For more years than Thale wished to admit, she had been alive. Gristle and bone with nothing much soft about her, by form or by her nature itself. Not once had she been thought of as a Lady. Gentile was neither her tone, her manner, nor anything in her coarse existence.
On that morning, she held to who she was and how she lived just like any other day. Upon her return to RhyDin from visiting family, she had put herself right back to work with the fish, nets, and bringing the fish to market for sale. The docks that day were loud with cries and calls of business and the hustle of cargo coming and going off of the ships.
The short, older woman slapped the hand of an urchin who was trying to snatch a fish from the back of her cart. ?What?s this? Stealin? from me? Off with ye now!? She grinned a frightening smile of cragged teeth that sent the boy bolting. The firsherwoman shook her head and adjusted the fop hat that had her grey hair stuffed up into it.
Thale suddenly sneezed and glanced to the sky and eyed it suspiciously. Clouds were the wrong shade and the air was still too crisp. Warm one day, cold the next. Bones and muscles were hurting more than usual. A gnarled, callused hand pulled a cloth from her trouser pocket and swiped it against her nose, then stuffed it back out of sight. Somewhere on the distance was the sound of thunder that clashed, not so much with its noise but with its comparison to the otherwise clear, cool day.
The sun had shifted enough in its ach of the day, enough to tell Thale that it was time to pack things up. Half shadows of the huddle-up buildings were growing longer by the minute. The clamor on the docks was not dying out entirely but shifting to a different, darker music of sounds. Some of the fish were dropped into the small barrel that was lined with salt while others were dropped into one with water. The ropes were tied from one backside of the flatboard cart to keep anything from slipping out.
Another sneeze caught the old woman off guard and set her cursing. The stiffness in her shoulders was ignored as she lumbered about the side of the cart and hauled herself up to the buckboard. She sighed and lightly slapped the reins down against the flanks of the old swayback horse to encourage him forward.
More thunder grumbled from the lace of clouds along the darkening horizon. As they invaded the area, Thale was pulling horse and cart to stop near her shack. She lumbered down the side of the cart until she stood beside it. With what strength she had left from the busy, long day she walked the old horse into the lean-to shed build in against the shack that served with enough room and shelter for the cart and the horse. The horse was unhitched and brought into his stall. Hay and feed were given to him. She left him with a light pat to the side.
Her feet in that old pair of sturdy boots dragged a bit more against the ground the usual. Thale was very tired today. A vague scratch in her throat urged a cough from her. She opened the door of her simple home and made her way inside. Rest was what she needed. Just a bit of rest while the prelude to an approaching Spring storm was crossing the distance slowly into the heart of RhyDin.
On that morning, she held to who she was and how she lived just like any other day. Upon her return to RhyDin from visiting family, she had put herself right back to work with the fish, nets, and bringing the fish to market for sale. The docks that day were loud with cries and calls of business and the hustle of cargo coming and going off of the ships.
The short, older woman slapped the hand of an urchin who was trying to snatch a fish from the back of her cart. ?What?s this? Stealin? from me? Off with ye now!? She grinned a frightening smile of cragged teeth that sent the boy bolting. The firsherwoman shook her head and adjusted the fop hat that had her grey hair stuffed up into it.
Thale suddenly sneezed and glanced to the sky and eyed it suspiciously. Clouds were the wrong shade and the air was still too crisp. Warm one day, cold the next. Bones and muscles were hurting more than usual. A gnarled, callused hand pulled a cloth from her trouser pocket and swiped it against her nose, then stuffed it back out of sight. Somewhere on the distance was the sound of thunder that clashed, not so much with its noise but with its comparison to the otherwise clear, cool day.
The sun had shifted enough in its ach of the day, enough to tell Thale that it was time to pack things up. Half shadows of the huddle-up buildings were growing longer by the minute. The clamor on the docks was not dying out entirely but shifting to a different, darker music of sounds. Some of the fish were dropped into the small barrel that was lined with salt while others were dropped into one with water. The ropes were tied from one backside of the flatboard cart to keep anything from slipping out.
Another sneeze caught the old woman off guard and set her cursing. The stiffness in her shoulders was ignored as she lumbered about the side of the cart and hauled herself up to the buckboard. She sighed and lightly slapped the reins down against the flanks of the old swayback horse to encourage him forward.
More thunder grumbled from the lace of clouds along the darkening horizon. As they invaded the area, Thale was pulling horse and cart to stop near her shack. She lumbered down the side of the cart until she stood beside it. With what strength she had left from the busy, long day she walked the old horse into the lean-to shed build in against the shack that served with enough room and shelter for the cart and the horse. The horse was unhitched and brought into his stall. Hay and feed were given to him. She left him with a light pat to the side.
Her feet in that old pair of sturdy boots dragged a bit more against the ground the usual. Thale was very tired today. A vague scratch in her throat urged a cough from her. She opened the door of her simple home and made her way inside. Rest was what she needed. Just a bit of rest while the prelude to an approaching Spring storm was crossing the distance slowly into the heart of RhyDin.