Wednesday's Words on a Friday

 

The original Words for Wednesday was begun by Delores and eventually taken over by a moveable feast of participants when Delores had computer troubles. Sadly, Delores has now closed her blog forever due to other problems.

The aim of the words is to encourage us to write. A story, a poem, whatever comes to mind.

If you are posting an entry on your own blog, please let us know so we can come along to read it and add a few encouraging words.

This month the words/prompts are supplied by Charlotte and can be found here

This week's words/prompts are: 

1. harvest 2. golden 3. moon 4. gentle 5. cut 6. stones 

and/or: 

1. order 2. panic 3. quince 4. roses 5. solilioquy 6. table

Also including Charlotte's colour of the month which is light ivory.

Here is my story:

It had been a good growing season and the harvest had come in just right, enough to feed the family, enough to store for the coming winter and a bit left over to sell or trade. Jethro looked over his fields with pride, the work had been easier as the boys grew old enough and strong enough to help more.

Next week would see a different harvest, the pigs were ready for slaughter and the following days would be intense as the meat was processed into chops, sausages and bacon. The new smokehouse was bigger and sturdier, and Mary had a new grinder to make the breakfast patties which would be stored between layers of lard in the big stone crocks that had once belonged to her mother.

But tonight was a time for celebration. The Harvest Festival Dance would begin as soon as that big golden moon rose above the horizon, the women and boys had been decorating the biggest barn since just after breakfast, and Jethro knew the big oak table would be groaning under the weight of foods provided by each family attending. Mary’s new quince jelly recipe had been a success and the jars with their pretty bows were ready to be given out as welcome-and-thank-you-for-coming gifts.

Jethro turned towards the house and saw his oldest daughter Ellen crying as she cut the deep red and light ivory roses that would decorate the table. Walking over he wrapped her in his big gentle arms and asked what was wrong. She sobbed out her story of Calvin finding her behind the smokehouse with Bill and the angry look on his face as he had stormed away. “We were only talking Daddy, Bill was giving me advice that Susie had said to him, what am I going to do? He wouldn’t listen. His eyes were like stones. So cold and hard” Panic filled her eyes and new tears fell.

Jethro rubbed her back and wiped her eyes, “come inside and we’ll discuss it with your mother, she knows how to bring order when there is heart trouble.” He took the basket of roses and walked to the kitchen where Mary and Claire were just setting out cups for tea and cutting slices of cake. He whispered something to Mary as he handed over the roses and left his Ellen in her hands. He knew she would listen and learn and there would be apologies, explanations and forgiveness at the dance later. There might even be an announcement, Jethro had overheard a soliloquy recently as Calvin practiced his proposal while cleaning down the harvesting tools and buckets.