Rise Of The Twin Farmer

Simon Andrews swiped at the sweat dripping down his face.

His dirty, calloused hand left a smudge on his face, but he didn't pay it much attention as he looked towards the spot where his friend was idly pulling at weeds with one hand while talking on the phone with the other.

"Really?" Simon said with a perfectly arched eyebrow.

Hans Schuller grinned at him and made a sign that he would get serious soon.

Then he immediately turned away, with his phone back to his ear.

"Babe, I told you to trust me. I will do it. I am expecting some money soon and...

Simon shook his head and immediately returned to the rows of potato mounds and the delicate green sprouts of snap peas breaking through the soil.

He bent down to continue carefully weeding the potato mound to avoid pulling out the snap peas.

He stopped hearing his friend's conversation as the latter walked farther away from that side of the farm.

He was so happy that planting the snap peas with their potatoes turned out well.

His parents used to plant only potatoes on the mounds before. But since Simon had read about other vegetables that could be planted on the same mound with good yields, the harvest had been a bit better.

"Maybe..."

"Si! Si!"

Simon almost dropped his hoe as he jerked upwards.

Hans was running towards him full-force, and the silly smile he always had on when talking to his city girlfriend was gone.

"Wha....?"

"Let's go! Let's pass the other side before they see us. They are almost here!"

"Who are almost..." Simon realised immediately, and he knew there could only be one person who could make Hans get off the phone that fast.

Just when he thought he was going to have a problem-free day.

Simon's stomach dropped the sounds of footsteps.

Theo.

The man owned half the farmland in the region and wanted the other half.

Especially their family's one-acre plot. His goons had already threatened them twice and his Ma was beginning to get scared, but Simon refused to abandon their only source of income.

"No," he said as Hans dashed past him. "I am not leaving. You know they will only ruin something if I leave."

Hans stopped and turned back to look at him. "Are you crazy? If you stay, then they will ruin your face too. Let's save ourselves first."

"No, you go," Simon waved him off and turned towards the direction where dust was rising, and the footsteps were getting closer.

Hans hesitated for a second, then he kept running while saying, "Sorry, man. I will get you some money for medication later. My dad will kill me if I get involved."

Hans had barely left before Theo's men emerged from the edge of the dense bushes.

Four of them were led by a balding foreman who looked more like a disgruntled butcher than a farmer. They carried sticks, shovels, and the kind of smug confidence that came with knowing they outnumbered their target.

"Well, well, look who's playing hero today," the foreman sneered, picking his teeth with a splinter of wood. "Still holding out for a miracle, Andrews?"

Simon said nothing, his gaze steady despite the unease in his chest.

Talking with these muscled idiots would make no difference anyway.

Theo had sent them to deliver a message again, and he was sure they would do it whether he talked or not.

Not that he was going to make it easy for them though.

"Something got your tongue, pretty boy?" one of the four men at the back said with a raspy chuckle.

The others laughed like there was something funny in trying to run people off their land.

"Well, I am in a good mood today, so I will be polite," said the leader. "Master Theo said to teach whoever is here a lesson and to leave a message, of course. So, we are just going to do just that if you don't mind."

Simon said nothing.

"Get him, boys," said the leader, and the men rushed forward.

Simon turned the wooden hoe in his hand and pushed its iron edge into the first man's stomach.

The men trampled on the sprouting peas and scattered the mound as they tried to get beyond the hoe he was wielding.

One of them struck his hand with the shovel, and he almost dropped to his knees.

But then the sight of the mess they had made firmed his grip again, and he rammed his elbow into the stomach of the man who had almost grabbed him.

He aimed the hoe well and one of the men fell while grabbing his smashed face.

The others seemed to think twice about their decision when the foreman shouted again, "Get him, or you will explain yourself to Master Theo!

They all rushed forward again and Simon danced back to strike at the closest one.

He mistakenly stepped on the edge of the shovel that the first man dropped, and the handle reared up, smacking him hard on his back.

Pain lanced through him and he doubled over.

The men quickly took advantage and all fell on him with punches, kicks and prodding.

By the time the foreman yelled, "Hold!", Simon was bleeding from many parts of his body.

The foreman bent towards him with a mocking grin.

"Too bad that you refuse to see reason like your foolish parents. You will always be a loser, you know. A worthless loser is always just that. A loser!" He spat the last word, a glob of saliva hitting Simon's bloodied cheek.

Then the man gave a sign that had his men drag Simon away from the middle of the potato farm.

