Starling Rise

Chapter 2 Part 2: To Town

The next morning went pretty much the same way it always did. Papa left before dawn for work in the fields, and Eris and Willet sat down to a small meal of one fried egg and a biscuit with gravy.

"I have to go into town today," Mama announced to them as she swept ashes out of the brick fireplace. "So let's get all our work done quickly this morning." She shot her daughter a narrow look. "No fooling around."

Eris was too busy being excited to notice. "Woohoo! We're going to town! Yes!"

"Alright!" Willet slapped her upheld hand with a wide grin.

"I'll be getting herbs to color Eris's hair," Mama continued calmly.

Eris scowled and slouched in her chair.

"And no fussing from you." Mama tapped Eris on the shoulder as she went about cleaning up the breakfast supplies. "I'm going to have my hands full as it is since tomorrow is butter day."

Eris saw Willet wince. Every couple of weeks or so Mama would make butter in her churn, but the process was long, exhausting, and always put her in a bad mood. And when Mama was in a bad mood, nobody was happy.

While Willet stayed inside to do dishes, wash windows, and scrub the floors, Eris went outside to take care of her daily chores. She did them as fast as she could. What a day! Not only would she hear more about Mama's ancient book, but she was going into town too! She couldn't wait to see all the shops and the market and all the street entertainers! Maybe she and Willet would even get to play with other children!

Once the animals, barn, and outdoor cleaning were taken care of, Eris hurried over to the extensive garden that supplied all of their fruits and vegetables. Mama was already at work carefully planting seeds for carrots, beans, beets, and lettuce, kneeling in the dirt with her floppy wide hat hiding her face. Willet was carrying buckets of water toward the squash, pepper, and pumpkin patches.

When Eris ran up, Mama pointed toward several rows of young tomato plants. "Papa left some wooden rods in the shed. I need you to gently tie each of those plants to a rod with some twine."

Eris spun and took off for the shed, skipping as she went and humming happily. When she got back, she asked eagerly for more stories from the ancient book.

Mama complied with a half-smile. "I remember one section of the book had accounts of how everyday life used to be for the average human. In the mornings they would wake up and eat something called cereal which I think was like dried bread crumbs mixed with sugar and berries. Then they'd pour milk over it."

"Sugar for breakfast sounds great," Willet remarked longingly as he dumped water into a watering can.

"Shh!" Eris hissed.

Mama continued. "Life was a lot easier back then. They didn't have to grow their own food, or hunt. They didn't even have to cook if they didn't want to."

Eris' eyes widened. She couldn't imagine how one could possibly survive without cooking. "Even in the winter?!"

Mama nodded. "They had ways to preserve large amounts of food for a very long time. Also, shops back then often sold food already cooked, kind of like what some street vendors do today. Only back then there was more food than anyone could ever eat. They never ran out. Sometimes people even had meals delivered to their house."

What a smart idea, selling entire meals that were already cooked! It would save so much time not having to bend over coals or a Dutch oven every day. Genius! Enthralled, Eris didn't realize she'd frozen in place until Mama indicated she needed to return to sticking rods in the ground and tying tomato plants to them.

"When you're done start pulling weeds. Little ones are popping up already."

Once she made sure the children were working, Mama went on. She described wonders Eris couldn't even fathom; water from a pipe that could be hot or cold with just the turn of a knob, doors that opened by themselves, lights that worked without fire, wagons that moved without horses or oxen pulling them, and boxes with moving pictures and sounds inside. There was even machines that allowed humans to fly!

"Why don't we have such things anymore?" Eris demanded, pausing her weeding.

"The Celestulus probably took them all away," Willet guessed.

Mama nodded. "Willet is right, they did. And all the people who knew how to create or use them."

Eris now understood clearly why her father hated the Celestulus. They had taken everything from humans, and ruined their fun and easy lives! She placed her dirty hands on her hips indignantly. "How dare they! I'm never going to be friends with a Celestulus! Never ever!"

"Never ever!" Willet agreed with an emphatic nod.

Mama didn't look either pleased or displeased, but a strange look crossed her face that Eris didn't understand. "Let's hurry and finish this," she changed the subject abruptly. "We'll need to wash up and change clothes before we leave."

It was early afternoon by the time old Sran the mule was harnessed to the cart and they started on their way. Mama sat up front holding the reigns while Eris and Willet rode in the small cartbed, singing catchy tunes while waving to every passerby along the dirt road. It seemed like a lot more people smiled and waved to Willet than to Eris. Maybe it was because her hair was ugly. Suddenly getting it colored wasn't such a bad idea.

They rode into town one hour later, and the children sat up on their knees in the cart to gawk at everything in sight. Neither of them got to go to town more than a couple times a year if that, so the place always made Eris breathless with excitement. There were a lot more houses here that looked nicer and bigger than theirs. Also buildings with fancy fronts announced what they sold by decor and color. People were everywhere, walking mostly. Some rode horses or in wagons and carts like they did. Eris nearly stood up as they passed one building as big as a barn and surrounded by a pretty iron gate. What caught her attention were the dozens of children of all sizes playing in the large front yard. A few paused to look at her as the cart went by.

"Eris, sit!" Willet tugged her back down beside him as they continued on.

Mama reigned in the mule as the cart pulled up in front of a small storefront with creeping vines all over it and plants spilling out of the doorway and windows. "Stay put," she told them as she climbed down and tied Sran to a hitching post. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Then we can go to the dry goods store."

"Can we go back and play with the children in that barn house?" Eris pleaded desperately.

Mama shook her head, looking somewhat regretful. "They don't allow that. Those children are orphans. Their parents either died or couldn't take care of them, and they have no one to give them a home. So the community keeps them there for thirty days and hope someone will come to claim them."

"What happens after thirty days?" Willet asked curiously. "Do they go to another community?"

Eris felt it; a tiny, slight hesitation. "Yes," Mama replied with a quick smile. "Yes, they are taken to another community." With that, she turned and headed inside the plant store.

Eris frowned after her, unsure of what to make of it.

"Hey Eris, look." Willet pointed.

A few yards away some children were sitting on the steps of the next shop down, watching them. Eris stood and began to climb out of the cart. "Eris! What are you doing?" her cousin protested.

Eris shot him a mischievous grin. "Come on! Mama won't be back for at least ten minutes." She leaned closer and whispered urgently, "This is our only chance, Willet. Are you coming or not?"

*to be cont*