Philosophy Tales - The Renegade Sons!
Glaring from the outside in, far enough away that she wasn’t gorged by the blaze, but her hair singed by the flames, Greudach await to see who, if anyone, would emerge from the burning shack and into the moonlight. The inferno raged and roared like a pack of hungry lions, feasting upon the screams of those inside. The callous smoke trailed the frosty sky and dirty snow floated in the wind choking the young girl with its ashes.
Petrified and frozen stiff by the fire, she did nothing to save them. ‘Creek. Crash!’ The left side of the house came crumbling down, liberating a cloud of dust. Thick, hot and grimy; the cloud smothered the lungs of the living, than slowly cleared as it was inhaled out of the air. Alone, standing in the cleft of the gorge was a mass of metal. That was it; they were gone.
A pang of horror hit her in the chest like a gong struck by a mallet and a wave of shock flooded the atmosphere. Unable to breathe, Greudach drowned in sorrow. But then, in the depths of her despair, someone emerged from the flames. Someone had lived.
Staggering, spluttering and spilling in all directions an adolescent boy covered in soot had escaped from the gateways to hell. “Cailean!” she shouted and burst into motion; her frozen state melting away. ‘Is that you? Oh my bubba!’ Greudach wailed in her realisation, “I’m so sorry, I’m so so sorry!”
Cailean said nothing, in shock, he allowed her to hold him. “I thought you were gone, I thought I would never see you again.” Overwhelmed by her tears, their embrace was a comfort to them both. “Where is the rest of the tribe?” Cailean asked, but Greudach could not reply with words, she just cried; if only the water that streamed from her eyes were enough to have filled buckets; then her family may have been here, but they weren’t and Cailean understood, without the words being uttered, that the family had returned to the dusts of the Earth.
“I don’t even know how it happened.” she cried. “I had just gone to gather fodder for the goats up the glen when I heard a loud bang. I ran as fast as my wee legs could carry me bubba, but it was too late; the clan were ben the burning hoose.” Cailean however, knew all too well what had happened; he was there. Rage filled his heart; a feeling that was foreign to a boy who, at the tender age of thirteen, had indulged only in the innocence of childhood. Their mother and their father sheltered and protected them both, offering them a superior education; averting away from the indoctrination of the masses. But now they were gone, and so were the rest of their siblings; their lives hijacked by the ‘Freedom Enforcers’.
For over eighty years the “Just War” had waged, the soldiers self proclaimed as the ‘Freedom Enforcers’ killed millions; demolishing state after state in order to achieve a vision of a ‘Free world’. “Freedom. Ha!”
“Come Cailean, let us leave this place.”
That awful night something had been destroyed in them both, but in Cailean something had been created. Baptised, no longer the son of Artair, his father, a just and fair man, but the son of the ‘Just War’. Cailean was now known as what the ‘Freedom Enforcers’ called a ‘Renegade Son’ and will be targeted, hunted and killed by the special unit ‘Backlash’ as those who lived would seek vengeance. The Renegade sons, dispersed all over the world, were the victims turned rebels of the ‘Just War’.
Greudach and Cailean left on foot; wandering for many days in search of food, or an inhabited place. They fought many of the elements, escaped unknown perils whilst wounded inside and out by the events passed. Tired and hungry, on the sixth day of walking, they saw over the hills a small town. They were saved!
‘Bailie five-hundred yards ahead’ It said on an old rickety post. “Bailie aye? Don’t Bailie mean something to do with justice?” Greudach asked. “Something like that.” Cailean replied. “Listen to me Greudach. When we get to this town I tell you heather lamp, you don’t want no one suspecting noting.” “What you on about bubba? Of course I heard our father telling us to raise our knees high in case of folk being suspicious, I ain't stupid you know. Artair always told me every night by my bedside that folks been converted.” “Aye shut up ya bampot, let’s just go down the brae!”
And so, when one hundred yards yonder from Bailie the children heather lamped.
