Chapter 3 WS
The Smith
Mandy did not come yesterday, and by late afternoon of today I am giving up hope. A useless emotion, hope, and I was foolish to hope. Still, the last two days have been long, and I am incredibly lonely. So I lie on my rough bed, with a blanket wrapped around me, and for the first time contemplate fading. It would be so easy to just give up.
Then I hear hoof beats, was it Firefly carrying Mandy? I run to the mouth of the cave and feel sheer delight rush through me when I see it is her! She dismounts and leads Firefly towards me, smiling brightly.
'Hi Maeglin, sorry it's so late, but I couldn't get away any earlier. I had to go to a job interview yesterday, and today, well, you don't need to hear about today.'
'Mandy! It's good to see you!' I give in to my overwhelming feeling of relief and hug her close, and she hugs me back, then frees herself from my arms to start taking the saddlebags from Firefly's back, and I move to help her.
'You have a lot of things here,' I say as I place the bags I am carrying on the floor near my forge.
'I brought lots of things I thought you would need,' and she unpacks the things, showing me what she has. Quite a lot of food, bread, cheese, fruit, even some bacon and eggs. Books with shiny covers she says are magazines, and she opens one to show me. 'I thought you'd like these, but,' and she appears a little embarrassed, 'can you read this writing?'
'No,' I say disappointed. Then, 'perhaps you could teach me?' I ask.
'Yes, I'll teach you,' Mandy replies, and starts to show me how this writing system works. My eyes keep straying to the food, 'Maeglin, you're hungry, I think.' Mandy says, ' Let's eat, and then you'll be able to concentrate.'
'Yes, let's eat,' I say eagerly for I am rather hungry. As we cook the bacon and eggs, I ask Mandy how long she will stay.
'Long enough to help you eat some of these,' and she brings out a big bag of oddly shaped little..things. Presumably, they are edible.
'They are sweets, Maeglin, eat some!' Mandy was laughing at my no doubt suspicious expression. She takes a thing that is shaped like a tiny piece of fruit and pops it in her mouth, 'see, they are quite safe to eat!'
I reach into the bag, and take out two of these 'sweets' one shaped like a lemon and the other like a strawberry. I try the strawberry one first and I'm delighted by the sweet fruity flavour, so I rapidly eat several more. Mandy laughs at me, and I don't find it offensive in the least!
The Mortal.
Was Maeglin keen to see me! I am quite flattered by his greeting; it's nice to be so welcome after the usual shit I get at home. He seems cheerful and happy and really wants to learn when I start teaching him to read English.
Soon, though, his hunger gets the better of him, and he sits eating sweets while I finish cooking bacon and eggs for us; one thing Maeglin has is plenty of cooking equipment, and it is easy to prepare a meal for us both.
Maeglin clears his plate quickly, and then he surprises me by bringing out some wine.
'Let's drink this, I've been saving it for years, why I don't know,' says Maeglin getting up to look for glasses. 'You are staying the night, Mandy? It is dark now,' and Maeglin sits back down next to me as he pours some of the dark red wine into a glass for me.
'What a pretty glass,' I remark, holding it up to inspect it. 'Where did you get it, Maeglin?'
'I made it; in fact I have made most of the things in here. I've had plenty of time!'
'Yes, I suppose you have.'
We are silent for a while, Maeglin stares into the fire, his face closed and expressionless.
Finally, he breaks the silence, 'It is dark, Mandy, so perhaps you should stay again tonight?' He asks me this for the second time.
'I was hoping I could stay, and I have to be honest Maeglin, not entirely because I like you. I don't want to go home' I whisper.
The Smith
Now that surprises me, that Mandy doesn't want to go home. Carefully, I ask her why.
'Why is very difficult, Maeglin. Are you sure you really want to know?' she says, looking up from her wine glass.
'Absolutely,' I reply, and take her hand, 'I think I would be right in saying your family life is less than happy?' I do want to know, and not merely to satisfy my curiosity. Strangely, I feel almost an obligation to help Mandy if I can.