When Simon first heard the sound, he thought maybe his hearing had gone bad from one of his falls.

But it didn't take long at all.

A tractor soon came clearing the path and before Simon's eyes, they cleared off every single spot of the potato and snap pea mounds.

Simon struggled with the last of his powers against the four men holding him down but it was useless.

By the time the tractor left, months of hard work had been reduced to trash.

"Deliver the message to your stupid parents. Tell them to act sensibly now and take what Master Theo is offering, or the next thing might be worse. Who knows what we might do next, eh?" The foreman said with a wiggle of his bushy eyebrows.

The men laughed and kicked Simon more for good measure before turning to leave.

With a strength borne off the rage of losing everything, Simon launched off the ground to grab the foreman.

He didn't make it before a beefy fist smacked him in the face.

He fell hard against a false rock on the ground, weakening his body.

His bloodied fingers curled into fists as anger surged through him.

"They'll pay," he rasped, the words heavy with determination. "I swear... they'll pay."

"What will I tell Ma?" was his last conscious thought before his vision dimmed.

The image of the ruined farm burnt into his mind as darkness consumed him.

"Si, are you awake?"

Simon blinked awake to see Hans' worried face above him.

"Wasn't Hans at home?" He thought in his frazzled state before he whispered, "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't go far. I swear I thought they would mow you down when I got to the road and saw the tractor. I couldn't leave but then I..."

"Couldn't come back," Simon completed in his mind as he finally remembered where he was. He was still stretched out on the hard ground with the rock still digging into his back.

He turned his head and pain shot through his heart at the massacre in front of him.

He needed to keep his Ma far away from this place until he had replanted it. He would have to tell her later, but then it would be better to do it when there was at least something in the soil again.

He tried to get up, but nausea rolled through him, and he groaned at the slightest movement.

Hans quickly helped him up while apologising that he couldn't carry him when he was out.

"You must hate me for running away like a coward," Hans said with chagrin.

Simon didn't have the strength to respond, as he was concentrating on getting off the ground first.

When Hans' hands fell away and he tried to stand alone, he staggered forward, and Hans quickly grabbed him.

"You are badly hurt. Let's go to the clinic," Hans said quickly.

"No, my parents will learn of it somehow and that will make them worry more," he croaked out.

What money would he use in the clinic anyway?

The soon-to-be-harvested potatoes were supposed to bring some money after his Ma had used the last money they had to prepare a special meal for his sister, who was coming back home from school that day.

Now Theo and his bastards had ruined everything.

If Simon couldn't find a way to earn money quickly, they might as well starve in the days to come.

That thought made Simon grit his teeth against the pain he was feeling all over his body and stand straighter.

He needed to do something.

According to Theo's style, he would not bother them again for a while.

He would expect that his warning had been well passed, and they would crawl to him now to accept his filthy money.

But then if his parents still didn't sell their land to him as he had asked, he would be back.

Simon needed to go home first, as he had promised his Ma to be back in time for lunch with his sister.

She would be worried sick if he didn't get home on time.

"I am sorry, man. These men are animals. They murdered all the crops. Maybe I should have stayed and..."

"And they would have beaten the two of us," Simon tried to joke as he sucked in his breath. "Help me with something, okay?"

"What? Anything I..."

"Give me your shirt."

"Uhn?" Hans gaped at him then looked down at the shirt his cousin had sent to him from the city. "Oh, of course, I...why?" he asked suddenly.

"Because I can't go home like this, genius," Simon said as he waved at his torn and bloodied clothes. "It would kill my Ma before she learns about this mess."

"That's true. Aunt will..."

"So, are you giving me, or do I have to wrestle you for it?" Simon said as lightly as his painful ribs would allow.

"Just... be careful with it," Hans said as he reluctantly removed the shirt.

Simon knew that the guilt Hans was still feeling was what made him give in easily.

So, he took advantage of it and quickly put on the high-quality shirt.

He cleaned off the blood on the exposed part of his body as best as he could with his own ruined shirt and pointedly looked away from the ruined farm as he left.

Theo was going to get his Karma one of these days. He would make sure of it.

Simon soon reached the small bungalow where he lived with his parents.

Though it had some flowers planted in front of it, one could easily see that the house was really old and not in very good shape.

The paint was peeling, and the wooden front porch made sounds as Simon walked over it.

Though he was panting by the time he got home, and he badly needed to sit, Simon knew he must not look suspicious.

