The Price of Strawberries

Once, in the Kingdom of Lurindell, there lived a young baker and his wife. They had two sons—beautiful boys with bight blue eyes and their father's curly, dark hair. The baker made good bread, and was honest with his prices. The wife kept a tidy household in their quarters above the shop. They were all very happy, and the wife was expecting their third child. She was looking out the window into the garden next door when she saw the most beautiful strawberries. It was rather too late in the year for there to be strawberries still on the plants, and seeing them made her mouth water.

The woman next door was known to be rather reclusive. She was rarely seen in town, and no one came to call on her. It was reputed in the town that she was a witch, but no one had any proof of that, and most people passed it off as old gossip.

For days the baker's wife pestered him about the strawberries, but he was afraid. He had tried to find strawberries somewhere else, but was told that they had been out of season for a month. While he didn't normally hold with gossip, he had seen strange lights coming from behind the curtains of the house next door late at night. He was afraid. One night, he had finally had enough from his wife, and he carefully crept over the wall into the woman's garden.

He was just making his way back over the wall, when the woman's back door opened.

"Stop, thief!" she called out. The baker turned to her in shame, and spilled the whole story. "If you had asked," the woman replied, "I would have given the berries to you freely. But theft I cannot allow. Take the berries, and I will give you as many as your wife desires, but I will demand something from you in return. If the child is a girl, I will come for her on her twelfth birthday and take her with me. She will become my daughter."

"What! But you…"

"Silence. This is my demand. If you do not comply I will have you arrested as a thief and you will lose your hand, as the law allows. How will you support your family then?"

The man bowed his head, and returned home. Every day there was a basket of strawberries at his door. The couple despaired at the price the berries were bought at, and prayed that the child would be another son.

In the proper time, the wife gave birth to a healthy baby girl. That night they heard a knock at the door. The baker answered it and found the woman on his front step. She was tall, as tall as a man, but slender and graceful. She had dark hair the color of blood, and wore a voluminous black cloak. She followed him up the stairs and took the girl in her arms.

"I name you Lavinia, little one. In twelve years I shall take you away from this place and show you many wonderful things. Be well, my child." With that, she kissed Lavinia on the forehead and left.

Her parents refused to call her Lavinia. They christened her Celia, and never told her about their promise to the witch. In fact the woman had vanished after the girl was born, and her parents hoped she had left for good. Celia was always a pretty child. She had the same sparkling blue eyes her brothers did, but she had her mother's golden blond hair and fair skin. She had a sunny disposition, and was always kind to others. She was the perfect child. Her parents had other children over the next ten years: twin boys followed Celia two years later, and a fifth son came three years after that. Celia learned how to sew from her mother and by the age of ten her needlework was considered some of the best in the county.

Celia's mother found herself pregnant again in Celia's eleventh year, and gave birth to another baby girl on the morning of her twelfth birthday. Both her parents were so busy fussing over the new child that neither one noticed her slip out. She had intended to go into town to get some more thread for a new quilt she was making to add to her hope chest, and on her return she was stopped by a tall read-haired woman within a few feet of her home.

"Today is your twelfth birthday, is it not child?" the woman asked. "tell me, what do your parent's call you?"

"My name is Celia, Ma'am" the girl replied, respectfully.

"And you live here?" Celia nodded. "Did your parent's ever tell you a story about strawberries? Or about the day you were born?"

"No, Ma'am. My mother hates strawberries. We never have any at home. Sometimes I go and pick wild ones in the woods in spring time, but I always eat them all before I come home."

"I see. Well then, I think it's time you were told why your mother dislikes strawberries. You see, that was not always the case, it is more what her strawberries cost her that she resents." As she spoke, the woman ushered Celia into the house next to her father's shop. "I used to live in this house. When your mother was pregnant with you, she got a craving for my strawberries, and rather than simply asking for them, your father decided to sneak into my garden at midnight and steal them. I caught him and told him that because he had decided to steal from me instead of ask for what would have been freely given, I would demand a price from him. I told him that I would claim the child his wife was carrying on her twelfth birthday, if the child proved to be a girl. I told him that if he did not, I would have him arrested as a thief, and he would loose his hand. He chose the first option, sacrificing his daughter for the sake of being able to provide for the rest of his family, without a moment's hesitation. Will you come with me of your own free will, child?"

"What happens if I say no?"

"It is far too late for me to level any charges, and I doubt that the officials would do much if I did, so long after the fact. I can do no more than try to tarnish his good name a little, by spreading the story."

"But that would still be a broken promise, and promises are not made to be broken. I will keep my father's word. May I go collect my things and say goodbye to my family, Ma'am?"

"Of course you may, little one. And there is no need to call me 'Ma'am,' my name is Helena. I named you Lavinia when you were born. Now go and get your things. Meet me here when you are finished. I'll be getting the wagon ready for our departure. Take everything you care about, because we will not be coming back."