'Yeah, it put it mildly. My father died when I was six, my mother has been living with an asshole for ten years. God I hate him! He and my mother fight, and they both turn on me and blame me, but well, it's just so nasty to go home to;' her voice is soft. 'They both gamble, horses, poker machines, whatever. That's why I've worked part time for a couple of years, to have money for food and stuff. I don't want to go home, I don't know what I'll find,' She is weeping, now, and by instinct I gather her close and I let her cry. She is so young, little more than a child, I deem, and to know such a bitter life is very unfair. I find myself rocking her, and stroking her hair. I don't want her to leave; I want her to stay here, where she is safe. She cries for a long time before falling asleep in my arms.
The Mortal.
I wake in curled against Maeglin, my face pressed against his shoulder. He's wide-awake and when he feels me stir, he speaks, 'would you like some tea, Mandy? I'll make you some.'
'Yes, please, I think I need it.'
I watch as he makes tea and I offer some chocolate I brought. Maeglin exclaims in delight, somewhere he's had chocolate before.
It must be well after midnight but I'm not tired in the least, as I must have slept deeply earlier. Habit makes me check on Firefly before settling back down next to Maeglin and pulling a blanket about me.
'Mandy, you can here as often as you like, and stay as long as you want, you know.' Maeglin looks a little unsure as he makes his offer. 'Anytime you need somewhere to stay, and someone to talk to I'll be here,' he grins suddenly, 'It's not as if I can go anywhere else, but you're welcome whenever you like to come.'
I thank him, and we talk of nothing special. He asks a thousand questions about the things I had told him of two days earlier before I satisfy his curiosity, for now anyway.
Dawn is breaking when the conversation turns to Maeglin himself, and he tells me of his lonely childhood in some creepy dark forest called Nan Elmoth. Sounds like a place guaranteed to frighten a child half to death but except for having had no one to play he didn't seem to have minded it, or so he said.
I start yawning and Maeglin stops talking and stares at me, 'I'm sorry Mandy; I forgot you would need more rest than me. Why don't you lie down and have a sleep?'
Too tired to argue, I lie down and he covers me with a blanket, tucking it well around me. I fall asleep to the sound of his voice, murmuring soothingly in some strange liquid language.
The Smith
Mandy did not come yesterday, and by late afternoon of today I am giving up hope. A useless emotion, hope, and I was foolish to hope. Still, the last two days have been long, and I am incredibly lonely. So I lie on my rough bed, with a blanket wrapped around me, and for the first time contemplate fading. It would be so easy to just give up.
Then I hear hoof beats, was it Firefly carrying Mandy? I run to the mouth of the cave and feel sheer delight rush through me when I see it is her! She dismounts and leads Firefly towards me, smiling brightly.
'Hi Maeglin, sorry it's so late, but I couldn't get away any earlier. I had to go to a job interview yesterday, and today, well, you don't need to hear about today.'
'Mandy! It's good to see you!' I give in to my overwhelming feeling of relief and hug her close, and she hugs me back, then frees herself from my arms to start taking the saddlebags from Firefly's back, and I move to help her.
'You have a lot of things here,' I say as I place the bags I am carrying on the floor near my forge.
'I brought lots of things I thought you would need,' and she unpacks the things, showing me what she has. Quite a lot of food, bread, cheese, fruit, even some bacon and eggs. Books with shiny covers she says are magazines, and she opens one to show me. 'I thought you'd like these, but,' and she appears a little embarrassed, 'can you read this writing?'
'No,' I say disappointed. Then, 'perhaps you could teach me?' I ask.
'Yes, I'll teach you,' Mandy replies, and starts to show me how this writing system works. My eyes keep straying to the food, 'Maeglin, you're hungry, I think.' Mandy says, ' Let's eat, and then you'll be able to concentrate.'
'Yes, let's eat,' I say eagerly for I am rather hungry. As we cook the bacon and eggs, I ask Mandy how long she will stay.
'Long enough to help you eat some of these,' and she brings out a big bag of oddly shaped little..things. Presumably, they are edible.
'They are sweets, Maeglin, eat some!' Mandy was laughing at my no doubt suspicious expression. She takes a thing that is shaped like a tiny piece of fruit and pops it in her mouth, 'see, they are quite safe to eat!'
