Erulisse Dances

"Oh!, she exclaimed to herself. "It's my birthday today! I wonder if I'll get a cake, maybe a nice meal? Or … we harvested apples the other day. Maybe an apple pie?" Shaking her head, she shivered in the cool autumn breeze and quickly pulled on her clothing. Wrapping a warm shawl around her, she wandered down the rough-hewn stairs towards the warmest room in the house - the kitchen.

Mam was there, stirring the soup in the pot before returning it to the fireplace flames. On the table were several bags and two bowls, but there was no hint of what she would be making. The bags were the same as others on the shelf; the bowls were usually either on the sideboard or at the table where she saw them now. Maybe Mam had forgotten it was her birthday.

"Oh, Katy. I'm glad you're up. Could you eat your breakfast quickly? I need you to run to Miz Enninger's and pick up four eggs for me. She's expecting you. Be quick about it, though."

I practically gobbled my breakfast - cooked grain with a bit of honey for sweetness. I knew Mam had added the honey as a treat, and it was a fine breakfast indeed.

"Grab an apple to eat on your way, and get you going. I need those eggs."

Nodding, I took an apple from the basket and grabbed my cloak, because although it was early Fall, the weather was changing and getting ready for the deep cold ahead. Opening the door, the wind practically blew the door open, and it was a hard pull to get it shut tightly again, but I was soon on the way, bending hard against the cold wind.

Down the hill and to the right, up the squiggly road that followed the meandering stream, I came to the small bridge that would lead to Miz Enninger's homestead. She was outside in the yard, tossing grain to a flock of clucking chickens, all pushing at her for their food.

"Hello Katy! What brings you here today?"

"Mam says she needs four eggs," I called out to her, over the crowd of clucking curious chickens.

"Oh, of course. I'll settle up with her next market day. There's a bowl inside the house in the kitchen. Just help yourself. Be sure to wrap them well, though. They will crack if they roll around too much."

I nodded and headed in to the house, grabbed the eggs, and was ready to leave when Miz Enninger came through the door. She dusted the chicken feed dust off her hands, and firmly pushed one stubborn hen to the side to close the door behind her.

"Katy, could you do me a big favor?"

"Yez'm, but Ma, she needs these eggs."

"I'll take them up to her, we haven't had a chance to catch up for a week or so. But I'm running low on grain for the chickens and the boys are in the fields helping with the harvest. Could you go down to the granary for me and get a small sack of grain? I'll give you the coin for payment."

Katy looked around and realized it was still early in the morning. "I'd be happy to help, Miz Enninger," and she took the coins and headed in the direction of the silo and mill. She always loved this part of her world; the mill was located on the banks of a rushing stream. The mill's owner had altered the water's flow a bit to allow the water's power to move the grinding stonse over the raw grains, turning them into flour. He also sold raw grain, and that was what she needed for the chicken feed.

She started skipping down the pathway, then reminded herself. I turned twelve today - almost grown. It's 'undistinguished' to be skipping through town like a child! Despite wanting to act older, she couldn't resist another few skips before settling into a more sedate pace. All too soon, she was at the mill purchasing two bags of grain for the chickens.

"I'd be happy to deliver these to Miz Enninger if you have other errands you need to get done," he said to Katy. Her eyes sparkled as she nodded in agreement.

"Mam gave me a whole coin of my own for my birthday. I wanted to go to the "Hook and Eye" for some needles and maybe a new skein of yarn."

"Well now, that sounds a good idea, Katy. You go ahead now and I'll see this grain delivered before lunch."

Nodding her thanks, she continued down into the small town. Here she was greeted periodically by a variety of people, many of whom were wishing her a "Good Birthday", including Mrs. Hanson, the owner of the small produce market; Mr. Peabody who ran the local tavern and eatery, and even old Mistress Blount nodded hello and wished her a curt, if not heartfelt, birthday greeting. It was turning into a special day indeed.

As she entered the Hook and Eye, her eyes widened as she looked at the multitude of colors and types of yarns and threads available for her to choose between. She took a deep breath and started walking down the rows of shelving, and around the walls displaying brightly colored yarns spun into yarns of different thicknesses and appearances.

"Can I help you find something, Katy?" a cheery voice spoke from behind her.

"Miz Masterson, hello! Oh, I do need a pack of sewing needles, but it's just all so beautiful. How lovely it must be to work in a place like this. All these colors, all these … well, all these EVERYTHING!" She cried out in her exuberance, twirling around in a circle.

Miz Masterson burst out in laughter. "Well now, Katy, I guess it is a bit much, but I can't seem to turn my back on a nice fleece and some wonderful colors to play with."

"Do you make all of this yourself?" Katy asked as she looked around the small shop, eyes wide.

"Oh my goodness, no. Although I have dyed many of the hanks of yarns. I have other suppliers from larger cities, and quite a few of the women living in the area make skeins and balls of yarn for me. The fine threads come from a supplier in the Big City. The threads are made in big factories and come from all over the world."

"All over the world?" Katy asked in astonishment.

"Oh yes, look at this one." She beckoned the young girl closer. "Do you see this very shiny thread? Do you know what it is?"

Katy looked at an assemblage of many colors of a thin, shiny thread, shaking her head. "No 'm, I donna anything about threads, but they're beautiful!"

"It's a thread called silk - very shiny, very strong, and it comes all the way from China!"

Katy inhaled sharply - "China? Isn't that very very far away?"

"Oh yes indeed. All the way on the other side of the world. Silk actually comes from a worm's home. They soak it and then unravel the thread in one long thread, wash it, stretch it, and sell it to mills that spin it into a durable thread that they dye into many colors. Then they trade it and sell it all over the world."

"This thread came all the way from China?"

"With a couple of stops in between, yes."

"Well, it's very nice, Miz Masterson, but I'd best get the plain cotton that I came in for, and I think I've saved enough to get that small bit of light blue yarn to make a set of slippers for my little brother."

Transaction completed, Katy took one more look at the silk thread, then she took a deep breath, shook her head, and headed out, wishing Miz Masterson a good day as she stuffed her purchase into her pinafore pocket.

Looking up at the sun, she realized the day was getting away from her. It was time to stop wasting time on all of these silly things and get back home. Her Mam would be worrying about her. She turned into the direction of the farmstead and headed towards home.

Coming into the yard, things seemed quiet - unusually quiet for a workday. "Mam? Da?" she called out.

"We're out back," her mother called out.

Rounding the corner, she stopped short. Streamers of colorful cloth streamers draped over the branches of the large central tree. There was a wooden table with a variety of dishes and foods on it, and a second one with beverages - sweetened fruit juice for the young ones, beer and wine for the adults. And there were people. Many people - both adults and children. They all turned towards her as she entered the yard.

"Da?" she said, as she scanned the crowd. Seeing him, she ran to him and hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry we sent you on a fool's errand, child, but everyone wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday and celebrate your coming of age with you."

"Oh, it weren't a fool's errand, Da. I had the chance to see ever so many people and share stories with them. It was a wonderful day. And I remembered to get the needles Ma needed, and a bit of yarn for myself,

Her father smiled at her. "Katy, girl, everyone here wanted to share the day with you. We had to send you away so that we could get everything ready, but here it is and here you are. Happy birthday, me girl. You're a daughter that any of these folk could be proud of, and I couldn't be happier than to tell the world that you're MY daughter." As her Mam and little brother joined them in a group hug, she thought she might never have a better birthday in her life.