text: “A half a pound and you can see it,” Brooks said as he dug into his flavorless bowl of hardtack and soup. The new private glared at Brooks “half a pound? Asking for a bit much ain’t you?” Samson, who was standing next to the private nudged the young man “just give him the money, when’s the next time you’ll see something like this?” To this Brooks nodded “he’s right.. make it 2 pounds” the new private offered a sighed and dug into the pockets of his coat and procured 2 pounds “2 pounds and I get to feel it.” Brooks lifted his eyes from his bowl and stared at him blankly for a moment “why do you want to feel it?” The new private merely shrugged, “if it’s worth 2 pounds I minus well get something a little more out of it right?” Brooks then stared at Samson who offered a shrug “fine.” Brooks finally said. “2 pounds and you can touch it”. He then set down his bowl and took off his cap so the pair of men could observe what remained of his scalp. The wounds have now long since healed. But it was clearly observable to the pair of men that Brooks’ scalp had been sliced clean off his head and had to be manually sewn back on his head. Which made it bald and his skin discolored all around. After a moment the private shook his head “actually I’m good”. Brooks then nodded and put his cap on and took up his bowl and continued to eat “yep. A Nakoda man took it when I was working in the fields not too far from the homestead when I was about ten. I didn’t see him coming until he came up behind me from a bush and blunted my head in with a sort of cudgel.“ at this point Brooks then paused for a moment “I suppose I must have been quite a prize as, when I awoke I found my scalp had been taken”. The private then nodded “oh my God.. that’s quite a story. I’m surprised you survived the whole affair”. Brooks then nodded “yep.. Nakodas are a savage people. But if there’s one thing they value amongst themselves it’s that taking a man’s pride is better than his life, my family wasn’t so lucky of course. I wished that Nakoda bastard took my life instead of theirs”. The new private then frowned and put his hand back in his pocket and pulled out three pounds and set it on the barrel next to Brooks “here.. for your trouble friend sorry for asking again”. Brooks then nodded and spoke “thanks kid” the private then walked past Samson and walked off down the Trench line. Samson then glared at Brooks “You should have said something when he gave you the extra pound you know”. Brooks nonethess shrugged as he finished his meal. “If he wants to feel sorry for me and my nonexistent family then he can. But what he doesn’t know can’t hurt him. Besides whether a Nakoda man took my scalp off or a sewing machine in Blackwater it doesn’t matter as long as they pay to see it”.