Cailean and Greudach stood out immediately. Most of the people of Bailie wore clothes bearing the crest of the ’Just War’, but the siblings just looked like Heather pikers, poor, but they were heather lamping so it was okay. Looking around the village the shops were closing, and with no money between them, their misfortunes continued. However, Cailean spotted some bakers throwing the unsold food out in the alleyway.
They crept over, albeit still heather lamping and climbed over the wire fence. “Oh gosh Cailean. Kebbuck!” Greudach screeched.” “ Shhhh!” Cailean screwed his face up at Greudach’s stupidity, but then they heard voices approach. “Quick. Hide.” Cailean whispered. Grabbing the cheese and bread they hid underneath the bins.
“Aye the meeting is on tonight, at Barebal’s house. Its top secret! Don’t let anyone else know.” A man quietly imparted this clandestine knowledge to another. “But Aonghus, my friend, he is a ‘Freedom Enforcer, but wants to escape, can't he?” “No! No way. You mad? Don’t let anyone know. Especially a ‘Freedom Enforcer!’ Even if they say they want to escape, don’t trust ‘em.“ As the children quietly eavesdropped unbeknown to them they too were being tracked by the ‘Backlash Unit’ who were able to discover their location when they came into close range with a ‘Freedom Enforcer.’
“Okay okay, so it’s at Barabels house, tonight at seven thirty. And I just have to scratch me nose twice and they’ll let me in.” “No No, you have to scratch ya nose twice and pull your ear. Do you want to get shot in the face?” “Sorry I’m just nervous.” “Quick let’s go ben, before someone hears us talking.” Aonghus urged and they went.
“Bubba, look at all this cheese.” Greudach smiled. But Cailean didn’t care about the food. He had
just found out where his brothers were meeting, the ‘Renegade Sons’. Meanwhile the ‘Backlash Units’ radar had scrambled and for now, Cailean and Greudach were untraceable.
It was approximately seven fifteen when the two men who spoke of the secret meeting appeared out of the bakery. By that time Greudach had ate most of the food and Cailean only some. Hiding in the shadows they followed the unsuspecting comrades down the main street, through some back roads until they arrived and went in to what must have been Barebal’s house. “Come Greudach lets go in the houdin.““No, what for?” Greudach said apprehensively. “Just come on and remember, scratch ya button twice and pull your ear.”
They went over to the house and a little nervous slammed the heavy bronze knocker which, a peculiar thing in itself, bared the shape of a star.
“Who is it?” A frail old voice asked with the door still on the chain lock letting out a glow of candle light. Greudach and Cailean gave the signal nervously. “Booom!”The door slammed shut in their faces creating a small gust of wind and a series of locks were shuffled and turned.
“Ceud mile failte, cuad mile failte! A hundred thousand welcomes!” A big round lady greeted in a jolly voice. “I am Barebal, nice to have some new comrades on board, and so young. Come come, the meeting’s starting.” Rushed past the living room and into a huge dining area containing a long table the room was filled with, who could only be, the ‘Renegade Sons’.
“Welcome ,welcome comrades. Ceud mile failte, caud mile failte!” Barebel bellowed form the head of the table which presented gothic chalices and plenty of drink. “Look over there.” Cailean said ”There’s Aonghus and that other guy.” “We have all come together to finish the ‘Just War” and by whatever means possible!” “Aye! The comrades chorused listening loyally as Barabel continued. “We are the Renegades. The people who had previously lived lives and worked and had families and were good. Now before me, looking around the table, I see sorrow and deep loss, death and anger. Guid-mean and guid-wives killed, our children murdered and our animals slaughtered. But I also see something great and good and right and we together will fight against the ‘Freedom Enforcers.’Those lhiam-lhiats who do not spread peace and justice like the name of our abducted town, Bailie, but fear, horror and enslavement. They hide under the guise of good, and spit on its name and call us renegades. Well I tell you, freedom is not enslavement. And until we exterminate those ‘Freedom Enforcers’ freedom will never prevail!” “Aye!” They all cheered, including Cailean! “Now let’s drink before we discuss the means to the end. Cheers!” Chalices banged together and the room was filled with bustle.
