Merton Pond

Merton Pond is a character in the Eden Pond Series.

Biography

Merton is a veteran of World War I and the much older brother of Eden and Harry Pond. He's good with his hands and at fixing engines and small machines. An injury suffered in the war makes it difficult for him to speak, so he tends to keep to himself.

He makes his living as the owner of Pond Salvage and Repair.

After the deaths of his parents to Spanish Flu in 1918, he brought in Tillie Larkin, a neighbor girl, to help him take care of Eden and Harry. As she grew older, Tillie grew in affection for Merton, eventually falling in love with him. He never felt he could return her love, believing himself to be too broken by his experiences in the war. Tillie remained close to the family, especially to Merton, despite his inability to show his love for her.

Merton suffers from lingering guilt about his parents, who died while he was recovering from his war injuries in France. He is convinced if he had not volunteered, he would have been home to care for his parents and save them. He resists Eden's questions about them, which is the one source of friction between them.

During his travel to and from France, he developed a strong dislike of the sea, having suffered from extreme seasickness exacerbated by fear of being sunk on the outbound trip. After the war, he would only board a boat or ship in harbor, and then only to make repairs.

He owns a 1920 Dodge Screenside truck which he has kept running for more than 20 years.

After Tillie's death in 1943, Merton became crippled with regret and despair, almost taking his own life. Only the intervention of Eden saved him, and she helped convince him life, for all its pain, was still worth living.

World War I
During the Great War Merton served as a member of the American Expeditionary Forces in France. There, he was wounded, but in the process saved the lives of six other soldiers, first pulling four to safety under enemy fire. He then attacked and destroyed a machine gun nest, enabling two other wounded to be saved. He was awarded the Army Citation Star (equivalent to the Silver Star) for Gallantry in Action.

Vital Statistics

Date of Birth: 2 September 1899
Inducted into U.S. Army: 3 September 1917
Wounded in Combat: 18 July 1918 at Château-Thierry, France
Awarded Army Citation Star and Purple Heart: 31 August 1918
Date of Death: —

Character Affiliations

• Eden Pond, sister
• Harry Pond, brother

Appearances

• Tillamook Guerillas (working title)
• Women's Air Service (working title)
• Fire Balloon (working title)