free
05-08-2010, 04:28 AM
Ann was sitting shrunk by the fire, the only source of light in her dark hut, with papers on her knees – the last pages of a book she was about to finish with hectic bustle. Money she had got for the previous one had, already, been spent and she did not have a cent any more even for a candle, that was why she used to sit by the fire, as soon as the night approached, to carry on with her writing. She was smiling with hope, thinking about the sum she was going to get from her books-man, who was always buying her ticklish stories which he, then, copied and sold secretly, because the Church had strictly prohibited them as sinful and obscene; then her misery would be over. She would have enough to buy food and clothes, replacing the stiched and shabby ones she was wearing. She would even be able to buy a hat, and walk around the town like those fancy ladies who did not have to work, but only walked around beautifully adorned. She might even buy that perfume which they used... Well, she was going to be a completely different person, she was!
Ann shook her head, pushing away sweet reveries and retunred to her work, concentrated on the scrabble of feather on the paper... She finally wrote 'the end' and signed a male name and surname (for, if only anyone discovered that these stories were written by a woman, it would be even more dangerous, she would be burned down as a witch!). She scattered a bit of powder - last quantity remained in her empty storage, blew to remove its traces and looked at her work with a smile of a mother watching her beautiful child.
She sprawled her body, tired but happy to be able to have a bit of sleep before the dawn came, when she was to go to town to meet her books-man and get her deserved compensation.
All dressed she reposed in her bed, after putting a few logs into the fire to keep it burning till the dawn and closed her eyes with a blissful smile of contentment.
Before she sank into sleep, a murmur under the window yanked her. She got up and peeped out. A shadow passed quickly and disappeared among the bushes in the garden. Ann trambled with fear. Nobody had ever sneaked around her hut in the suburb at the skirt of a forest from which she used to steal woods for her fire, so her first thougth was that it must had been the keeper of the forest which belonged to a well known count to whom she paid rent for her little hut.
"Why does that fool sneak around?" She thought. She angrily put her cloak around her sholders and went out into the garden bathing in the moonlight. Just for the matter of some unwanted danger, she put under her cloak a big knife given by her books-man, for he was very interested to keep this golden eggs producing hen in safety. Once out, she noticed that somebody was in bushes. Being very brave, Ann went close to it and using the knife she spaced the branches to look through.
A very young man, dressed in nobleman's clothes, set there crouched, hiding his face into his hands. Ann burst into laugh shaking her head with surprise.
"What are you looking for here, young master? And who are you, anyway?"
The young man trambled, and it even seemed to her that he was crying, so she felt sorry for him and got very close to console him. She fondled his hair and with a tenderness in her voice asked him to get out of the bushes and stop fearing.
The boy, shivering with shame, walked out and Ann saw the nice face of the count's son, her lessor. Realizing this, Ann burst into laugh even stronger.
"Master George, what on Earth are you looking for in this hour of night? Does your mother know where you are?"
The boy shook his head, watching the ground, all red in face with shame.
"Ha, ha, ha..." She laughed, bending her head towards her back, shaking her rich black hair, flowing down her back.
"Come, get into the house." She invited him holding her arms towards him. The boy jumped, as if he had been waiting it for ages. He smiled thankfully and ran inside.
"Would you like some warm soup, you are completely frozen?" Ann fondled his shaggy hair. The boy's face lit with a smile of pleasure being touched like this and he nodded his head affirmatively, still unable to say a word, he only stared at her neckline and breasts appearing from the opening of her dress.
Seeing this passionate expression on his face, Ann swiftly wraped a scarf around her sholders to cover her provocative decolletage. The boy blushed again realizing that she understood the reason of his confusion and started to sup the pottage she had given him, directing his eyes towards the papers, neatly placed on the table. She quickly covered them with a cloth and threatened him with the forefigner.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anybody, but I've already read it while you went into forest to get woods."
"Read it!" She exclaimed with terror and amazement over the thought of this nestling being interested in her writing.
"So... how did you like it?"
"It is the most beautiful thing that I have ever read in my life. And I have read many, many books. I know all the Greeks by heart. The Bible, the lives of saintmen... I know all the scientific works. My teacher says that I am a real book worm.« Said the boy proudly.
"You are a book worm, that is obvious, since you have stuck your nose into my papers.«
She said with likeness because it pleased her to hear someone praising her work, especially because it was an experienced connoiseur of written words.
"What did you like the best?" She asked.
"The part in the book when the girl undresses herself in front of her boyfriend, her fiance and shows him her breasts." Said the boy brisquely, having no doubts about his opinion.
"Ha, ha, ha..." The writer laughed agin. »And you would love to have the same experience, wouldn't you?" She was watching him gayly.
"Hmmm... of course..." George was already incouraged, his confusion was all gone seeing that the girl treated him as her equal.
