Jacelyn Chapter 1  from a work in progress Bruce Rosenke   © Copyright 2026 by Bruce Rosenke

Photo by Susan T. Cook at Wikimedia Commons.

Jacelyn Hiram had her double bed moved out, although it wasn’t necessarily an easy decision, the urge to keep it as a shrine was strong!

She now sleeps on a bottom bunk, Mary, Sasha, and Stanley, sleep together on the other bottom bunk every night. Bruce had built safety rails on the top bunks, and since they are installed, a ‘sleep-over’ for 6 is possible, but that hasn’t happened yet, ‘If William was here it would have happened often!’ are Jacelyn’s thoughts as she cleans the room. She does enjoy the extra floor space, this room of less than 150 square feet barely had room to shuffle sideways, let alone touch-dance; her and William did that on the bed. Jacelyn’s body misses William, but not as much as her soul does.

Jacelyn also has other changes in life style, she actually does the evening barn chores! Only twice so far by herself, but she’s confident and others consider her capable. Her leg is still not totally comfortable, and phantom-pain strikes when she’s in the barn, but the fact she is in the barn and not actually grossed-out by the smell, is something she never before considered possible! William had once told her he could see the kitchen was her prayer room, now she joyfully admits the barn is. Because the barn doesn’t have room for entertaining, and now that she’s not needing help, ‘alone with God time’ is perfect in this place. Perhaps some wonder why she takes so long doing chores.

She tries to control it, but ‘ideas’ about animal farming are of an expansion nature!

Jacelyn always wears long dresses, and she does have some winter ones, and she does have leggings for the times of extended outdoor activity, so far being dangerously cold hasn’t happened. She is aware that the season of water and mud is coming, and obviously tucking her skirt in the top of her boots isn’t ‘a thing’! She has always enjoyed being a woman, the feel and the look, she loved to wear her hair down and loose for William, and she refuses to consider shortening either her hair or skirt, and at times, like this one, she wants to scream and lash out. God has used life lessons and grace to ‘hold her back’, but her nature is still to use destruction and death to ‘make things right’. William had been her soul and body guard just by his presence. When William had been trying to get the owl to release it’s talons from her leg, she had recognized in him the rage of love that had controlled her that day she maimed and killed a human for his attack on her son. Since that time she has met Almighty God, and accepted His Son as her only redemption and righteousness, yet defence and retribution are resident down deep, and she fears being pushed to far. It’s hard to imagine that in such a short time of knowing William, he had become her assumed self-control and situation control, where William was, good was. Now William isn’t here. Something needs to get broken.

Jacelyn lays face down on the floor and cries and screams. She is not praying, she is lashing out. People have come into the building, but turned and left, some things you just don’t mess with!

Jacob is one that heard his mother’s agony and rage, he understands, and he does condone it. She has a flashpoint, but she is a rock-solid human being; she has never died, but she has on occasion given her life for justice, and continually is a solid rock for everyone around her. She is a woman with no need to be masculine, and from Jacob’s perspective, his mother’s strength of compassion and servitude is born from, and developed by, her foundational insistence that strength must be expended only on the raising of the weak. There is no excuse for wealth, at least not until the lowest have been raised. Never would Jacob describe his mother as being political, she is a doer, especially a doer of the really tough and dirty.

He was not witness to the deed of which she was guilty, and for which she was incarcerated. He has not asked for details , and she has never offered any. While she was doing what she did, he was being rushed to the hospital, his attenders working feverishly to win the battle against his heart trying to empty his body of blood. His severed hand and leg had opened major conduits, his 7 year old body was seconds from death. His attacker was dead before Jacob’s veins were ‘plugged’.

And now Jacob may have an opportunity to be the strength that raises his mother to her feet, but how? Every person of Turtle Lake is dealing with the loss of William Hiram, Jacob very much is at a loss as to what he can do to at least co-bear the weight of the people. Only very seldom does the reality of his being a double amputee, consciously enter his considerations of opportunities, at this point he has no opportunity, he does experience and observe the need of the people. William Hiram always provided opportunity, can it be said that he has now provided ‘need’, ‘sorrow’, and ‘despondency’?

Jacob walks to their bedroom, Frankie is still having ‘school’ with the little children, it’s a good time to find the scripture that has been on his mind, but not fully remembered.

He finds, reads, and ponders, John 12:24 ; “The truth is, a kernel of wheat must be planted in the soil. Unless it dies it will be alone—a single seed. But it’s death will produce many new kernels—a plentiful harvest of new lives.”

He sits on the bed, it’s either that or the floor, the answer he had hoped for is actually a topic, a large topic, he gets up with his bible and goes to ‘the quiet place’, there are chairs there. Also paper and pens and pencils, and he needs them, this is going to be big! He’s busy until lunch time and he’s barely started!

Frankie has the children outside, their normal classroom weather permitting. She is committing a ‘fatal mistake’, she is comparing herself to ‘Dad’ and sees herself as coming up far short. She loves these children, but somehow her love doesn’t compare to William Hiram’s. She’s not aware that someone is looking across the yard smiling and thinking, ‘She’s just like her Dad, William would be so proud of her!’

Bruce comes out of his room and heads straight to ‘school’ and interrupts, “Mrs. Clinton, this doesn’t qualify as a field-trip, but would you bring your students to the carpenter shop ASAP? I have a secret from Gwen and she’s out with the pup for the morning.”

Once at the shop he says, “I don’t know if this will interest Gwen, but I’ve been building a dog house, if she doesn’t want it maybe it could be a playhouse for the children.”

He walks them to a back corner and pulls the tarp off of something that makes Frankie gasp, it’s an actual log house! To small for 10 children to play in, but way bigger than 1 dog needs. While the children give themselves a tour, Bruce grins, “Carson has been bringing me tree tops, he wants me to be able to do what I want to do. It’s been years since I could do much, but Gwen and opportunity are giving me a leg-up.”

Frankie doesn’t catch herself in time, she blurts, “Make a whole village for the children!”

That’s not what Bruce had been thinking, but he does smile. He requests, “I’d appreciate it if you don’t say anything, I’m waiting for a ‘right moment’.

Frankie doesn’t say yes or no, Bruce just has to take his chances!