Lavinia ran back to her parent's home. She made her way up the stairs and noticed that almost all of her family was still clustered around her new sister. She heard her mother whisper to her father "even if that old witch does come for Celia, God has granted us a fine daughter to replace her." At these words, the girl ran to her room and started to cry. She had not noticed that her eldest brother, Adrian, had also overheard her mother's comment, and had seen her standing in the shadows. He came into her room, sat next to her on the bed, and held her while she cried.

"I know. I met her out on the road just now, I know everything," she sobbed.

"Shh, it'll all turn out alright somehow. I promise."

"She said her name is Helena. She told me the whole story. I shouldn't have had to hear it from her! They should have told me!"

"Yes, they should have. Why hasn't she taken you yet?"

"She told me she wouldn't force me. She said it was up to me to keep my father's word. I told her I would and asked her if I could come back to pack and say goodbye. But now I wonder if our parents ever loved me at all, after all, I've just been replaced."

"I'll help you pack, and no one will ever replace you in my heart."

They carefully packed all her things in the wooden chest that was at the foot of Lavinia's bed. It already held six quilts she had made, two table cloths, two sets of bed linens, a beautiful embroidered shawl she had gotten at a country fair last year, and the fabric she was saving for her wedding gown. Into it went her favorite scarlet skirt, which she had embroidered in black and gold, and the green skirt that she had just finished making last month. She then placed her three other shirts in the chest along with four spare chemises, and her warm flannel nightgown. Two more wool shawls went into the trunk, as did her spare bodice. The embroidered apron and cap she wore at festivals was placed near the top, along with her sewing basket. Finally, she placed her old doll and her green hair ribbon in the chest and was about to close the lid when Adrian stopped her.

"Wait; there are a couple more things I have for you. I'll be right back." He left the room and came back with several parcels. "Here, these are your birthday presents. This is the one from Mum and Dad," he handed her the first package. The present was wrapped in a beautiful green scarf, and it proved to be a set of carved bone combs. "I heard them talking about trying to get you betrothed to the sheriff's youngest son, if the witch didn't come for you. They said that you were pretty enough, and skilled enough with a needle to get him, and that it would be quite a step up for them. This next one is from the rest of the boys." It was wrapped in enough white linen to make a shirt, and proved to be a collection of items: a small wood handled knife and a slim bone handled dagger were probably from Edmund—he was apprenticed to a blacksmith. The twins had given her a small strand of carved wooden beads, some of which they had made themselves, and some of which were probably made by their best friend's father, the local carpenter and wood carver. Little Gregory had given her a dozen lumpy, hand dipped candles. These too, he had probably made himself, with the help of one of his siblings, or an adult. Finally, Adrian produced his own present. This one was also wrapped in fabric—in this case it was several yards of heavy rust colored wool. "Phoebe spun and wove the wool. The yarn in there is from her too. I thought you would put it to good use, and I'm especially glad now." Phoebe was the girl Adrian was in love with. He had asked for her hand in marriage, and had received her father's blessing. They were going to get married as soon as Adrian had established himself in his chosen trade of tanning and leatherworking.

Inside the wool Lavinia found several skeins of wool yarn in rust, green, and blue. There was also a leather belt with a sturdy steel buckle and a leather purse to go on it. The purse was embossed in a twisting floral pattern, and had been dyed a dark forest green. Finally there was a new pair of shoes in the bundle. "The purse is my best piece so far. I'm almost done with my apprenticeship," Adrian explained.

"It's beautiful."

"I also bundled up some bread and a bit of cheese for you. There's also some dried fruit, and a couple of other things in there. It's not much, but I can't let you go without giving you something to eat. Here are some dried herbs if you need them. I also want you to take this." He pressed a small pouch into her hands. She opened it to find three gold coins, and a handful of silver.

"I can't take this, you've worked so hard for it!"

"I'll make it again in a year or two, I've already gotten a couple of commissions. I want you to take it. You may need it more than me. Phoebe would agree with me if I had time to tell her, you know she would."

"Alright, thank you. I love you so much! I'll miss you. Say goodbye to Edmund and the younglings for me." With that, Lavinia packed her presents in her chest and put on her cloak. She placed the knife, wallet of herbs and several handkerchiefs in the purse from Adrian, and then belted it around her waist. The money pouch went on a cord around her neck and under her shirt. Finally, she picked up canvas wrapped food and headed out the door. Adrian followed with the chest.

They made their way out to Helena's house, and found her waiting in front by a plain looking wagon hitched to a large grey farm horse. Adrian loaded the chest into the back of the wagon, and held his sister tightly as they both said goodbye. Finally, he released her, and watched her climb into the wagon next to a woman he knew nothing about.

He knew in his hart that he would not see her for many years. He watched them leave and continued to watch until they disappeared over the hill. Then he turned back and went to tell his family that she was gone. The baker and his wife paid their eldest son little attention, and they turned back to their new daughter. They named her Mariana, and forgot about the daughter they had traded for strawberries.