A Clever Mind

Writers: Len, Paula
Date Posted: 13th October 2011

Characters: Zelanka, Halah
Description: Zelanka comes across an overworked and depressed Halah
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 4, day 7 of Turn 6

Halah sat down, hard. She had just finished putting the bedding out
to dry, late in the afternoon. Washing days were always the hardest,
particularly on her as she was short in stature. And in the middle of
it she had seen her childhood friends, who were now training up to be
Ladies whilst she would be stuck all her life as a drudge. She put
her head in her hands, feeling the rough fabric of her headscarf under
fingers that itched to play or paint or draw. One braided poncine
tail trailed over her shoulder. She noted dully that her hair needed
washing.

Zelanka was passing by when she noticed her and more accurately, her
depressed look.
"Halah, is something wrong?" she stopped to ask. The well being of her
staff was close to the Headwoman's heart.

The young girl looked up at the Headwoman and blinked a bit.
"I'm...just tired, ma'am." How could she tell her she was unhappy
with her fate? That, through no fault of her own, she was trapped in
a life she didn't want.

"Really, you look more depressed than tired," Zelanka said with
concern. She actually sat down next to her, after wiping the floor
first.

The girl smiled when she did that. Zelanka had always been a nice
Headwoman, at least she couldn't complain there. Shrugging her
shoulders and playing with the braid that trailed over her shoulder,
she said, "all this endless work...it just gets me down some days."

"It does get to us all, dear," Zelanka said, and patted her knee. "Do
you need a time off?"

"From work or my life?" Really, if she could, she would escape, to
the local Weyr, if nowhere else. All the stories about randy
dragonriders and what the men got up to with one another didn't bother
her in the least. They had freedom at the Weyr, and that's what she
was concerned about.

Zelanka laughed a little. She could use a break from her life time to
time too. Especially now.
"I was thinking work."

Halah sighed. "It wouldn't matter much. Even when I came back it'll
still be endless things to wash, people to feed, it wouldn't stop. I
just..." How could she explain how she felt whenever she saw Arippa
and her sister, now? Or whenever anyone played the gitar or were
painting?

"Would you like to try something little different then?" Zelanka
asked, having an idea. "It's the winter-season, the time to put
records in order, get inventory up to date and so forth. I could use a
help in that, someone with quick feet and clever mind. You do have a
clever mind, don't you, dear?"

"I could try!" Was she asking if she wanted to assist her, the
Headwoman? How wonderful would that be!

"You do know how to read, write and count, don't you?" Zelanka
checked, perhaps bit belatedly.

Halah nodded enthusiastically. "I was one of the best pupils the
Harper had," she said without a trace of conceit. "He said I could
have gone on to the Harper Hall, if only I had been a boy..." And not
a drudge, she added in her head.

"Oh good, that's perfect," Zelanka said with pleased tone.

The blond girl's face broke out into a broad smile. "So when do you
want me to start helping you?"

"There's no better day than today," Zelanka said and got back to her
feet again. "I let the laundry supervisor know that I'm reassigning
you to elsewhere. Why don't you go to lunch and report in my office
after it?" she brushed imaginary dust off from her skirts, even if the
floor was clean enough to eat from it.

"Lunch? Who needs lunch?" Halah jumped up as well, rejuvenated.

"Everybody, including you," Zelanka replied firmly. She was not going
to have her skipping meals. She was already such a small thing.

Last updated on the October 27th 2011

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A Clever Mind