I wiped the perspiration off of my forehead and bent down to dig another row for the seeds. It had taken me three days to finish one acre of land, so at the rate I'm going I'll be done in... 12 days... Kill. Me. Now. No, don't do that, Stella and her family might go hungry. Well go ahead and kill Wicken for all I care. No wait, then Stella would still starve. Okay. Something to be thankful for, I never thought I'd say this, but I am thankful for work, and... ugh, Wicken. Oh no, I think I'm dying.
" Hi!" Stella called, she practically danced over to me from their small mud house a few blocks away.
" Hi." I scowled.
" What's wrong?" She asked her face concerned.
" I'm mad at myself." I said honestly.
" What did you do?" She asked still looking concerned.
" I said I was mad. I didn't say I would tell you why!" I grimaced.
" Whatever... I brought my weaving!" she yelled excitedly.
I nodded and got back to my work.
" So, did you hear about Tomas Greer?" Stella said, trying to make conversation.
" Who's he?"
She stared at me shocked. I lifted my eyebrows as if to say " Sorry, I'm clueless".
" He's just about the most famous actor ever! Not that I've ever seen him act. But I read about him in the newspaper." She said excitedly.
" That would explain everything."
She laughed.
" STELLA! Get over here now!" Wicken's strong voice called.
" Coming!" She half sang back.
" Run!" He yelled fiercely. Concern in his voice. Stella and I exchanged glances and both sprinted off towards their house. Me faster than Stella.
I pushed through the door and into the one open room. Ms. Siedel stood there trying to put out the flame.
" Wren! Get water!" Stella said panicking. " You're the fastest runner go!" she yelled.
I sprinted down to the river. I had grabbed the two buckets from the side of the house on my way. I quickly filled the buckets and was on my way as fast as I could without spilling. From 300 feet away I could see flames. But not in the house, on the field, a field fire. It would destroy all of there 6 acres of wheat that was about to be harvested. I had to do something. I made a quick decision, and ran towards the fields sloshing water everywhere until all the flames were out. I then ran as fast as I could back to the river to get water for the house. When I got back the flames were mostly out. I threw buckets of water on everything. When every single flame was out I finally relaxed.
" Is everyone okay?" I called loudly barely able to see through the steam and smoke.
" Wren!" Stella shrieked. I followed her voice outside to the yard where Ms. Siedel was lying on the grass, a damp towel across her legs.
" What happened?!" I asked Stella kneeling quickly at Ms. Siedel's side.
"She's burned. Badly." Stella said snidely. Wicken rushed out of the house.
" How bad is it?" he asked urgently.
" Bad. Thanks to someone." Stella said angrily.
I glanced at Wicken puzzled. He scowled at me.
" What's going on?" my voice was strong. Stella's jaw tightened. " Tell me." I demanded.
" This wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for you!" Stella yelled outraged.
" Stella, Wren did the right thing. Her choice was logical." Ms. Siedel groaned weakly.
" No Mother! Her choice was selfish!" Stella shouted leaping up from her mothers side and storming away.
I sat there. Contemplating.
" So, this is about my choice." I said slowly. " I chose to save the crops, instead of you." It had just come to me. My decision was selfish. It wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for me.
" I am so sorry." I said sincerely. " I'm so sorry."
" Wren, don't give yourself a hard time. You made the right choice." Ms. Siedel began.
" No." I jumped up, my hands clenched into fists. " I didn't."
I locked eyes with Wicken, his face showed worry, and strife.
I took of running back to my house. Swallowing my tears. I had done that. I had made someone suffer because of my selfish actions. Anger boiled in my blood. I wasn't mad at Stella, or even Wicken. I was infuriated with myself and my reaction to the situation. I was so distraught I wouldn't even examine my choices . All I could think about was what I did, instead of what I should have done. I didn't even think twice about what I did. I merely did what I did, and it caused Ms. Siedel and the whole family pain and suffering.
That night I got an unexpected visitor...
" Wren. It's Wicken, open the door."
" No. I don't want to see you." I said bluntly.
" The feeling is mutual. Open the door."
" No, if you don't want to be here leave!"
I heard him sigh. His heavy yet graceful footsteps walking back to his own house.
I popped up quickly from my cot and came to the door. I don't know why. But I did.
" Wait!" I said opening the door. Wicken spun on his heels to look at me. His sandy blonde hair lying perfectly on his head. " What?"
" Mom wanted me to come see you. Re assure you you made the right decision." He said bluntly.
" Oh, well you're failing. I made a horribly wrong decision and Stella will hate me forever for it. I'm sure." I tried to put on a strong face, but with every attempt I ended up frowing and feeling even more miserable.
" Wren," Wicken began softly. " I agree with mom."
" Well you-"
He inturupted me. " Think about it. Mom may be burned and bed ridden for a couple of weeks, but if the fire had burned down all of our wheat, we would have starved. Not to mention the fire would have spread throughout the whole village. We wouldn't be able to give the Kal all the bread required and we would all have neen tortured and killed. Think about it."
It took a moment to let that sink in. Maybe I had made the right decision after all, regardless of how selfish it was.
I nodded. " Yeah, I guess you're right." My vivid accent making him stifle a smirk. He turned around and began walking back to their charred house.
