ficlet

[percival]

The woman stared at Rachel as if she had just met an alien. She could not believe that people these days still spoke that way. She squinted at the disoriented girl in plaits and bellowed: "Now, out with it - which kinky dress party did you escape from? Which drugs are you on?"

Rachel stared at the woman. Her blue eyes filled with tears, and she whimpered: "But, good lady, I ... I never ... I am a honest girl, I have never had a drop of alcohol in my life, I woud never touch ..."

The woman just shook her head and hurried away, her carrier bags weighed down with shopping.

Now, Rachel was truly lost. And everything had looked so promising only this morning, when she had stepped off the train in Grand Central Station to make her way to Times Square, where she was to meet her brother Jacob for lunch, who had business in New York City.

Jacob sold the community's produce to stores all over the state. The resellers he worked with had their office in New York, near Times Square. Jacob had told Rachel that resellers wanted the community's beans, peas, and potatoes because they were farmed using traditional, labour-intensive methods. According to Jacob, these men were impressed by the community's high standards - which the community applied not only to the lives of its members, but also to their work. Jacob had always rejoiced in this fact.

Other members of the community had severely criticised him for selling his soul to the outside world. One elder had even stood up in a meeting and tried to force Jacob to admit that Jacob had recanted the beliefs of his forebears. J

Jacob had hit back: "All I am trying to achieve is to raise awareness. I want to tell people about us and our amazing life. I want them to see the pure goodness that comes out of living simply and truthfully, in accordance with God's will."

Most of the community had murmured assent; Jacob's mother had softly stroked the new shawl that her son had brought her from one of his trips to the big city. And the revolt was quashed.

Rachel still remembered the delight she had felt on her thirty-fifth birthday, two months ago, when Jacob had announced his present: "I have decided that Rachel shall accompany me to one of my business trips of New York. I need a secretary to help me with correspondence and negotiations. I shall meet my resellers in two months' time - Rachel can come with me, so that they can get to know her."

From that day on, Rachel had spent the morning in the fields, as customary, but on afternoons and evenings, she had been bent over Jacob's accounts. What an amazing present! She had to show herself worthy of it. She worked until her wrists ached and her eyes burnt.




... using the three words I posted at stolensocks web site where we're trying to bulk up our writing muscles in time for NaNoWriMo. Time: 45 minutes with work interruptions :) continuation of earlier ficlet.

Oh, and as for the music: My colleague, the one who sits just opposite, gets phoned by her boyfriend for at least 10 minutes every day. In an open plan office. Ok, she's here, he's in the States. And I keep editing my LJ. And there are lots of non-work-related conversations going on in the office all day anyway. Still :S

Comments

[cynthia-black.livejournal.com]

Just one question on the ficlet: when you say 'resellers', do you mean 'wholesalers'?