“Mom Eliott stole my doll agin!  You gonna come whoop im?”  my sister Evelyn screeches from our bedroom.

I swear the twins could fight for hours on end and never tire.  Ma looks up from the wash tub and scrub board frustrated.  “Cain't you take im somewhere, get im out of this house before I go get a switch and take it to his rear.  Your pa's not gonna be home for hours still and I am bout done with this squallin!”

“Sure Ma, I'm gonna take him huntin with me, we need more meat anyway.  Bout time that boy learns how to shoot a rifle proper.”  I push myself up out of the rocker I helped Pa make for Ma last Christmas and stomp through the house to round up mine and Pa's rifles.  Takin' the guns with me I walk into the small mud room the twins and I use for sleepin. 

Smacking Eliott upside the head I grab Evelyn's doll out of his hands and toss it to her.  She smiles and wipes a few tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand leaving a muddy smudge behind. “C'mon boy get up, we're goin huntin.  You're 'bout to drive Ma nuts with all your fightin.”  Eliott stands up and silently follows me out the door his eyes never leaving the rifles in my arms.  “Evie, go help Ma finish the laundry and start supper.  We're gonna be hungry when we get back.”  I yell back through the house as we head off into woods surrounding our property.

After hiking for a couple of miles I squat down in a large field staying still and quiet.  My patience is paid off with a few pairs of long grey ears bouncing around the field unaware of us.  I quietly hand a loaded rifle to Eliott and silently show him how to shoulder the weapon and take aim.  Seeing that he has a proper hold on the gun I lift my own to sight my target.  Tapping Eliott on the shoulder I show him where to aim his rifle.  Raising three fingers I indicate that we should both shoot at the count of three and then point down to my boot tapping quietly on the grass, once again raising the three fingers to make sure he understands the signal. I exaggeratedly tap my foot slowly, one, two.  Eliott's rifle blasts in my ears.  He missed by a mile.  All the rabbits run for cover.  No good staying here anymore.  Standing up I stretch out my cramped muscles.