He sucked in his breath to make his usual "I-am-home" call when he heard a crash from inside.

Theo's men? He forgot his pain for a moment as he rushed in.

"What right do you have to question me about that?! Whose fault is it that I get low grades?! It's all your fault! I couldn't even wear the graduation gown with the others!"

Simon paused in the open-floor living room as he recognised Mandy's yelling voice.

That was when he noticed the pink suitcase set to one side too.

"But why was Mandy shouting like that?" he wondered as his gaze went towards the window where his father used to sit for most of the day, since he got paralysed by a snake bite.

Gabriel Mathew sat slouched in the cane chair with the cushion their neighbour had gotten them and a grey scarf over his body to keep him warm.

His father's eyes moved from him to the kitchen and Simon got the message.

"Do you know how much I suffered just because of you?! Do you know how other students look down on me because of my useless background? Who among them do you think has parents who are poor farmers, ehn? I told you not to go with me on the first day of school, but you refused! Since that day, you have made my life hell in school, and you think you could scold me because I got low grades. Who wouldn't get low grades after you've homeschooled me for most of my life when others went to good schools? Everybody knew somebody there, and I was just the only ignorant one! And it was all because of you!"

Simon got to the kitchen doorway to see his mother with her head bowed.

A look of regret was on her face while Mandy had in front of her the half-eaten casserole that their mother had woken up very early to start preparing.

"And so what if I get low grades? I have abilities and I will make good money, so you don't have to worry that I would depend on your farm money now."

"Mandy, how can you talk to Ma like that?!" Simon snapped at her.

Mandy turned to him with a look of disgust on her pixie-like face. She flicked back her current blonde hair and sneered at him, "And who do you think you are to interfere in a mother and daughter discussion? I see you have gotten too comfortable when I went to school. Just shut your mouth like the stray you are and never interrupt me when I am talking again!"

"Mandy, how can you say that to your brother?!"

"He is not my brother! He can never be my brother and don't you even call him that!" Mandy shouted before jerking up from the stool where she sat.

"You know what?!" She swept the half-eaten food from the counter, and it crashed to the floor with a loud sound. The plate did an acrobatic dance before stopping close to Simon, "You can bend down, like the dog, you are to eat this! You have always taken my scrap anyway, so why stop now?!"

With that, she stormed out of the kitchen, bumping her shoulder against Simon's.

The front door slammed hard a few seconds later, rattling the whole house.

With distress on her face, Celia smiled sheepishly at Simon, "That girl and her temper. Simon, you know she didn't really mean..."

"Of course, Ma. Don't worry about it." Simon said as he went to grab the broom to clean up the mess on the floor.

Mandy had meant everything she said. Just as she had meant it, the first day she declared to him that he was an unwanted baby her family pitied. And that was how Simon had learnt that he was adopted.

They said he had memory loss and that was how he couldn't remember his parents who had died, but the memory of the torture he had had at the hands of Mandy while growing up was ever-fresh in his mind.

"How was the farm? Were you able to finish the weeding?"

"Huh?" Celia's words jerked Simon out of his thoughts and he remembered his bigger problem. "Yes, yes, everything is just fine. Actually, I couldn't complete the weeding today. So, I will just go very early tomorrow to complete it."

Celia nodded absentmindedly as she wiped her hand on her calico dress. "I wish Mandy would be as sensible as you. Maybe now that she is back, she will also help with the farming. At least, until I can find someone to help employ her despite her grades."

Mandy on the farm? Simon can't see that happening. Still, he nodded, and Celia moved towards the door.

"Is that your friend's shirt? Remember to return it as good as you collected it, okay? It looks very expensive, and you know we can't afford any expenses now. I think I will just lie down for a while and talk some sense to that girl when she comes back. Please take your food and check on your Pa later, okay?"

"Yes, Ma," Simon nodded with a smile and watched the woman leave the kitchen.

Celia was just fifty years old, yet stress and farm work made her look older. There were wrinkles on her ruggedly beautiful face and her brown hair seemed to have more grey in it than the last time Simon noticed.

"I really need to find a way to make money soon, so Ma can rest, and we can get a caregiver for Pa," he muttered.

"You better sort out this issue first, or they might die of a heart attack first when they know," whispered his inner voice.

"Oh God," Simon whispered as he dropped the dustpan.

He could only think of one way to get the money for enough labourers who could quickly help him till the land.

Getting money from a loan shark had never appealed to him before, but at that moment he didn't care.

