Arnold woke up earlier than his brother that day. A loud sound of an alarm clock had failed to disturb Eugene’s sleep and the boy felt strangely, for it was he who was supposed to be less responsible. To wake his brother up and shake off his mixed emotions, Arnold jumped on his brother’s bed. Then he went downstairs to take his old rifle. Although it wasn’t a duck season, his brother didn’t miss a chance to remind him of it, and they were going to gather peas, Arnold decided to take it with him. The boys left the house quietly and went out to the backyard. The morning was tranquil and cold, for the sun wasn’t up yet. Arnold followed Eugene and almost passed through the fence when his rifle got caught in the wires. Then it fired. The boy was sure that his older brother would tease him mercilessly for it but nothing followed. Arnold saw his brother’s body lying on the ground. When he knelt down near him, he saw blood on his neck. Eugene was dead.
Not knowing what to do and being shocked, the boy went to gather peas. When he entered the kitchen some time later, no one believed him. They went to look for Eugene’s body and wild cries of his mother confirmed that they learned the truth. Andy, the boy’s uncle, and his father took him to the local sheriff. Arnold tried to answer every question, even though some of them were rather strange. Arnold’s emotionless expression convinced the sheriff that he was either mean or stupid. There were a lot of visitors in the evening. All of them came to honor Eugene memory. To attract less attention, the boy decided to stay with them. He was sitting on the rocking chair, his arms crossed and head bowed. Uncle Andy accused him of being heartless for lack of tears. He woke up that night with a terrible realization that his brother was no longer alive.
He wanted to tell his mother everything and needed to be held. When he knocked the doors of her bedroom, she refused to listen to him. The following morning was awkward. His sister tried to ignore him but his father had none of it. It was a relief to some an extent that his parents acknowledged him. The father said that their calf got lost in the mountain and they needed to find it before coyotes. It used to be Eugene’s duty. As soon as Arnold stood up to go for the calf, his mother asked him timidly what he had wanted last night. “Nothing,” he said and felt a strong wave of fear, for it was true. The sheriff’s and his uncle’s words had already crept into his heart. He started believing that he was mean.