I reach into the bag, and take out two of these 'sweets' one shaped like a lemon and the other like a strawberry. I try the strawberry one first and I'm delighted by the sweet fruity flavour, so I rapidly eat several more. Mandy laughs at me, and I don't find it offensive in the least!
The Mortal.
Was Maeglin keen to see me! I am quite flattered by his greeting; it's nice to be so welcome after the usual shit I get at home. He seems cheerful and happy and really wants to learn when I start teaching him to read English.
Soon, though, his hunger gets the better of him, and he sits eating sweets while I finish cooking bacon and eggs for us; one thing Maeglin has is plenty of cooking equipment, and it is easy to prepare a meal for us both.
Maeglin clears his plate quickly, and then he surprises me by bringing out some wine.
'Let's drink this, I've been saving it for years, why I don't know,' says Maeglin getting up to look for glasses. 'You are staying the night, Mandy? It is dark now,' and Maeglin sits back down next to me as he pours some of the dark red wine into a glass for me.
'What a pretty glass,' I remark, holding it up to inspect it. 'Where did you get it, Maeglin?'
'I made it; in fact I have made most of the things in here. I've had plenty of time!'
'Yes, I suppose you have.'
We are silent for a while, Maeglin stares into the fire, his face closed and expressionless.
Finally, he breaks the silence, 'It is dark, Mandy, so perhaps you should stay again tonight?' He asks me this for the second time.
'I was hoping I could stay, and I have to be honest Maeglin, not entirely because I like you. I don't want to go home' I whisper.
The Smith
Now that surprises me, that Mandy doesn't want to go home. Carefully, I ask her why.
'Why is very difficult, Maeglin. Are you sure you really want to know?' she says, looking up from her wine glass.
'Absolutely,' I reply, and take her hand, 'I think I would be right in saying your family life is less than happy?' I do want to know, and not merely to satisfy my curiosity. Strangely, I feel almost an obligation to help Mandy if I can.
'Yeah, it put it mildly. My father died when I was six, my mother has been living with an asshole for ten years. God I hate him! He and my mother fight, and they both turn on me and blame me, but well, it's just so nasty to go home to;' her voice is soft. 'They both gamble, horses, poker machines, whatever. That's why I've worked part time for a couple of years, to have money for food and stuff. I don't want to go home, I don't know what I'll find,' She is weeping, now, and by instinct I gather her close and I let her cry. She is so young, little more than a child, I deem, and to know such a bitter life is very unfair. I find myself rocking her, and stroking her hair. I don't want her to leave; I want her to stay here, where she is safe. She cries for a long time before falling asleep in my arms.
The Mortal.
I wake in curled against Maeglin, my face pressed against his shoulder. He's wide-awake and when he feels me stir, he speaks, 'would you like some tea, Mandy? I'll make you some.'
'Yes, please, I think I need it.'
I watch as he makes tea and I offer some chocolate I brought. Maeglin exclaims in delight, somewhere he's had chocolate before.
It must be well after midnight but I'm not tired in the least, as I must have slept deeply earlier. Habit makes me check on Firefly before settling back down next to Maeglin and pulling a blanket about me.
'Mandy, you can here as often as you like, and stay as long as you want, you know.' Maeglin looks a little unsure as he makes his offer. 'Anytime you need somewhere to stay, and someone to talk to I'll be here,' he grins suddenly, 'It's not as if I can go anywhere else, but you're welcome whenever you like to come.'
I thank him, and we talk of nothing special. He asks a thousand questions about the things I had told him of two days earlier before I satisfy his curiosity, for now anyway.
Dawn is breaking when the conversation turns to Maeglin himself, and he tells me of his lonely childhood in some creepy dark forest called Nan Elmoth. Sounds like a place guaranteed to frighten a child half to death but except for having had no one to play he didn't seem to have minded it, or so he said.
I start yawning and Maeglin stops talking and stares at me, 'I'm sorry Mandy; I forgot you would need more rest than me. Why don't you lie down and have a sleep?'
Too tired to argue, I lie down and he covers me with a blanket, tucking it well around me. I fall asleep to the sound of his voice, murmuring soothingly in some strange liquid language.