It was a day like any other day. The sun was blaring down. Joedan could feel the sweat trailing down his forehead as he toiled away at the hard-packed earth beneath his feet. With the back of his hand, he wiped his brow. Looking up, Joedan assessed just how much further he would have to go before the day was through. The air was hot and the breeze made it even warmer. Taking a drink from his canteen, Joedan swallowed. Picking up the shovel, he pushed it down with his right foot and continued to work.
For years, this was how each day went. Toiling in the field until the sun went down. Dig, dump, repeat. Scatter the seed, close it over, water, and repeat. It wasn't like this was a bad way to live. Joedan understood it was just the way things were. His father had done it, and his father before him. They were farmers. Joedan just wanted more out of life. More than the life of a simple farmer.
"Son, you almost wrapped up for the day?" his father asked. "We're about finished in our section over yonder."
Joedan looked up to his father, resting his heel on the crown of the shovel, holding the handle with his left hand. "Yeah, Da, I've just about knocked out this section."
"Good, let's wrap it up, and we can head back to the house. Your mother has supper ready for us when we get there."
Joedan and his father finished the last row, and walked back to the house. The house was boisterous. Inside, Joedan could hear his mother scuttling about the kitchen while his siblings helped her set the various items on the table. They entered the house, his father walking over to his mother. Joedan headed to the sink to wash his hands. Sitting down all together, they began to pass the food around the table.
Joedan's father spoke up, "The boy did good out in the fields today," he said to the other members of Joedan's family. "I'm not a boy anymore, da."
"I haven't been a boy in awhile." Joedan said, irritably.
Joedan hated when his father did this. It was always the same thing. It wasn't even that big of a deal, Joedan thought. It's just farming. Joedan stabbed down into a piece of his chicken a bit aggressively, looking away from the rest of the table. By now, his mother and siblings knew to let it be, so they rarely spoke up whenever his father brought it up. The family continued to eat quietly. Joedan finished his plate and asked to be excused.
Climbing the stairs to his bedroom, 'There's gotta be more.' Joedan thought to himself. Ever since Joedan was a small child, he dreamed of more. He saw the soldiers that came through their village. The banner of the king flying on their flags. The commander upon his horse, as the soldiers marched behind him. 'That's gotta be better than this.' Joedan thought to himself. Joedan pulled back the blanket to his bed and slid under the covers. Catching the candle, Joedan laid his head back on the pillow as sleep came to claim him.