Second Sight

Aw, go walk a plank, one of the little boys gathered on Sparrow's porch said to one of the little girls, You ain't big enough to shoot no gun.

Am too! she snapped back with a defiant hitch of her overalls, And better'n you any day of the week!

Ain't neither of you shootin' no guns whilst I'm here, Sparrow said mildy, And that's a natch'l fact.  Reckon I'm a damn fool for even listenin' to the idea.  And it ain't polite to tell someone to walk a plank, Tommy.

Oh, hellfire, she's a girl! Tommy protested but without much conviction.

 Ain't polite to cuss either, the old man frowned, 'Specially to a girl.

We all laughed and Sparrow leaned back in his old rocking chair, one hand resting lightly on the stock of his shotgun, the other pulling his battered cap over his eyes.  At his feet, his ancient hound dog gave a weary sigh and shifted his position slightly, his cloudy eyes seemed to wince at the sunlight, his old bones seemed to creak.

One day, Sparrow mused, I reckon you'll be some glad she's a girl.

Well, it ain't today, Tommy snickered and stretched out next to the old dog.

'Pears not, Sparrow said softly and gave Ivy Lee a surreptitious wink, 'Pears not, but one day ain't you gonna be surprised.  The little girl blushed and smiled confidently back at him.  Even then she was one of the prettiest children the island had produced, dark eyes and hair that fell in ringlets all the way to the middle of her back, high cheekbones, fair skin, and a slightly upturned nose.  Prettier than a china doll, people liked to say of her, Best of the lot.  And had never had eyes for anyone except Tommy the whole of her young life.  We knew this in the way children have of knowing things - without words - in a way that grownups never would've understood, except for Sparrow who had, we often suspected, a finer, more refined awareness of childhood and the confusion that went with it.  It was what drew to us to him, this gruff and impatient one legged old ex-pirate who always made room and time for us. 

It took a few years but Tommy eventually stumbled over his feelings - what Ivy Lee had so singlemindedly wished and hoped for - and what I think Sparrow saw coming, actually came to be.  The scornful little boy with no use for girls turned into a handsome young man with a serious yen for the  young woman with the china doll looks and they exchanged vows on a sunset-lit late afternoon with the entire village as witnesses.   

If we could know the future, I now and again wonder, would it help or harm us?  Would we embrace it or try to change the outcome?  Would it ever be enough?  Would the wonder of it all still be there?  Would we do better? 

Island folk, even the most down to earth and practical minded among us, grudgingly made room for the possibility of second sight although none wished for or actively sought it.  To some it was a gift, to others a curse but either way, all were glad that whatever Sparrow saw - if he saw anything - he mostly kept to himself.
In a world where so much is unknown, fate and free will are best left to their own devices.  Destiny goes her own way and carries us along, giving us choices along the way but always with a blueprint close by her side.

Ain't meant to be fer a man to know too much, Sparrow said, Ain't right a'tall.  Even the good Lord's got a right to His secrets.