Silent Pain

26

As winter ended with the last blizzard of the year and lasted almost a week, death fell quickly onto the village; Miranda was busy comforting those who lost their loved ones in the cold due to illness or freezing. Marie was set to work to help with houses, fixing them up a bit more.

"Lord Marie." She was caught off guard by one of the villagers who held a little girl in her arms, "Yes, ma'am?" She looked at the little girl and smiled, "I was wondering if you could help us out... My daughter's room is the warmest in the house; we wanted her to be safe during winter. However, the roof is leaking. Snow is coming in through the ceilings. Could you possibly lend us a bit of wood to patch it?"

Marie looked down at the pile in her arms and hummed, "I will tell you what, give me tomorrow, and I will see to your roof. Then we can find the wood type, and I can fix it up brand new for you." The woman looked at her and smiled. "Oh... Mother Miranda blesses you; what will the cost be?" "I won't know till I see it."

The woman nods, and Marie writes down which house she lives in and writes her name, "Thank you so much, Lord Marie." The woman bows and leaves to finish her shopping.

Marie sighed as she picked up the wood and took it to the house she was fixing.

Hopping onto the ladder, she climbed up and looked at the second-story paneling. It was damaged due to the high winds and snow. She started working on the paneling to ensure she had cut it correctly.

Before Marie finished, she had to work around the window ledges. She rounded the edge and nodded when she saw no more damage but backed up gutters. Furrowing her brows, the Lord cleaned the snow and ice from them. "Look out from below," Marie called as she pushed pounds of ice and snow off the gutters and roof. "Watch out from above." A familiar voice called up, and she looked down from the roof she was standing on.

From below was the man she was fixing his roof for, "Hello, Joseph." She called and smiled. "Lord Marie, I'm grateful you are fixing the roof and wall paneling, but you don't have to clean the gutters. I can do that on my own." He said. Marie climbed down from the second story and smiled at him. "I can get it. I was up there already and didn't want you to get injured." She said.

The man sighed and smiled. "Well, it certainly helps. I appreciate it." He smiled as they went inside. Marie pulled the list from her jacket and marked off the house, "To what do I owe you?" He offers, and she sums up the pay and hums, "Possibly about 100 lei." She says she had yet to use all the wood, so Marie cut him about what she used.

He hums and finds all he has. Marie waited patiently as he pulled the small bag out, "If need be, I can give you until the end of the month?" The older man sighs and smiles. "Oh, you're so blessed. Thank you so much, Lord Marie."

She writes down how much he owes her and the date it's due by "Here." She handed him the small paper, and he slipped her about 20 Lei. "This is what I can give now. Save me for food, please." She nods and smiles. "You will find me at my stand in a month or on the weekends." He nods and shakes her hand.

She leaves with the 20 Lei, the wood, and a reminder for herself. Once she returns to her stand, she puts the wood up and sets the money in a box with only locks she knows the code to. "Marie, hard at work?" She looks up and finds Miranda herself. "Yes. The blizzard damaged Many houses around here, so I've been helping. Fixing houses, gathering wood for them, all the above. They pay me for it."

Miranda licks her lips and sighs, "Could I ask how many favors you have to do?" "I'll work throughout the week, getting paneling and roofs done. Why did you need something? I'm not working with statutes or woodworking until we get past these dreary times."

Miranda hums and nods. "Nothing statue-like, just could you put me down on the list of damages?" Marie looked up at the woman, worried, "Did your house get damaged?" "No, dear, I'm more protected from the winds and elements than you know. However, as holy and graceful as it is... The church did not."