Chapter Nine – Situation
Offering to work was one thing, finding out their offer was accepted but that at the end of it there would be no money was another. Goodwife Morwen's husband was called Tanner and although it was he who swayed the conversation around to letting them help out, because of the harvest, and while he was the man of the farm, it was clear that she wore the trousers. The wolfhounds were hers and she would as quickly set them on him as on thieves.
"I'm tellin' you all now, straight, all three of yer, an' that be you'n'all Tanner, there's never harm in remindin' yer from time ter time, them dogs bite be worse than their bark. But watch yer ways as my bark be worse than theirs. Is me meanin' clear?"
Three heads nodded in unison.
They really had to come up with some kind of story to account for their sudden appearance in a glider in a land they didn't know. Telling the complete truth was out of the question. Pazu partly lied about their glider crash. It wasn't a complete lie as it did in fact contain a lot of truth but he carefully adjusted the sequence of events and changed the cause and effect in a few places. He wove a story about their travelling to Gondoa in a passenger airship to visit Sheeta's relatives when they were attacked by pirates and they'd escaped in a lifeboat. Sheeta listened to his tale and found herself impressed by his ability to tell a good story. He ought to give up mining and go on the stage, play a couple of trumpet tunes, tell a few jokes and then tell marvellous stories. She kept a poker face, carefully appearing upset at all the right places.
Yes, they were going to Gondoa (but not at the time they were attacked); yes, they were in an airship (but they had been the pirates, not the innocent party); yes they had been attacked (but by the Goliath and not by pirates; although it had been Sheeta who had been attacked by Dola's gang some time earlier); and yes they had escaped in the glider, only it wasn't a lifeboat. The two elements Pazu kept hidden were Laputa and the presence of the army and the government's interests as represented by Muska. Morwen's earlier mention of soldiers and a worsening situation led him to think that the military were best left unmentioned. As was the fact that Sheeta was royalty. Mm, no sir, no need to mention that at all.
"What be this airship?" enquired Tanner.
"The Albion," Pazu smoothly replied, naming a railway engine that worked the mineral line in the Ravine.
"Niver heard of her."
"She wasn't a big vessel, and was quite old," Pazu squirmed.
"Hm."
Tanner didn't sound convinced.
"Well, then, young Pazoo, lets not worry about the poor old Albion now. Ye can help me with the harvest. It's root vegetables mostly; carrots, potatoes, sugarbeet, parsnips, some beans oh, and the two top fields of barley. Ye and me together it'll take us about a week. That be alright with yer?"
"Yes, thank you."
"Don't be thankin' me yet, lad, be thankin' me when we's done. It'll be hard work, and I won't put up wi' no slackin' neither. Long days, work hard, earn yer keep. Are ye understandin' me now?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. And goodwife, what have yer for Miss Sheeter to be doin'?"
"Well now, that's not so easy. What with you and that ankle of yours. There's the cows to be a milked, hens eggs needs collectin', the laundry, although that'll be difficult fer yer. But yer can help me with the meals, I'll be cooking' fer four now instead of two so if yer pulls half of that work off me, that'll do. And the same goes for yer too, girly. I won't be puttin' up with no time wasters in my kitchen. And the hounds won't be putting up with them in the yard neither."
"I understand Morwen, I'll work hard."
"Just yer see that yer do."
"And when we're all done, you an' me boy, will take the wagon to town and sell to the market traders. We keeps a fair bit back to see us through the winter but we won't be comin' home wi' no sacks o'cash I kin promise ye that. I has to buy seed for nex' year, and animal feed fer the winter, and pay for repairs and such like. Some cash has to be kept back for 'mergencies too. But when we's all done what I'll do is take ye to the hardware store and ye can buy yerself yer supplies and such. And you, miss, hm, looks ter me like yer could use some better clothes. And o' course the two of ye gets a roof over yer heads and meals. I can't offer yer more than that."
"No, that's very kind of you, thank you very much."
"As I said, lad, don't be thankin' me before we's done, ye might not stand the pace."
"Do you do this every year – on your own?"
Tanner and Morwen shared a look. Morwen looked away. Sheeta caught that look. She had seen it on her grandmother's face. It was a look of sadness. A sadness a person carries with them when death has passed by.
"No lad, this year be different. I usually have help but not this year."
"Mister Tanner," asked Pazu, thinking a change of subject was needed, "can I ask, where are we exactly?"
"My word, lad, ye have got yerself lost now haven't ye? Did I hear ye say you wuz from Slag's Ravine? Well this is Marinaer, ye must have heard of us?"
"Oh, yes, Numenaor's to the south of here, across the Sea of Neb."
"That be it. And the port just up here a way be Porthaven. Not a big place mind but see the thing is the fleet has a squadron o' battleships based there which is why peoples is worried."
