Petra
12-11-08, 04:55 AM
One winter night, in the full moon’s light
A small black cat ran with all her might.
Eyes darting, feet in full flight
A lonely howl echoed through the night.
~~~
It started snowing again today, much to my surprise. I was expecting today to be the first day of spring as it was written so in the small brown book I received from the Church, but I guess the aeromancers were slacking on their job. Again.
Oh, but what could a little farmer girl do in a time like this? Living in the far western plains of Salvar, news from the capital coming to the frontiers were far and few. My family made do with what we had to survive the winter by reaping what we sow during the short but lively summer.
I woke up today just the same as yesterday, greeted by the bright white snowflakes lightly floating through the air. Despite the feeling of betrayal the weather forecast had brought to me, I mentally prepared myself for the day ahead.
For one reason or another, today was unexpectedly bright and sunny considering it had only began to snow earlier in the day. The half inch of snow was starting to melt away by the time I brought out the day’s laundry. The air was still cool with the late winter breeze, but I was not deterred by the danger of having my freshly-washed clothes soiled by snow. No, the sun would help to dry my clothes nicely. That is, if the wind did not blow them off the line.
“Phew! That’s the last piece for today!”
I wiped a bead of sweat from my brows after having pinned a freshly-washed apron on the clothesline. The cool breeze swept the white banners about like little flags of peace. I watched them blow about in the air while my mind wandered off, wondering…
“-oh! Good morning, mister Treyeski!”
I spotted an old man coming down the snow-covered trail pulling behind him his donkey and a wagon full of dried grains. I had spoken with him many times when he passed by my house, such as the way he did today, on his way to the market. I reasoned he was probably heading there to trade the autumn harvest for dried fruits and beef.
I waved at him from the front lawn where I put my clothes out to dry, not wishing to distract him too much when he needed to travel. The market was several miles away and the countryside was best traveled when daylight was still around. I did not know if he was in a hurry or not, but the farmer took one glance in my direction and hurried off, not even sparing a greeting. I had hoped I said my morning greetings loud enough, but mister Treyeski was never one of the rude folks in the town. But what was I to do? All that could be done was to puff my cheeks in dismay and take my laundry basket inside, thinking about chastising him for being so rude as to ignore me so early in the day.
~~~
The day went by so quickly I wondered if winter really had ended today. It felt like the sun was so hasty in its travel, muchso hastier than yesterday, perhaps. I had only begun to pick my clothes after a good midday meal when it suddenly disappeared halfway down the hill. Well, I certainly could not tell time like the rich folks in the city with their magnificent “timekeepers” they kept inside their coats. I could certainly feel the passage of time, as inaccurate as it may be, and had used the instinct to carefully plan out my days. Perhaps it was time to do a little readjustment… perhaps after I finish retrieving the day’s laundry.
The orange sky made way to light purple by the time I finished making dinner. A bowl of potato stew, a slice of day-old bread and a cup of melted snow graced the creaky old table I had been using for the past decade or so. In my carelessness I had accidentally cooked too much stew for myself, a habit I admit would require a bit more time to readjust than simply finishing my tasks before the day was done. If he was still around, I could imagine him giving me this look of exasperation and find a way to keep the stew around for his morning meal.
I giggled as the image came to mind, then again as I realized I had an empty bowl in my hand. Looking towards the table, I could already see mine resting next to the plate of bread and cup of chilled water. Shaking my head, I put the unused wooden bowl back onto the shelf – alongside other unused tablewares – and prepared myself for the last meal of the day. Just as I lit the lonely candle standing in its holder, a sudden rapping sound came from the front door.
Knock Knock Knock
…I wondered who could it be.
“…Hello…? Is… anyone in there…?”
Oh, my… The sound seemed so quiet, clear and sweet. Why would a girl be doing outside so late as tonight?
Without much thought I hurried to the door and opened it, ushering the young girl inside. The biting wind howled behind her shivering form, tossing her golden locks of hair in pitiful display. I immediately guided her to the fireplace, where the golden glow of the flames would surely return warmth to her frigid form.
“Tell me, young lady,” I asked with worried eyes. “Pray tell what is your name?”
The girl looked up from the fire, the tall black hat covered in fur bobbing slightly to the side.