Cailean and Greudach walked around the room fortunately not having to heather lamp. As they circulated they could not help but overhear the similar misfortunes of others. Men lynched, women shot and their children cremated. The way they were treated under the regime was worse than how any criminal or animal had been; degraded daily by those who said they fought for freedom. The contradictions were profound. The regime stood in complete polar opposite to their goal. How could it have been possible to achieve such a benevolent end using such malevolent force? Surely the force for freedom would have been much kinder?
‘Ting ting ting.’ Aonghus tapped his chalice with a spoon seated at the opposite head of the table drawing the attention of the comrades. “‘Renegades!’ Let us commence without fear, to speak our hearts and minds.” The room fell silent. ”Now, we all know why we are here. We are here because we have been united by a common cause, a grief imposed on us by the ‘Freedom Enforcers’ and we are here too, to unite against it. This is a braw day my fellow ‘Renegades’. We are stoners, hard and strong. And we will fight fire with fire, weapon to weapon, fist to fist. Listen carefully, we have tholed the dule , but they too will feel the consequences of their own evils. Tonight, at midnight, I will lead those who wish to be lead to blow up the ‘Freedom Enforcers Headquarters’ with the some good old Scottish explosives.
The comrades cheered and seemed, except for a few, more than willing to commit such an act upon those that had been inflicted upon them. Cailean was ready, he wanted revenge for his dead mother and father and sisters and brothers and for every other person that had been a victim of the ‘Freedom Enforcers’ ‘Just War’. “Who will go first?” Aonghus asked, “Who will be the first to be a martyr and a hero?” Cailean, without a second thought jumped up onto the table flinging his hands up, “I will kill!” he triumphantly announced. “No!” Greudach cried, “Bubba get down from there!”
But the crowd cheered him, exalting Cailean in their merry state.
Barabel at the head of the table shouted over the commotion in an assertive tone, “Renegades! Let the girl speak. As Aonghus said, speak your hearts and minds and I will say, listen to those who do.” Greudach proceeded as the crowd fell silent. “My brother, the last living relative I have, been born into a good family and the son of Artair, should not go against his father’s teaching. Our father was a wise man who taught us to not fight fire with fire, as fire begets more fire. If we fight to gain freedom we will be committing the same irrational acts as they do. Violence does nor beget freedom.”
“Greudach, you speak of our father and his wise words, but if our father was so wise he would not have been murdered. He is dead Greudach, dead!” Cailean argued in anger.
“But you are not Cailean!” Greudach shouted “And I beg you, all of you, to use your head about such matters. How is this regressive logic going to solve anything? An eye for an eye for an eye; forever aye? When will it end?”
“What else are we meant to do?” A voice bellowed from the crowd. “Roll over,? Heather lamp the streets with pretty banners? Occupy buildings? Do you think the ‘Freedom Enforcers’, who strip our land of all life and resources care. Who keep us alive merely to retrieve valuables so they might gain more wealth? Don’t be so naive young girl. We will be murdered too. So the only logic we can follow is to fight tooth and nail.” “Aye!” The crowd cheered.
“No!” Greudach replied, “We must only fight with reason, with our heads.”
But then Aonghus proclaimed “No my young comrade. We must fight until reason reigns! “Aye!”
And the crowd broke out with the verve of vengeance, their hearts racing, gathering weapons and artillery to blow up the ‘Freedom Enforcers Headquarters’. Their plans were confirmed; Cailien would march into the gates disguised as an ‘Enforcer’ and blow the place into smithereens, followed by the other ‘Renegades’. It was twenty three hundred hours and Cailean did not even wave goodbye to his sister, his mind possessed with revenge.” We are the Renagade Sons and we will fight until reason reigns!” Aonghus declared as they charged out of Barabel’s house and poured into the street.
“Arggghhhhh! Bang ! Bang! Bang! 'Rat atatatatatatat! Bang! “Arrggghhhhh” Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The ‘Backlash Unit’ had located the underground meeting. The Renegade Sons lay dead on the gravel and the ‘Just War’ continued.
The End.
By Ellese Elliott
Dedicated to Tom Palmer
