"Lead Me On to a Happy Ending..."
Aug. 10th, 2005 01:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
psalm_onethirtyoneFreewrite the second, because we got into it.
Time: Twenty-five minutes
Keyword: chatter
Rina had been washing for exactly three hours when the man came by. She often counted minutes, because there was nothing else to do with her mind while her hands were busy. She had tried before to think of things she ought to think about, like Florian and learning to read (she couldn't learn the letters, no matter how hard she tried. Gs and qs and ys were worst, because she mixed them all up) and how much starch to use, but she couldn't concentrate on anything she wanted to. She could only manage minutes, in a rhythm of seconds, adding up into hours.
When the man came by she had counted exactly three hours, and she thought she was going to die of boredom. The other girls were washing behind her somewhere; she could hear them chatter, but she didn't join in because she was a little shy and a little afraid of being laughed at. She was sure she'd say something that wasn't at all clever.
The man stopped right in front of her, and Rina blinked at him. Three and a half seconds later, she smiled.
"Hello!"
"How much does it cost, washing?"
"More than it should," she said, and then blushed suddenly. How silly she was, saying something like that! She wanted his business!
But he gave her a sideways pleased look, and turned over the small clothe bundle in his hands. His eyes were tired. "Everything does. Shame."
She stirred a shirt in the washwater and smiled again. "At least there are so many things that don't cost at all."
"What?" the man said, his expression turning bemused.
Rina began to scrub at a stain. "Well--there's laughing. It's nice. I wish people laughed more. Laughing's free. And the sky after it rains. And goldenrod. And--and when you wake up in the morning and realise you can go back to sleep for a while. And the way the moon shines during the day if you know how to look for it. And snails. I like snails." She looked up at him, away from the stain, and smiled a little more. "And plums right off the tree, that's one of the best things. And when people say Hello and are really friendly. I guess it's all right to spend money on a clean shirt once in a while."
The man shook his head and drew back for a minute, then suddenly took her swollen, wet hand, lifted it out of the soapy water and away from the stain on the shirt.
"How often do you get any of those things?" with the tiniest, bitterest wistfulness in his voice.
"If you look out the window now, you can see the moon," Rina said, and laughed hopefully.
"I have a shirt that needs to be washed. Just one."
"Come back to-morrow and I'll have it done."
He handed her the cloth bundle and left quickly.
Rina stopped for a moment and looked after him. She put her hand down slowly. Then she looked behind her at the girls talking and washing, and went to the other side of her washtub, so that she was facing them. A few minutes later, she joined in talking, and eighteen seconds later she was laughing.
She couldn't wait to see him again, and at the same time she wasn't anxious at all. When she said it, he had looked out the window for the moon.
Time: Twenty-five minutes
Keyword: chatter
Rina had been washing for exactly three hours when the man came by. She often counted minutes, because there was nothing else to do with her mind while her hands were busy. She had tried before to think of things she ought to think about, like Florian and learning to read (she couldn't learn the letters, no matter how hard she tried. Gs and qs and ys were worst, because she mixed them all up) and how much starch to use, but she couldn't concentrate on anything she wanted to. She could only manage minutes, in a rhythm of seconds, adding up into hours.
When the man came by she had counted exactly three hours, and she thought she was going to die of boredom. The other girls were washing behind her somewhere; she could hear them chatter, but she didn't join in because she was a little shy and a little afraid of being laughed at. She was sure she'd say something that wasn't at all clever.
The man stopped right in front of her, and Rina blinked at him. Three and a half seconds later, she smiled.
"Hello!"
"How much does it cost, washing?"
"More than it should," she said, and then blushed suddenly. How silly she was, saying something like that! She wanted his business!
But he gave her a sideways pleased look, and turned over the small clothe bundle in his hands. His eyes were tired. "Everything does. Shame."
She stirred a shirt in the washwater and smiled again. "At least there are so many things that don't cost at all."
"What?" the man said, his expression turning bemused.
Rina began to scrub at a stain. "Well--there's laughing. It's nice. I wish people laughed more. Laughing's free. And the sky after it rains. And goldenrod. And--and when you wake up in the morning and realise you can go back to sleep for a while. And the way the moon shines during the day if you know how to look for it. And snails. I like snails." She looked up at him, away from the stain, and smiled a little more. "And plums right off the tree, that's one of the best things. And when people say Hello and are really friendly. I guess it's all right to spend money on a clean shirt once in a while."
The man shook his head and drew back for a minute, then suddenly took her swollen, wet hand, lifted it out of the soapy water and away from the stain on the shirt.
"How often do you get any of those things?" with the tiniest, bitterest wistfulness in his voice.
"If you look out the window now, you can see the moon," Rina said, and laughed hopefully.
"I have a shirt that needs to be washed. Just one."
"Come back to-morrow and I'll have it done."
He handed her the cloth bundle and left quickly.
Rina stopped for a moment and looked after him. She put her hand down slowly. Then she looked behind her at the girls talking and washing, and went to the other side of her washtub, so that she was facing them. A few minutes later, she joined in talking, and eighteen seconds later she was laughing.
She couldn't wait to see him again, and at the same time she wasn't anxious at all. When she said it, he had looked out the window for the moon.
