THE YARD

The Yard.

On the outskirts of a sleepy rural town, nestled among rolling green fields, stood John Abel’s yard—a place that told stories of years gone by. The shed, though weathered and patched in places, was still the beating heart of his small farm. Smoke puffed lazily from the potbelly stove chimney, mingling with the crisp morning air, as John tinkered inside.

To anyone passing by, the yard might have looked cluttered, but to John, it was an organized chaos. The red seeder, leaning slightly to one side, had once been his father’s pride and joy. Its weathered wood and rusty frame carried the memories of fields sown with hope. A sign bearing his name hung proudly over it—his way of preserving the legacy.

The diesel tank stood sentinel by the fence, its hose coiled like a sleeping snake. It fueled the old tractor that sputtered and groaned but never failed him. Near it, the battered oil drum doubled as a water catchment when rain blessed the parched earth.

Inside the shed, shelves groaned under the weight of jars filled with nails, bolts, and other odds and ends. A hand-drawn sketch of a bird perched on a branch was taped to the window—a masterpiece created by his granddaughter during her last visit. It made him smile each time he glanced at it, a little reminder of joy amid the grit.

John pushed back his chair, stirring the air thick with the comforting smell of burning wood. He poured himself a cup of tea from the old enamel teapot, its lid slightly askew. As he sipped, his eyes wandered to the horizon beyond the yard. The distant hills basked in the golden glow of the morning sun, a promise of another day’s work.

This yard was more than just a workspace—it was a museum of memories, a sanctuary of solitude, and a canvas of his life’s work. Each tool, each plank of wood, each chipped bucket had its own tale to tell. And though the world beyond his gate spun faster with every passing year, here, time moved at its own pace, carried forward by the steady rhythm of John Abel’s hands and the unyielding spirit of the land.