Rosemma sat yawning and tearing a comb through her tangled hair.
She had been staying with Grandmother and Great-Grandfather Jack Chang for the last two weeks, and found it both liberating and hard work. Grandmother worked her fairly hard, but also made her go to her classes during the middle of the day. A different one each day!
But she was also out of under her father's stern ruling thumb, and when her chores were done,
Grandmother and old Jack Chang did not mind her sitting and day dreaming, or playing with
Chomper, who needed a lot of playing with and training, which Grandmother was helping her with.
Rosemma had a lot of things to daydream about. The boys in her classes, one in particular, what the other girls did to attract attention, and wondering if she could behave like that and get away with it, let alone feel comfortable with the behavior.
She felt all of two left feet and a mouth full of buck teeth awkward and shy. Not that she was
any of those, but she lacked the confidence to be at ease with boys, let alone flirt, or even flirt
outrageously like her sisters did. May-Ling had the combined head turning looks of upturned
very green eyes, a gift of both of her grandmothers and a head full of berry wine curly hair.
This had the boys almost daring to come hang around the Riley's home yurt, but not quite.
William Riley's tall and broad shoulders topped by a stern face pretty much slowed thoughts of
lurking around his household into making a second thought out of the impluse.
Unless they befriended one of the three sons. Which many of them did, then found themselves
enjoying more masculine activities instead. William's three sons were hale and hardy young men with a love of hunting, fishing, and had not even given much thought to casting looks around their camp to contemplate domestic bliss with any of the available girls involved in trying to attract their attention.
Rosemma had spent a great deal of time watching all of this interesting social behavior since she had seen her own sixteenth birthday. But found most of it a lot of strange and very confusing.
Great Grandfather Jack stepped out onto the porch, his long white pigtail swinging as he nodded his head in greeting. "My little RoseBud, how did you sleep?'
He ashed her the same question the same way every morning. Even though it was very chilly, he wore only a baggy pair of pants and a towel over his shoulder. He made his way to
the water trough in front of his cabin.
His water trough, like all the permanent one in the village, was of stone set together, and water filled it from springs from far up the slopes of the Sacred Mountain. He had designed it so a person could sit next to it and perform their various "abolutions"" as he called shaving, brushing teeth, filling water for drinking pitchers, and hauling water in to heat for bathing
privately. There was a gate to divert the water into the basin or to a spigot for filling jugs.
Old Jack Chang took his seat and set about shaving his old wrinkled elvish face. He burst out into song this morning which was not a ususal event.
" Oh there once was a man from Shanghai,
He was scarred with only one eye,"
'His expression was frightening,
from his nose came lightening"
"He could roast a fat pig in it's sty!"
" Oh there once was a girl from Brazil,
" Bless me I remember her still,
she was smooth, she was lovely,
I would sigh when I looked at her..."
At this point Grandmother's voice ring loud and clear, "Father, stop it right now!"
" I do not want to hear anymore of your song, mark my words."
Old Jack Chang turned and winked at Rosemma.
Then continued with his morning shave.
He was just getting his face blotted dry, when a large , well a very large
black raven landed on the hitching post in front of his cabin.
"Ah hah, RoseBud, best finish up your hair,." "Daughter!" He yelled at Grandmother, " we seem to be having a visit!"
" Oh, and from who?" Grandmother replied, still inside the cabin.
"Well, Magnolia, it looks like we are expecting the Queen of the Witches!"
There was a mufflied exclaimation from the kitchen, but Grandmother didn't say much more. She appeared on the porch with a cross look . "Oh and I wonder what she wants now?"
Bertola, the woman Great Grandfather called the Queen of the Witches, was
actually the elected head of the Council of Sorcerers of the Sacred Mountain Village. And that also made her the Supervisor of Village Education. Which meant she had come to check on
Rossema's progress in her own talents.
Which was not moving along at all since the trip to the coast, and the dream and the early snowfall. Not at all.
Grandmother and Great Grandfather had teamed up on William Riley to let
Rosemma live with them. But he insisted on her being in his household for breakfast every morning, and they insisted she attend not only the histories classes, domestic talents classes,
and hunting skills classes, but she attend the elements of magick classes, herbal potions, and
farseeing classes. Six days of school it meant for her. And next spring she had to attend
animal husbandry also. Seven days then. Plus chores, and no wonder she had no time for the
listening for the songs of the Nommos.
Rosemma kept her peeves to herself, but wow, it seemed like her sisters
only took domestic talents, and maybe majored in flirting with boys. Why was this?
Finally Bertola made her appearance, trudging heavily into the yard.
She nodded bruskly at Grandmother, gave Great Grandfather a look, then
turned around the yard untill she realized that Rosemma was sitting on the porch.
"There you are girl, I want to come with me this morning, I have someone
who is going to give you a test."
Then she frowned and turned to Grandmother, "You too, Magnolia, you will
want to come anyway, you too Jack, if you want. I know you know the tester."
"Oh do I?"
"Yes, he is an old associate of yours, from long ago, an old classmate."
"Oh, and who is that?" Jack Chang squinted up at Bertola, she loomed a good five inches over his head.
" He is from over from the Shoshone territory, the shaman, Bear
Scratcher."
Jack laughed, " Oh, you mean old Bear Crapper! He is here, that
old reprobate? Hah, lead me to him, I can't wait to hear his load of ...."
"Father! that is enough!" Grandmother was really glaring now, and if her eyes could throw flames, Old Jack Chang would be charred.
She was at this point, really angry with Bertola for coming in her imperious manner and ordering them around like they had no choice.
Sighing to herself, she turned to Rosemma. " Rosie, run and tell your
mother and father, that today you have to skip breakfast with them, but please ask if there is something you can take with you and eat, and then come back here."
