The Crane Family: A Fairy Tale

 

The Crane family had been longtime residents of the Black Valley, with a history going back at least one thousand years. Their land was robust and varied, producing many crops and creating many useful products. Just as with any family, they had seen their good years and bad years. On good terms with their neighbors, they enjoyed the yearly holiday celebrations and frequently exchanged gifts on the holiest of days.

              There was one year in particular, immediately following a very difficult time for their family, that surrounding neighbors began behaving in an odd way. Though known as a particularly godly family and had been for centuries, the neighbors seemed to forget this and viral, young men began paying more attention to the Crane household.

              Feats of strength and ability began to be displayed with invitations to celebrations heretofore uncelebrated by the Cranes. The matriarch began to take notice of the viral, young men and her attention began to drift. The family traditions and faithfulness that had been a part of the household for so long seemed to become rather drab and boring. Sending and receiving the occasional flirtatious note, the matriarch began spending more and more time away from home and in the parties of her surrounding neighbors.

              Whispers and furtive glances started to become the norm and the young women, normally under the matriarch's tutelage soon became concerned. More fighting and arguments began to be heard, something foreign to the typically peaceful household until finally one of the neighboring young men became more and more a regular part of the household until one day, the matriarch drove the father away.

              “He’s just a grumpy old man,” she would say, typically in whispers to the younger women. “Something new and better needed to be done and I’ve finally done it.” The young girls, confused and concerned, had no answer or comment to make in return. It was at that point that the Crane household began to change. More and more egregious comments about the father began to be made, slight twisting of the stories and little white lies were spoken until many in the home became lost in the maelstrom of narrative and deception.

              Two of the older sons in the household, Donald and Lawrence, sat in the east garden drinking tea, when they both started talking at the same time. “Something needs to be done,” said Donald, and, at the same time, “Something is very, very wrong with our home,” said Lawrence. After pausing, Donald finally spoke again.

              “I know that our house has been here for a very long time, but this business with mother’s new boyfriend and father’s absence cannot go unresponded. If we are going to save what is left of our family, we need to break away from it all. The direction they are leading the family is destructive.”

              “I agree,” said Lawrence. “We should declare our intention, sad as it is, and create our own new family lines. I hate to say it but we have been driven to this by the depravity of our neighbors. Maybe we can get some support from the Sarov family to the north of us. They have always been good friends and have helped us every time we needed help.”

              “Agreed,” Donald said. “Let’s send them a note immediately. I do not think we should hesitate in this. We need to act before any more damage is done.”

              Drafting their letter, they called for a carrier to deliver the note. Spending less and less time with the other members of the family, the two brothers could feel the animosity building. First it was the occasional unkind word or rude gesture until finally a fist fight broke out between Donald and his mother’s boyfriend. Receiving a black eye and blow to the kidneys, which resulted in the peeing of blood, Donald had enough. “I’m moving out,” he declared to Lawrence in the darkness of the back patio that evening. “I think I need to sever my household from all of this and cut myself off from this sacrilege. Will you join me?”

              “Brother, this is difficult,” he answered. “I saw what the boyfriend did to you. I will join you if we can agree on inviting any of the other siblings to join us. We cannot simply leave without saying something.”

              “Agreed,” Donald said. “I’m certain Curtis is in agreement with us. We should talk to him first.”

              The conversation was had and Curtis, fully in agreement with his brothers, hesitated at the idea of breaking off and being on his own. “I’m thinking,” he said, “that instead of solitude, I would join the Sarov family. Let me talk to my family about this and I’ll let you know tomorrow. It really is just a formality, for I know they are in near perfect agreement with us.”

              Sitting at the dinner that Donald knew would be the last for the entire Crane family, a heated argument started on the south end of the table. Curtis and the boyfriend had started yelling and soon blows were exchanged. Horrible words were thrown about and the two brothers hurried their children from the room, to avoid exposure to the hatred and profanity. Rushing out through the front door, Curtis disappeared into the darkness of the night.

              “Where do you think he is going,” Lawrence asked Donald.

“I would suspect that he is rallying support from the Sarov’s,” he answered. “I really hope this doesn’t turn into an actual war. I just wish people would talk more and be a little more understanding. Everyone seems to have forgotten just who the Crane family is.”

Later that evening, after all the others had gone to bed, Lawrence and Donald sat around a campfire discussing the events of the evening dinner. “I think this is the last straw, Lawrence,” Donald said. “We need to act now. Things have only been getting worse and worse. I know every family has its issues and troubles come and go as the generations pass but this is a completely different story. Our mother has taken it too far. We need to cut off ties with them. I just wish more of the family would join us.”

“Okay, then,” Lawrence answered. “I guess our hand has been forced. Though I am not suggesting that we merge with the Sarov’s, we can reach out to them for help in case this defection becomes ugly.”

And become ugly, it did. Soon, weapons from the new boyfriend's family began pouring into the Crane household and despite all objections to the contrary, they all seemed to be pointed toward Donald and Lawrence’s property. Fences were built and hostilities increased. “Just leave us alone and everything will be fine,” they argued. But the Crane family would have nothing to do with.

“You can’t just leave like that,” they argued. “What about family? What about growth and maturation? Why are you so insistent on holding onto the past? Let’s move forward and become a better family.”

“There’s no longer even any point in talking to them,” Donald said. “They seem to have forgotten everything that we once were. We need to force this thing through but I don’t think we can do it alone. All of these weapons pointed in our direction are extremely unsettling. I’m sure the Sarov’s would be more than happy to send some help our way. We need to act on this right away.”

A brief note was delivered to Donald’s home that evening from the Sarov’s to the north. “Yes, brothers, we are more than happy to help you in this. We have been watching with heavy hearts as the Crane household has descended into what we would consider madness. Aid will begin arriving tomorrow.”

Letting out a long breath, Lawrence sat down with his head in his hands. “I hope we’re doing the right thing,” he said. “I really don’t want trouble but, I know, I know, we need to do something to save our families.”

As the light of the next day arrived, so did four brothers, heavily armed, from the Sarov family. Exchanging greetings and hugs, a map was laid out on the table and lines of demarcation were drawn. “I’m so sorry that it had to come to this,” said one of the brothers. “We’ve been watching the Crane family descend into chaos and it has grieved us deeply. We all believe that you are doing the right thing. We are more than happy to help and in fact, would be happy if you joined our family, as your brother Curtis has done. There is strength and peace in unity. But just know that we’ll be there for you.”

As news of the Crane household divisions spread, so too did the deception and animosity. Soon many of the other neighbors became involved with the sale of more weapons and threats of rejection and relational severance. Communication increased between the brothers' households and the Sarov family. Soon more brothers began to arrive from the north and the aggression increased.

“This is not what is supposed to be happening,” Lawrence said. “Why won’t they just leave us alone or at least just talk this out.” 

“We’ve tried talking, Lawrence,” Donald said, “but they just aren’t interested in being reasonable. We have to take a stand for all that is good and holy. Sometimes the majority is not right. Just because it’s legal and approved by many does not mean that it's true. It amazes me at how quickly they have all forgotten who the Crane family is and what we have stood for all of these generations.”