“My name is Petrushka, kind miss… Thank you for showing me such kindness…”
A small black cat ran with all her might.
Eyes darting, feet in full flight
A lonely howl echoed through the night.
~~~
It started snowing again today, much to my surprise. I was expecting today to be the first day of spring as it was written so in the small brown book I received from the Church, but I guess the aeromancers were slacking on their job. Again.
Oh, but what could a little farmer girl do in a time like this? Living in the far western plains of Salvar, news from the capital coming to the frontiers were far and few. My family made do with what we had to survive the winter by reaping what we sow during the short but lively summer.
I woke up today just the same as yesterday, greeted by the bright white snowflakes lightly floating through the air. Despite the feeling of betrayal the weather forecast had brought to me, I mentally prepared myself for the day ahead.
For one reason or another, today was unexpectedly bright and sunny considering it had only began to snow earlier in the day. The half inch of snow was starting to melt away by the time I brought out the day’s laundry. The air was still cool with the late winter breeze, but I was not deterred by the danger of having my freshly-washed clothes soiled by snow. No, the sun would help to dry my clothes nicely. That is, if the wind did not blow them off the line.
“Phew! That’s the last piece for today!”
I wiped a bead of sweat from my brows after having pinned a freshly-washed apron on the clothesline. The cool breeze swept the white banners about like little flags of peace. I watched them blow about in the air while my mind wandered off, wondering…
“-oh! Good morning, mister Treyeski!”
I spotted an old man coming down the snow-covered trail pulling behind him his donkey and a wagon full of dried grains. I had spoken with him many times when he passed by my house, such as the way he did today, on his way to the market. I reasoned he was probably heading there to trade the autumn harvest for dried fruits and beef.
I waved at him from the front lawn where I put my clothes out to dry, not wishing to distract him too much when he needed to travel. The market was several miles away and the countryside was best traveled when daylight was still around. I did not know if he was in a hurry or not, but the farmer took one glance in my direction and hurried off, not even sparing a greeting. I had hoped I said my morning greetings loud enough, but mister Treyeski was never one of the rude folks in the town. But what was I to do? All that could be done was to puff my cheeks in dismay and take my laundry basket inside, thinking about chastising him for being so rude as to ignore me so early in the day.
~~~
The day went by so quickly I wondered if winter really had ended today. It felt like the sun was so hasty in its travel, muchso hastier than yesterday, perhaps. I had only begun to pick my clothes after a good midday meal when it suddenly disappeared halfway down the hill. Well, I certainly could not tell time like the rich folks in the city with their magnificent “timekeepers” they kept inside their coats. I could certainly feel the passage of time, as inaccurate as it may be, and had used the instinct to carefully plan out my days. Perhaps it was time to do a little readjustment… perhaps after I finish retrieving the day’s laundry.
The orange sky made way to light purple by the time I finished making dinner. A bowl of potato stew, a slice of day-old bread and a cup of melted snow graced the creaky old table I had been using for the past decade or so. In my carelessness I had accidentally cooked too much stew for myself, a habit I admit would require a bit more time to readjust than simply finishing my tasks before the day was done. If he was still around, I could imagine him giving me this look of exasperation and find a way to keep the stew around for his morning meal.
I giggled as the image came to mind, then again as I realized I had an empty bowl in my hand. Looking towards the table, I could already see mine resting next to the plate of bread and cup of chilled water. Shaking my head, I put the unused wooden bowl back onto the shelf – alongside other unused tablewares – and prepared myself for the last meal of the day. Just as I lit the lonely candle standing in its holder, a sudden rapping sound came from the front door.
Knock Knock Knock
…I wondered who could it be.
“…Hello…? Is… anyone in there…?”
Oh, my… The sound seemed so quiet, clear and sweet. Why would a girl be doing outside so late as tonight?
Without much thought I hurried to the door and opened it, ushering the young girl inside. The biting wind howled behind her shivering form, tossing her golden locks of hair in pitiful display. I immediately guided her to the fireplace, where the golden glow of the flames would surely return warmth to her frigid form.
“Tell me, young lady,” I asked with worried eyes. “Pray tell what is your name?”
The girl looked up from the fire, the tall black hat covered in fur bobbing slightly to the side.
“My name is Petrushka, kind miss… Thank you for showing me such kindness…”