At least he could sort this out first, and then, after harvest, he could pay back.

"If Theo allowed it," his inner voice reared its head again, but Simon shook that feeling off. He just needed to replant first before Ma would go to the farm. After that, he would deal with how to keep Theo's men away.

He quickly moved out of the kitchen and looked towards their parent's bedroom to be sure his Ma had settled down, then he headed towards the door under the watchful gaze of his Pa.

He thought of talking to Hans first so he could help him plead with his dad to urgently lend him the money.

"Maybe if I went with Hans, he might not really collect much interest?" he thought, hopefully.

But then he shook his head. He didn't really like taking advantage of his friendship with Hans.

Hans' dad knew him and if he was going to cut him any slack, then he would do it without dragging his son along.

Wishing he had changed Han's shirt, he came around the corner and was shocked to see Hans and Theo laughing like two best friends.

"What?!"

Simon quickly hid behind a nearby kiosk and watched as Hans said to the massive man, "I can't believe that idiot really thought I was his friend. As if I would stoop so low to be friends with someone that poor! He even took my new shirt too! Bastard!"

Theo laughed and tipped back his massive hat before making a signal to one of his men standing behind him with a suitcase.

He took a wad of cash out and said to Hans, "Don't bother yourself. I will get you another shirt, just like the one I got before. Also, take this as compensation for giving me the tip. Now you just need to make sure he knows that selling that land to me is the best option for him. If not, next time might be more painful," he finished with a laugh.

Hans joined in the laughter before saying, "Right. We all know getting that land for your pig farm is the best, but that idiot is too stubborn. Even if you wanted to get the land only for the fresh air, shouldn't that idiot be grateful and give it to you with open hands? Who doesn't know how much his poverty-stricken family needed the money? Now he had to suffer. I think you should go for his mother next. He likes that old hag too much to let...

Rage got Simon out of his hiding place, and he rushed towards the scene, "Don't you dare talk about my Ma like that, you..."

The shock had him getting past Theo's men before they reacted.

His first punch tossed Hans into Theo so hard that they both went down.

Before Simon could pounce on his fake friend, Theo's men had pounced on him.

They pinned his hand and dragged him back while a few of them struggled to carry the massive bulk of their boss upright.

Theo swiped his wheat-coloured hair away from his sweaty brow as he jerked his gold cane at Simon, "Are you seeking death?! How dare you hit me?!"

"I will hit you once again if you talk about my family that way!" Simon snapped before turning to Hans, who was swiping at his bloodied mouth, "How dare you?! How could you?!"

With a smirk, Hans strutted forward, "How could I? I think the main question is: how could you, a useless poor orphan, think that I would be your friend? You think I became friends with you because I like you?! It was Mandy I liked and when she left for school, I wanted to discard you but then Theo came to me with a juicy deal. I only needed to make sure you and your damn family sold the land to him and I would get more money than my father even has. Hell, I would become his partner and even travel with him to the city for deals. Who wouldn't take that over being friends with a wretched fool like you?!" He spat that last word out as he came to eye level with Simon.

Simon reared his head back and gave him a headbutt that had him hitting his butt on the ground with a loud yell.

Theo rolled his eyes. "Why did you get so close to him? Just tell him to sell his damn land!"

With embarrassment, Hans scrambled up and said to Theo's men, "Hold him well."

Simon grunted with pain as Han kicked him over and over in his stomach until he spit blood.

Then Hans grabbed Simon's hair and pulled his head back before saying, "Tell your Ma to sell the land for Mr. Theo now or things will get uglier."

With a blood-stained mouth, Simon said, "Tell these bastards to let go of me, and then repeat that nonsense you just said."

His tone made fear show in Hans' eyes for a second, then he moved back and said, "There, that is my shirt on his body. Strip the bastard and throw him away from here."

"Since when do you order my men around?" Theo said with a frown.

Hans quickly rushed to his side and said in a lowered tone, "We need to show this bastard that we are one, Mr. Theo. That way, he would know not to cause trouble."

Theo nodded to his men, and they stripped Hans' shirt away from Simon, then removed his trousers and shoes before dragging him farther away from Han's house.

Simon hit the ground with a grunt as they let go of him.

He held on to consciousness as tightly as he could.

"Ma must not see me like this. It would only make her more anxious," he said as he struggled to stay upright.

He jerked as a hand suddenly came around him.

He thought it was Theo's man again, and he tried to lash out.

"Sssh, don't fight me," said a soothing voice. "Let me help you."