The Dresses Three

Chapter 4: Spinning the Light

"The three of you? Who was the third?" Mercy asked, the rhythmic sounds of the spinning wheel continuing on.

"Dadus' wife, my last apprentice, Petra."

"So, the loom and wheel inside belong to her?"

"They would have," Johanna sighed as she sat at her own spinning wheel. She, too, began to spin. Mercy didn't see what she was spinning with, however. It wasn't long before she realized that Johanna was simply going through the motions; her bobbin wasn't collecting any thread.

"So... what happened? Is the accident what twisted Dadus' leg?"

"Yes. It was a common thing, really; a spooked horse and a wagon full of cloth. Dadus' leg was caught in the reigns and he was dragged for a long distance. But, he was the lucky one. Petra, trying to stop the horses, was trampled, then run over by the cart. She might have survived one or the other but not both."

"I'm so sorry, Johanna," Mercy said, the emotion strong in her voice.

"I tried, though. Dadus loved her so. I was afraid that I'd lose them both if I didn't. So, I spun life and dressed Petra in it. It wasn't enough. She needed more life than I had the ability to give."

Johanna's sadness permeated the yard and Mercy found herself swallowing past a lump in her throat. She slowly stopped spinning and soon, the silence engulfed everything.

"Johanna? Did—Did you spin your life away for Petra?"

Johnanna looked at her hands. "Aye, I did. For my boy's happiness. In the end, we both left him alone. He hated me for a long time, but I haven't been able to leave here."

"Why not?"

The pale woman cleared her throat. "One day, when I was about your age, there was a Priestess who came by. We, of course, offered her hospitality. On her way out, she told me that, at some point in the future, a young woman would come my way and I would teach her all I knew. It would be important."

"And you think that woman is me?" Mercy asked.

"I do," Johanna said, nodding. "I believe that you are, at last, the apprentice I was tasked with teaching. Once I teach you, I can finally go on about my journey and give my Dadus some peace. He's learned to not hate me by now, of course, but I think he will be happy to see me go, none-the-less."

Mercy began to spin again. "Can he see you?"

"Oh yes. But, I stay out of his way mostly. Though, I find that I simply cannot stay away from my spinning wheel." She, too, took up the rhythm again.

They worked in silence for a time as the sun climbed high in the sky. At last, Mercy broke the quiet and said, "I think I have the hang of this now, Johanna. I'd like to give my magic a try."

"Oh! Yes! I think that's a splendid idea!" Johanna said. "I'm quite interested to see it in person. How do you do it?"

"Well, to me, nothing changes about what I do or how I work. I've been told by others, however, that I work so fast they can't follow my motion," Mercy explained

"So, to you, it is as if the world slows down, but to them you speed up?"

"Yes! Exactly!"

Johanna nodded. "Got it! Okay, let's see what you can do with the sunlight!"

Mercy took a deep breath and blew it out. Her awareness narrowed until it was just her and her wheel. She noticed that there were subtle shifts in the design and it truly became hers, with all the modifications necessary to accommodate her speed. She smiled... and set to work.