The story of Jack and Jill

As the darkness pressed harder against Jill’s eyelids, she felt suffocated, opening them only to find the same room, repulsive, dirty and barren. She had dreamt it away, many times, but it remained, waiting for her to awake. Her mother’s chair creaked loudly and she jumped, she looked through her hair, slowly, to find her mother slumped asleep in her dirty rocking chair, fag in hand, still lit and smoking.

The icy wind and rain battered against the window, threatening to tear the roof off and launch it elsewhere. Jill rolled and sat tired and bored staring out into the storm, watching rain drizzle down the notches and gouges in the glass. Jack slept on. A thunderclap rang loud and deafening, waking Jack and his mother from sleep and violently shaking them to sense. The mother swore loudly and stood, walking with a limp to the sink where she tried to fix herself a drink. The rain continued.

“Fucking water’s off” hissed the mother and threw her glass at the cowering children, it shattered like a bomb, a sign that they had to go, now, to the stone well lying atop the nearest hill. If they did not… Jill shuddered, fearing even the end of the sentence.

Jack and Jill went. They quickly donned their coats and hats, hiding the bruises and scars left by a drunken mother, hiding her betrayal, yet sacrificing their freedom.
“Come on little Jack” Jill said, her maternal instinct showed whenever she was alone with Jack, he was four, and she was twelve. She loved him, and wanted to take him away where their cruel mother could do him no harm.

Up the hill. The long, soaking trudge to the well took an eternity, with the bland landscape made from nothing but hills and trees, hills and trees. Mud covered the south side of the ‘Water Hill’ and made it harder and messier to climb, it was almost boggy in some places, feet and ankles stuck fast in the mud. Jill hoped the way down would be easier than this, ‘this’ was just madness.

To fetch a pail of water. Seemed like a simple enough task, but as the well got closer, Jill broke down. She wept for her brother, her life, herself, she wanted to be away from this madness, away from her mother and wanted to be free. She turned to Jack, bleary-eyed and mad with despair.
“I’m gonna save you Jack, I’m gonna take you away from here” she whispered, he smiled broadly. Jill again broke down, crying desperate sobs, loud and wailing as she hugged Jack to her chest, she held him by the shoulders, and threw him as hard as she could off the hill.

Jack fell down. He spun sideways, twisting, his face contorted into shock and fear. Jill wept harder, screaming, agony. Jack finally hit the floor, he was struck a glancing blow from a large rock, but landed spread eagle on a flat surface. Jill lost all strength, she collapsed and lay on the top of the hill. She screamed for her tears, desperate sobs broken only by gasps of precious air.

Jack broke his crown. She could not remember how long she lay there, minutes, hours, days. She sat up, blind from tiredness and tears and pulled herself to the edge, she could see Jack from there. He looked asleep on the rocks, peaceful, like he’d never been beaten in his life, like a normal kid with a normal family. She wanted to see him closer, she stepped on the rocks, covered in mud. She slipped.

Jill came tumbling after. She felt a rush as the air passed her falling body, she felt like she was flying, like an eagle, a free eagle, allowed to go anywhere.

She came to earth and hit the rocks hard, harder than Jack had. She lay there next to him, mere feet away splattered with blood. Her face looked peaceful, like she’d never been beaten in her life... like a normal girl, in a normal family.

Jack and Jill
Went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down
And broke his crown
Jill came tumbling after.