" Oh yeah, and I'm sure Stella will get over it. I'll try to talk some sense into her for you." he said in a hurry and was gone.
I went back inside and had dinner. Bread.
I re-happed the day that night while laying in my cot, Wicken's talked had made me feel a little better... A little.
" Hi!" Stella called, she practically danced over to me from their small mud house a few blocks away.
" Hi." I scowled.
" What's wrong?" She asked her face concerned.
" I'm mad at myself." I said honestly.
" What did you do?" She asked still looking concerned.
" I said I was mad. I didn't say I would tell you why!" I grimaced.
" Whatever... I brought my weaving!" she yelled excitedly.
I nodded and got back to my work.
" So, did you hear about Tomas Greer?" Stella said, trying to make conversation.
" Who's he?"
She stared at me shocked. I lifted my eyebrows as if to say " Sorry, I'm clueless".
" He's just about the most famous actor ever! Not that I've ever seen him act. But I read about him in the newspaper." She said excitedly.
" That would explain everything."
She laughed.
" STELLA! Get over here now!" Wicken's strong voice called.
" Coming!" She half sang back.
" Run!" He yelled fiercely. Concern in his voice. Stella and I exchanged glances and both sprinted off towards their house. Me faster than Stella.
I pushed through the door and into the one open room. Ms. Siedel stood there trying to put out the flame.
" Wren! Get water!" Stella said panicking. " You're the fastest runner go!" she yelled.
I sprinted down to the river. I had grabbed the two buckets from the side of the house on my way. I quickly filled the buckets and was on my way as fast as I could without spilling. From 300 feet away I could see flames. But not in the house, on the field, a field fire. It would destroy all of there 6 acres of wheat that was about to be harvested. I had to do something. I made a quick decision, and ran towards the fields sloshing water everywhere until all the flames were out. I then ran as fast as I could back to the river to get water for the house. When I got back the flames were mostly out. I threw buckets of water on everything. When every single flame was out I finally relaxed.
" Is everyone okay?" I called loudly barely able to see through the steam and smoke.
" Wren!" Stella shrieked. I followed her voice outside to the yard where Ms. Siedel was lying on the grass, a damp towel across her legs.
" What happened?!" I asked Stella kneeling quickly at Ms. Siedel's side.
"She's burned. Badly." Stella said snidely. Wicken rushed out of the house.
" How bad is it?" he asked urgently.
" Bad. Thanks to someone." Stella said angrily.
I glanced at Wicken puzzled. He scowled at me.
" What's going on?" my voice was strong. Stella's jaw tightened. " Tell me." I demanded.
" This wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for you!" Stella yelled outraged.
" Stella, Wren did the right thing. Her choice was logical." Ms. Siedel groaned weakly.
" No Mother! Her choice was selfish!" Stella shouted leaping up from her mothers side and storming away.
I sat there. Contemplating.
" So, this is about my choice." I said slowly. " I chose to save the crops, instead of you." It had just come to me. My decision was selfish. It wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for me.
" I am so sorry." I said sincerely. " I'm so sorry."
" Wren, don't give yourself a hard time. You made the right choice." Ms. Siedel began.
" No." I jumped up, my hands clenched into fists. " I didn't."
I locked eyes with Wicken, his face showed worry, and strife.
I took of running back to my house. Swallowing my tears. I had done that. I had made someone suffer because of my selfish actions. Anger boiled in my blood. I wasn't mad at Stella, or even Wicken. I was infuriated with myself and my reaction to the situation. I was so distraught I wouldn't even examine my choices . All I could think about was what I did, instead of what I should have done. I didn't even think twice about what I did. I merely did what I did, and it caused Ms. Siedel and the whole family pain and suffering.
That night I got an unexpected visitor...
" Wren. It's Wicken, open the door."
" No. I don't want to see you." I said bluntly.
" The feeling is mutual. Open the door."
" No, if you don't want to be here leave!"
I heard him sigh. His heavy yet graceful footsteps walking back to his own house.
I popped up quickly from my cot and came to the door. I don't know why. But I did.
" Wait!" I said opening the door. Wicken spun on his heels to look at me. His sandy blonde hair lying perfectly on his head. " What?"
" Mom wanted me to come see you. Re assure you you made the right decision." He said bluntly.
" Oh, well you're failing. I made a horribly wrong decision and Stella will hate me forever for it. I'm sure." I tried to put on a strong face, but with every attempt I ended up frowing and feeling even more miserable.
" Wren," Wicken began softly. " I agree with mom."
" Well you-"
He inturupted me. " Think about it. Mom may be burned and bed ridden for a couple of weeks, but if the fire had burned down all of our wheat, we would have starved. Not to mention the fire would have spread throughout the whole village. We wouldn't be able to give the Kal all the bread required and we would all have neen tortured and killed. Think about it."
It took a moment to let that sink in. Maybe I had made the right decision after all, regardless of how selfish it was.
I nodded. " Yeah, I guess you're right." My vivid accent making him stifle a smirk. He turned around and began walking back to their charred house.
" Oh yeah, and I'm sure Stella will get over it. I'll try to talk some sense into her for you." he said in a hurry and was gone.
I went back inside and had dinner. Bread.
I re-happed the day that night while laying in my cot, Wicken's talked had made me feel a little better... A little.
