom to wash his hands before he disappeared upstairs.

Once the first batch of ingredients were mixed to look like tiny gravel she added a little bit of cream, only adding enough to make the frosting spreadable before putting all of the ingredients away and licking off the beaters of what she wasn’t able to whip off of them by running them at full speed over the frosting, but still within the bowl, before she put them into the sink.

Fetching both a flexible spatula and one of the straight and very shiny flat spatulas for spreading frosting that she’d been given as a birthday gift, she used the first one to transfer as much of the frosting as possible — which was most of it, as this frosting recipe didn’t actually stick to the bowl in the same way that other frostings did — onto the brownies that she’d baked yesterday, as well as doing some preliminary spreading before she used her flat spatula to smooth it out so that it almost looked professional.

She licked the excess frosting off both spatulas, and washed the flat spatula right away because of the fact that she wanted to keep it in good condition, drying it off right away in order to prevent spots of dried water appearing on the shiny stainless steel that could sometimes blind her if she was frosting something when the sun was shining through the window at the right angle, or she was doing it when it was dark enough outside that she needed the lights on to see.