Maiden Wreath

Part 6

We didn't sleep in the house during summer, but in haylofts filled with freshly gathered hay. It smelled heavenly there, except the strength of cows from downstairs, but when you kept the hatch closed, it wasn't that bad to scare us off. We felt like royalty there – three sisters alone. Who'd give up that liberty merely because some cattle?

I was surprised we were allowed to sleep there this week. I was sure that if we asked we'd be grounded immediately, so we didn't bring it up in conversations. Except Viika, who was stupid enough to ask it out loud in dinner table that evening.

We sat there dumbfounded, Erika and I, waiting Hagen's verdict on the matter, secretly scolding Viika for opening her mouth and promising to remove this hindrance tongue of hers the moment we were alone.

"I suppose there is no harm letting girls sleep there now." Mom interrupted the eerie silence. "They still are free maidens after all."

We pound our heads, all blushing heavily - free indeed.

"I see no harm in it either - they have their heads on their shoulders and know how to use them." Father add, which assured my rising suspicion that parents hadn't learned about our little mischievous actions today.

"Oh, they do have a way of using them." Magnus gave Hagen a a splenetic smile.

Surely, Viika could live her life nicely without her tongue, couldn't she? I mean, if she knew how to use it in such splendid ways, the removing might be seen mostly as a virtue by others, right? Silence is gold while speaking is silver – isn't that what the old folks say?

Apparently parents didn't hear what Magnus said or refused to hear it, for which I was thankful, but father's brows did come slightly closer to the ground. It was common knowledge that young men visited us in those late hours or we ran out to visit others. We talked mostly, but tell that to our guardians. Because of the "mostly" part in the sentence is why we did it in discrete secrecy.

Sören frequently came after the sunset to speak with Erika. Viika immediately took offence of him barging in like that in the middle of the night and us keeping her up with our talk that she promised to tell father and Hagen about it. But that would've meant her losing that only precious part of her body she used the most generously. So habitually it started to intervene with her health as far as we were concerned. The only one good reason I used to keep her shut – and which appeared to work! - was that I promised never to get married and sleep with her up in the hayloft for the next five summers at least and start yelling "thief!" on any boy, who wished to talk to her in the dark and see how she liked it. Either it was my empty threat or her not being such blabbermouth she often proved herself to be, but parents never learned about our nightly guests.

If I remembered it right, the "thief!" promise was what Zharah used on me, too, when I got way too "excited" with her friend ruthlessly rushing in the moment the lights in the main house disappeared. When you are not interested in boys, it can be rather displeasing listening them snuggling on your sisters not more than few feet from where you tried to sleep. 

"I put it on their own conscious to keep their honor intact." Father said grimly and rose to leave. The matter was settled, we were allowed to continue sleeping in the hayloft.

By the time we finished cleaning up after the dinner, the weather had gone for the better. It was long up to sunset yet and we spent that time working on our dresses. Also, it gave me hope we get to the hayloft dry feet.

I took a deep breath, standing on the open door.  It smelled a lot better than before and fresher. The high grass was dripping heavily from the water that threatened to break the leaves in half. Silence had fallen over the village, except few dogs barking few houses back and dragonflies, who were seeking their partners in the evening. It was too late for butterflies, only few slithered by while I stood there. Cuckoo called in the woods, playing hide-and-seek with itself as no body else seemed interested. The wood was full of voices as usual and it made me feel secure. Had they stopped, I'd known something was out of place or some unknown forces were hiding there.