"Why are they worried?"
"On account of the situation o'course! Have ye not heard of it down Numenaor way, lad? You lot are alongside us in this mess after all, what with your King dependent so much on our coal. It be the Restormellians who be causing all the stink. Them coal mines up on the north border at Greycastle. Them's disputed territories see? We runs them mines right now – huge mines, enough good coal down there to fill every hearth and furnace and warships firebox for a hundred years they say. But its right on the border wi' the Kingdom o' Restormel and there's been this dispute bubblin' away some time now. And peoples is thinkin' the politicians is a bored of talkin' now and will be gettin' their armies and fleets mobilized. So what with the battle squadron at Porthaven, the place has become a target. So peoples is a leavin' and that's why goodwife Morwen gave yer such a warm welcome earlier. We've had tae put up wi' lots of travelers comin' through here in recent weeks, people gettin' away and going inland. And o' course once groups o' peoples gets on the move they gets this idea in their heads that the law don't apply to them no more and they starts tae cause trouble fer us farmers."
"I know Restormel, it's the Kingdom south of Gondoa," Sheeta interrupted, "Is that why we can't get to Gondoa from here?"
"That be right, miss. No one be allowed across the border between here and Restormel now, it's been closed a week at least."
"We never heard of this. We were flying then," Pazu observed aloud, mostly for Sheeta's benefit so that their story would hold up.
"Can we get across any other way?"
"Ye can try a ship, if ye kin find a captain that'll take yer," Tanner suggested, "But Restormellian gunboats be patrolling their coast too, some of 'em come south and interfere with our fishermen, some days, which means the King of Marinaer has some cruisers operating off that north coast now too, and a couple of airships. 'Tis all gettin' very messy up there children, ye could be sunk by either side, people is so nervous, I would'nae wish tae try it."
"There is another way," Pazu said, looking at Sheeta. She knew at once what he meant, "Mister Tanner, can I bring our glider down and store it in one of your sheds, please? I may have a use for it later."
"Ye means the lifeboat. Albion's lifeboat."
"Uh, yes, the lifeboat."
"Ye called it 'our glider', lad."
"Uh, did I?" Pazu was sweating. Damn, that was a stupid slip.
Tanner gave him a long careful look.
"Aye, ye can keep it in the north end of the cart shed, there be space there. But if ye leaves and ain't back in a month, I'll claim it as me own and sell it. So yer gets a month free rent. Alright?"
"Yes, I understand."
"But ye know lad. This situation could get bad. It could come to war. If'n all ye's doing is goin' tae see young Sheeter's relatives, wouldn't it be best to cancel yer trip? I mean," he again looked hard at Pazu, and the boy became more nervous, "'tis none of my business, but it seems ye should stay well away from the border until things calm down."
Pazu had no immediate response to this eminently sensible suggestion. He glanced at Sheeta. Her face was a mask, no emotion showed there.
--I--
---o-o-oOo-o-o---
I I
Pazu kicked himself. He'd gone down the garden to use the latrine shed. Sitting there, thinking, as you do, he discovered that as a liar he was useless. He'd found in the Ravine there was no point lying to anyone about anything. The township was such a close community that gossip would get around faster than any story you made up to contradict it. So he had discovered early on that honesty paid off. Or rather, that lying didn't, because sooner or later it came back to bite you. The fanciful tale he'd related to Tanner and Morwen about how they had come to crash land a glider in their sheepfold was the only lie he'd told that he could remember. The thing was, even though he knew Tanner knew he was lying, he simply couldn't tell them the truth. It was too risky.
--I--
---o-o-oOo-o-o---
I I
"Morwen?"
"Yes, Pazu?"
It was a little later and Tanner had taken Sheeta out in the yard to show her the cow shed and the hen coop.
"About where Sheeta and I will sleep. Well, we aren't married. She and I are just friends. I'm just escorting her to Gondoa, for her safety, so, um, it wouldn't be right for us to share a room. I know you said you had only one room empty, so I think it would be best if she slept there and I can sleep anywhere, down here in the scullery or in the barn."
"Well, if you just be friends she kin have the bed and you the floor. Seems alright to me."
"Oh." Pazu looked at his feet.
"Be that a problem for yer?"
"Well, actually," Pazu was turning pink, "I do quite like her and she likes me, and, well I don't think it would be good for us to share a room. I wouldn't want us to be, uhm, tempted, if you know what I mean."
"Has yer asked her te marry yer yet?" she smiled. She was quite a handsome woman when she smiled.
"Marry her?" Pazu was shocked.
"Oh, I knew you two was in love, the moment I saw yer. It's written all over her face and mostly on yers too."
"It is…?"
where? show me! what does it look like?
"But I understands, Pazu, if yer don't want ter put yerself in the hands of temptation, if yer plans ter marry and such and wants ter keep yerself a veergin," she emphasized the word heavily and gave him a big wink, "then I'll find somewhere for yer. How be that?"