The dawn was peeping through the window, even the first sun-beams were flowing into the hut. Ann smiled and told George that she had to go into the town to buy some food, strictly avoiding to mention anything about her busines concerning her writings. George thanked her for their beautiful conversation, took her hand into his and dropped a timid kiss on it, like a real knight. The girl did her best to hide the smile over this little boy acting like a grownup and promessed to continue their talk some other time, under the condition that nobody found out anything about it.
He left, and she quickly took her papers hiding them well secured under the cloak and went into the city to perform her usual busines procedure.
Ann shook her head, pushing away sweet reveries and retunred to her work, concentrated on the scrabble of feather on the paper... She finally wrote 'the end' and signed a male name and surname (for, if only anyone discovered that these stories were written by a woman, it would be even more dangerous, she would be burned down as a witch!). She scattered a bit of powder - last quantity remained in her empty storage, blew to remove its traces and looked at her work with a smile of a mother watching her beautiful child.
She sprawled her body, tired but happy to be able to have a bit of sleep before the dawn came, when she was to go to town to meet her books-man and get her deserved compensation.
All dressed she reposed in her bed, after putting a few logs into the fire to keep it burning till the dawn and closed her eyes with a blissful smile of contentment.
Before she sank into sleep, a murmur under the window yanked her. She got up and peeped out. A shadow passed quickly and disappeared among the bushes in the garden. Ann trambled with fear. Nobody had ever sneaked around her hut in the suburb at the skirt of a forest from which she used to steal woods for her fire, so her first thougth was that it must had been the keeper of the forest which belonged to a well known count to whom she paid rent for her little hut.
"Why does that fool sneak around?" She thought. She angrily put her cloak around her sholders and went out into the garden bathing in the moonlight. Just for the matter of some unwanted danger, she put under her cloak a big knife given by her books-man, for he was very interested to keep this golden eggs producing hen in safety. Once out, she noticed that somebody was in bushes. Being very brave, Ann went close to it and using the knife she spaced the branches to look through.
A very young man, dressed in nobleman's clothes, set there crouched, hiding his face into his hands. Ann burst into laugh shaking her head with surprise.
"What are you looking for here, young master? And who are you, anyway?"
The young man trambled, and it even seemed to her that he was crying, so she felt sorry for him and got very close to console him. She fondled his hair and with a tenderness in her voice asked him to get out of the bushes and stop fearing.
The boy, shivering with shame, walked out and Ann saw the nice face of the count's son, her lessor. Realizing this, Ann burst into laugh even stronger.
"Master George, what on Earth are you looking for in this hour of night? Does your mother know where you are?"
The boy shook his head, watching the ground, all red in face with shame.
"Ha, ha, ha..." She laughed, bending her head towards her back, shaking her rich black hair, flowing down her back.
"Come, get into the house." She invited him holding her arms towards him. The boy jumped, as if he had been waiting it for ages. He smiled thankfully and ran inside.
"Would you like some warm soup, you are completely frozen?" Ann fondled his shaggy hair. The boy's face lit with a smile of pleasure being touched like this and he nodded his head affirmatively, still unable to say a word, he only stared at her neckline and breasts appearing from the opening of her dress.
Seeing this passionate expression on his face, Ann swiftly wraped a scarf around her sholders to cover her provocative decolletage. The boy blushed again realizing that she understood the reason of his confusion and started to sup the pottage she had given him, directing his eyes towards the papers, neatly placed on the table. She quickly covered them with a cloth and threatened him with the forefigner.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anybody, but I've already read it while you went into forest to get woods."
"Read it!" She exclaimed with terror and amazement over the thought of this nestling being interested in her writing.
"So... how did you like it?"
"It is the most beautiful thing that I have ever read in my life. And I have read many, many books. I know all the Greeks by heart. The Bible, the lives of saintmen... I know all the scientific works. My teacher says that I am a real book worm.« Said the boy proudly.
"You are a book worm, that is obvious, since you have stuck your nose into my papers.«
She said with likeness because it pleased her to hear someone praising her work, especially because it was an experienced connoiseur of written words.
"What did you like the best?" She asked.
"The part in the book when the girl undresses herself in front of her boyfriend, her fiance and shows him her breasts." Said the boy brisquely, having no doubts about his opinion.
"Ha, ha, ha..." The writer laughed agin. »And you would love to have the same experience, wouldn't you?" She was watching him gayly.
"Hmmm... of course..." George was already incouraged, his confusion was all gone seeing that the girl treated him as her equal.
The dawn was peeping through the window, even the first sun-beams were flowing into the hut. Ann smiled and told George that she had to go into the town to buy some food, strictly avoiding to mention anything about her busines concerning her writings. George thanked her for their beautiful conversation, took her hand into his and dropped a timid kiss on it, like a real knight. The girl did her best to hide the smile over this little boy acting like a grownup and promessed to continue their talk some other time, under the condition that nobody found out anything about it.
He left, and she quickly took her papers hiding them well secured under the cloak and went into the city to perform her usual busines procedure.