She had been staying with Grandmother and Great-Grandfather Jack Chang for the last two weeks, and found it both liberating and hard work. Grandmother worked her fairly hard, but also made her go to her classes during the middle of the day. A different one each day!
But she was also out of under her father's stern ruling thumb, and when her chores were done,
Grandmother and old Jack Chang did not mind her sitting and day dreaming, or playing with
Chomper, who needed a lot of playing with and training, which Grandmother was helping her with.
Rosemma had a lot of things to daydream about. The boys in her classes, one in particular, what the other girls did to attract attention, and wondering if she could behave like that and get away with it, let alone feel comfortable with the behavior.
She felt all of two left feet and a mouth full of buck teeth awkward and shy. Not that she was
any of those, but she lacked the confidence to be at ease with boys, let alone flirt, or even flirt
outrageously like her sisters did. May-Ling had the combined head turning looks of upturned
very green eyes, a gift of both of her grandmothers and a head full of berry wine curly hair.
This had the boys almost daring to come hang around the Riley's home yurt, but not quite.
William Riley's tall and broad shoulders topped by a stern face pretty much slowed thoughts of
lurking around his household into making a second thought out of the impluse.
Unless they befriended one of the three sons. Which many of them did, then found themselves
enjoying more masculine activities instead. William's three sons were hale and hardy young men with a love of hunting, fishing, and had not even given much thought to casting looks around their camp to contemplate domestic bliss with any of the available girls involved in trying to attract their attention.
Rosemma had spent a great deal of time watching all of this interesting social behavior since she had seen her own sixteenth birthday. But found most of it a lot of strange and very confusing.
Great Grandfather Jack stepped out onto the porch, his long white pigtail swinging as he nodded his head in greeting. "My little RoseBud, how did you sleep?'
He ashed her the same question the same way every morning. Even though it was very chilly, he wore only a baggy pair of pants and a towel over his shoulder. He made his way to
the water trough in front of his cabin.
His water trough, like all the permanent one in the village, was of stone set together, and water filled it from springs from far up the slopes of the Sacred Mountain. He had designed it so a person could sit next to it and perform their various "abolutions"" as he called shaving, brushing teeth, filling water for drinking pitchers, and hauling water in to heat for bathing
privately. There was a gate to divert the water into the basin or to a spigot for filling jugs.
Old Jack Chang took his seat and set about shaving his old wrinkled elvish face. He burst out into song this morning which was not a ususal event.
" Oh there once was a man from Shanghai,
He was scarred with only one eye,"
'His expression was frightening,
from his nose came lightening"
"He could roast a fat pig in it's sty!"
" Oh there once was a girl from Brazil,
" Bless me I remember her still,
she was smooth, she was lovely,
I would sigh when I looked at her..."
At this point Grandmother's voice ring loud and clear, "Father, stop it right now!"
" I do not want to hear anymore of your song, mark my words."
Old Jack Chang turned and winked at Rosemma.
Then continued with his morning shave.
He was just getting his face blotted dry, when a large , well a very large
black raven landed on the hitching post in front of his cabin.
"Ah hah, RoseBud, best finish up your hair,." "Daughter!" He yelled at Grandmother, " we seem to be having a visit!"
" Oh, and from who?" Grandmother replied, still inside the cabin.
"Well, Magnolia, it looks like we are expecting the Queen of the Witches!"
There was a mufflied exclaimation from the kitchen, but Grandmother didn't say much more. She appeared on the porch with a cross look . "Oh and I wonder what she wants now?"
Bertola, the woman Great Grandfather called the Queen of the Witches, was
actually the elected head of the Council of Sorcerers of the Sacred Mountain Village. And that also made her the Supervisor of Village Education. Which meant she had come to check on
Rossema's progress in her own talents.
Which was not moving along at all since the trip to the coast, and the dream and the early snowfall. Not at all.
Grandmother and Great Grandfather had teamed up on William Riley to let
Rosemma live with them. But he insisted on her being in his household for breakfast every morning, and they insisted she attend not only the histories classes, domestic talents classes,
and hunting skills classes, but she attend the elements of magick classes, herbal potions, and
farseeing classes. Six days of school it meant for her. And next spring she had to attend
animal husbandry also. Seven days then. Plus chores, and no wonder she had no time for the
listening for the songs of the Nommos.
Rosemma kept her peeves to herself, but wow, it seemed like her sisters
only took domestic talents, and maybe majored in flirting with boys. Why was this?
Finally Bertola made her appearance, trudging heavily into the yard.
She nodded bruskly at Grandmother, gave Great Grandfather a look, then
turned around the yard untill she realized that Rosemma was sitting on the porch.
"There you are girl, I want to come with me this morning, I have someone
who is going to give you a test."
Then she frowned and turned to Grandmother, "You too, Magnolia, you will
want to come anyway, you too Jack, if you want. I know you know the tester."
"Oh do I?"
"Yes, he is an old associate of yours, from long ago, an old classmate."
"Oh, and who is that?" Jack Chang squinted up at Bertola, she loomed a good five inches over his head.
" He is from over from the Shoshone territory, the shaman, Bear
Scratcher."
Jack laughed, " Oh, you mean old Bear Crapper! He is here, that
old reprobate? Hah, lead me to him, I can't wait to hear his load of ...."
"Father! that is enough!" Grandmother was really glaring now, and if her eyes could throw flames, Old Jack Chang would be charred.
She was at this point, really angry with Bertola for coming in her imperious manner and ordering them around like they had no choice.
Sighing to herself, she turned to Rosemma. " Rosie, run and tell your
mother and father, that today you have to skip breakfast with them, but please ask if there is something you can take with you and eat, and then come back here."
