Cendra Jane Flaxfield paced worriedly in the kitchen. Though the family’s ancient heirloom watch had broken long ago, she could still estimate the time by how far the lone candle had burned down since she lighted it. It was around eleven, and the drumming of rain on the roof attested to how wild the night was outside. Lightning threw flashes of light through the kitchen window, and the thunder followed in a deep rumble.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjU5N3KKU9Y
Though Cendra could not see far through the buckets of rain falling, she knew that by now the river would be swollen and dangerous. The road would be slippery and muddy -- the bridge perhaps washed away. The strong winds threw the rain in constantly changing directions, as though angry at everything all at once. Travelling in this storm would be dangerous. But that was not what worried Cendra. She had no need to go anywhere tonight.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxakomOhYbH
It was her mother who she worried for.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsZFSMVBeM
A seamstress shop two miles away was the place where Mrs. Flaxfield worked. The tedious work hours stretched from seven in the morning to seven at night. More often than not her employer kept her till nine, taking care of extra tasks. She was not paid for the extra hours; they were looked upon as voluntary work. But there was an unspoken understanding that if she didn’t “volunteer” to complete the tasks, her employer would see no reason to continue paying her at all.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrAnlNeBVI
Because of this, it was in no way uncommon for her to be home late. But the time tonight was later than ever before, and it was possible that Mrs. Flaxfield was caught somewhere in the storm. Of course, it was also possible that she had not left before the rain started, and decided to stay in town. Cendra certainly hoped so, but she was afraid her mother would be too worried about her children to wait the storm out.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDo7XqljPd
A floorboard that Cendra stepped on as she walked back and forth squeaked in protest every time she stepped on it. At last she moved to the table to sit down, tired of pacing, and annoyed at the squeaky floorboard. She sat down on the chair. It squeaked.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0SrJiese1D
The whole house was falling apart. Slowly, over the years, the roof had begun to leak, the walls shifted, furniture broke, and the whole house seemed to reflect the misery of its occupants. If the squealing of the old wood was the house’s expression of pain or frustration, Cendra thought, then it certainly reflected her feelings at the moment.
The door opened, and a gust of wind chilled Cendra and nearly put out the candle. Mrs. Flaxfield stood in the doorway, struggling with her heavy bags, and completely drenched.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmbCf1NHnow
“Oh my gosh, Mom, are you okay?” Cendra exclaimed as she rushed to the door to take the bags. After quickly setting them aside, she helped her mother take off her soaking overcoat. The clothes underneath were just as wet. Cendra fetched a towel and wrapped it around her mother.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI8GtKsignj
“Thank you, dear,” the shivering woman said, teeth chattering, “How are the boys?”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwqOuEw31J
“The boys are just fine, Mom,” said Cendra exasperatedly, “But look at you! How can you worry about them when you are practically drowning?”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtpNqLG3LnC
She went over to the fireplace, where the tea kettle had been hanging over the coals for quite some time. After pouring a cup of tea, and adding a precious spoonful of honey, she brought it to her mother. She pulled another chair out, sat down, and at her mother’s request, gave an account of the day. Afterwards there was silence.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5DcAJ4I20H
Mrs. Flaxfield was of average height, though she appeared much smaller seated. Her wet hair was a greying blonde, and her eyes were clear blue. Cendra, who sat opposite to her, was also opposite in appearance. She was taller than her mother, about 5 11” perhaps, though she hadn’t any form of accurate measurement to go by. Her hair was a color indistinguishable between black and brown; in the dim lighting of the candle it looked black. Her eyes were a deep blue. Her appearance came from her father.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ95ksclri7M
“What happened to you, Mom?” Cendra broke the silence. “I mean, you arrived so late; there must have been something other than your usual extra duties.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTHkZkUyo2S
Her mother remained quiet for another moment. At last she replied, her voice low. “I lost the job.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1anZ6FVQKZ
“What? How?” Cendra gasped.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GAjqduPmo
“Cendra, dear, you know I’ve been very sick lately.” Mrs. Flaxfield said slowly.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqR7mUtbgv
“Yes?”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWTUyBkakjU
“Well, I’ve been getting to work late, and as you know, taking a lot of days off recently.” Her voice was tired. “My boss was very fed up with me. And today -- well, it was the last straw. I felt dizzy sometime after dinner, and lost consciousness for a while.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUB09c7t1yZ
“Oh no! How are you feeling now? Any better?”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSLGFsTL0J
“Yes, Cendra,” her mother replied, faintly smiling. “Please don’t worry about me. I’m fine. It’s just our financial situation that I’m worried about now. With my health, and limited capabilities, I don’t know what I’ll do, and we won’t last very long with the money we have. I’ll have to get a new job. Perhaps Farmer Stevin will give me some tasks to do on his farm; he’s always been nice to our family.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLoyBJFUTL
“Mom, you can’t work on a farm,” Cendra reminded her sadly. “The manual labor will be too much for you.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKMgHkDolQb
“Oh, I know,” her mother sighed. “I - I just can’t think of anything else to do.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmC0na5kSgj
At that moment, Mrs. Flaxfield looked so dejected that Cendra could have cried for her. Instead, she looked back quickly over her life. So many things had happened -- terrible things. The past two years had been relatively peaceful. She didn’t want to do anything dangerous -- to make any mistakes, or take any risks. But more than that, she didn’t want her mother to get hurt, ever again.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwsntEJNWp
“Mom,” she said, voice breaking, “you don’t have to do anything.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡClwa57hcDl
“What do you mean?” Tired, confused eyes looked at her.510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkR42FI9ZLR
“I mean,” Cendra said more firmly, and she meant every word of it, “I will get a job.”510Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCzuO1w4EUg