"Er… yes… thank you. I think that would be best."
what on earth was a 'veergin' anyway? and how did he go about keeping one to himself?
Pazu knew it wouldn't be best. He knew it would be awful. The minute he told her he knew it would be a disaster. He didn't want to sleep apart from her any more than he knew Sheeta would be upset when she found out, but he thought about this morning and that powerful unwanted feeling he'd had, and knew that if her saw her unclothed again, or even in just a vulnerable situation - such as asleep - he felt he wouldn't be responsible for what might happen.
--I--
---o-o-oOo-o-o---
I I
"You said what?"
"I just thought it would be for the best."
"Oh, you did, did you?"
"Yes. I know it's not an ideal situation…"
"Not ideal? Ideal? What on earth does that mean? Of course it's not ideal!"
"Ah…"
"Yes, so you should 'ah', you should be sorry for yourself. Pazu, what's the matter with you? We spent last night together, and most of the night before that, in the glider as well, and before that, we… well we've been through so much. At the fortress, when you rescued me. I've never seen anything like it, I felt so excited, I thought we were perfect for each other. And on Laputa, at the end... Pazu I thought we were...," tears welled up in her eyes, "Since we landed, you seem to have changed. You're acting so different. Tell me what it is."
Pazu looked uncomfortable, he couldn't meet her gaze. They were outside in the lane a little way from the farm and it was dark now. He had spent the day making trips between the glider and the cart shed, dismantling it and dragging it in pieces into storage. He had salvaged anything of use, all the tools, and various other bits and pieces. Sheeta had spent the day sat in the yard in the sun, Morwen's two hounds laid out contentedly at her feet. She'd sewn together a knapsack for him from some of the canvas sheeting from inside the cockpit. She had done a lovely job as well, there were four inside pockets and a small compartment in the cover with a button fastening so he could keep small things like coins or a compass in there, and she'd used a bone toggle on the flap to close it. She felt so pleased when she'd finished it. It was in the kitchen now, she had planned to give it him as a gift, as a thank you for her crutch. Now she wasn't sure what she would do with it.
He sat down on a big stone at the roadside. He patted a space on it next to himself.
"Come and sit."
"No, I'd rather stand, thank you."
"Your ankle needs to be rested."
"I'll rest it tonight, in bed. There'll be plenty of room."
"Sheeta, please."
"Don't 'Sheeta please', me Pazu, can't you see how unhappy you're making me?"
"If you would give me a chance I'm trying to tell you something."
"Well spit it out, then I can go to my room."
"That isn't making it any easier."
"It wasn't intended to, Pazu. Can't you see? How upset I am, I thought we could really get to know each other on this journey."
"We will. I want to. But I can't sleep with you. If that's what you wanted."
"What sort of girl do you think I am? But you can share a room with me can't you? I'm not that obnoxious am I?"
what had he said? 'sleep with you' - that's what he'd meant, to share a room. had she thought he'd meant something else?
Pazu put his head in his hands. why are girls so hard to talk to? it's like another language, they twist and turn everything against you.
"Sheeta, let me speak."
She stared at him, eyes wide, nostrils flaring.
"Go on then, but be quick, it's nearly time I was all tucked up in bed like the little girl I am."
"I like you a lot, Sheeta. Lots and lots. A very big lot. And...," he trailed off.
"I like you a lot too. Get to the point."
"Sheeta, I'm sorry, I don't know how to say this. I've never known a girl before. I don't know what to do."
"Well my first piece of advice is don't annoy her!"
"What's the matter with you? Do you want me to grovel? Is that what you want? To throw myself down in the road at your feet and say sorry? To go back to Morwen and told her I made a mistake and we would rather share a room? Hm?"
"It wouldn't make any difference. Talk to me again when you've grown up, Pazu."
She turned and hobbled away up the lane. He called after her,
"How can I talk to you when you won't listen?"
She kept going until she'd reached the farm gate. She turned, and shouted,
"Pazu rom! How can I listen when you won't talk to me?" (1)
She went inside. The wagon gate slammed closed behind her. Pazu picked up a stone out of the dust in the road. He played with it for a moment, bouncing it on his hand. Then in disgust he hurled it at the wall opposite. It pinged off and vanished into the night. He stood up, stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned down the lane away from the farm. He needed a long walk. And a long think.
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5 - 6 March 2007
(1) "rom" in the Gondoan tongue is a warning to stop or shut up. It is insulting too and is part of a longer curse that is the greatest insult possible. "Rom" is often spoken instead of the full curse and usually honour requires that weapons be drawn once the full curse is uttered, or at the very least physical violence will follow.
For author notes about Chapter Nine, please see my forum (click on my pen name)