and convince him.” She gestured at the door with the hammer. “And he might want to spend tomorrow walking through the village, looking for someplace where some other man has slacked off. Because if he’s going to relish being free, he’s going to find something productive he likes doing. Or if he can’t choose, I’ll choose for him. He’ll take over the tailor work and the carver work both.” She slammed the hammer one more time. “And I can find plenty more work that needs doing.”
I wouldn’t doubt that, not even if the entire village were already carved from wood.
“How can Alvilda expect me to make up my mind in one day?” Jurij had asked that question so many times I was starting to bite my tongue. If he’d spent a little less time asking, he’d have had more time to think about it. The blanket he’d carried for me was slipping out from under his arm, its edges grazing the road to the heart of the village. I shifted the basket of wooden toys onto my arm, scrambled to pick up the blanket hem, and tucked it back tighter beneath Jurij’s arm. He didn’t seem to notice. “I haven’t had time to think about it. I haven’t had timeto think about anything but … ” He stopped speaking and gestured with his free hand. His eyebrows creased, his mouth pursed. “I mean, expecting me to help out with Mother and Father is one thing. When they’re busy. I’d even help out Auntie if she really needed the help.”
I halted at the crossroads, realizing Jurij was still ranting in an entirely different direction. “But that’s what I don’t get,” Jurij was saying by the time I caught up with him again. I grabbed his upper arm to stop him.
“The baker’s today, remember?” I tugged him back the way we were meant to turn.
Jurij followed my lead, letting himself be guided, not responding at all to what I’d said. “When I was El— her man, no one batted an eye that I went off to do nothing. Nothing but hand her cooking utensils and sweep floors and whatever else she demanded I do, even if it was just to stand there worshipping the ground she walked on.”
I winced and readjusted the basket on my arm. Elfriede hadn’t been that bad, surely. No worse than any other goddess. Probably better than some. Like Jurij’s mother.
“No, worshipping a woman, doing whatever it took to make her life easier, that was a fine occupation of my time. But now that I can do whatever I want … ”
I dropped the basket onto the ground, hoping the noise it made would snap Jurij out of his tirade. My toys were hardy; they could take the abuse. “We’re here.” I put my hands on my waist and looked at the little patch of ground in front of the baker’s shop like it was something I’d built with my own two hands. Jurij had stopped speaking at least, but he wasn’t thinking, either, apparently. “Blanket.” I pointed to the bundle under his arm.
Jurij nodded and shook the blanket out, spreading it on the ground in the spot I’d asked Mistress Baker to let me borrow one day a week. She’d been so flustered when I’d asked, elbow-deep in flour and yeast, I wasn’t sure she’d heard me. But she hadn’t corrected me since, so I was content to keep setting up shop in front of one of the village’s most popular stores. Everyone needed bread. And kids almost always tagged along to the baker’s, hoping for something sweet.
I sat down on the blanket and opened the basket, setting out the wooden animals I’d brought along. Jurij stood there blankly. “Are you going to walk around the village?” I asked, placing a wooden doe next to the stag whose antlers had taken me half a day to get right. The broken-off one was just part of his appeal. “Look for some kind of work?”
Jurij scrambled to sit next to me, digging into the basket and grabbing a handful of animals. We didn’t say anything for a moment. I finished emptying the basket, but Jurij was still staring at the animals in his hands, utterly
I wouldn’t doubt that, not even if the entire village were already carved from wood.
“How can Alvilda expect me to make up my mind in one day?” Jurij had asked that question so many times I was starting to bite my tongue. If he’d spent a little less time asking, he’d have had more time to think about it. The blanket he’d carried for me was slipping out from under his arm, its edges grazing the road to the heart of the village. I shifted the basket of wooden toys onto my arm, scrambled to pick up the blanket hem, and tucked it back tighter beneath Jurij’s arm. He didn’t seem to notice. “I haven’t had time to think about it. I haven’t had timeto think about anything but … ” He stopped speaking and gestured with his free hand. His eyebrows creased, his mouth pursed. “I mean, expecting me to help out with Mother and Father is one thing. When they’re busy. I’d even help out Auntie if she really needed the help.”
I halted at the crossroads, realizing Jurij was still ranting in an entirely different direction. “But that’s what I don’t get,” Jurij was saying by the time I caught up with him again. I grabbed his upper arm to stop him.
“The baker’s today, remember?” I tugged him back the way we were meant to turn.
Jurij followed my lead, letting himself be guided, not responding at all to what I’d said. “When I was El— her man, no one batted an eye that I went off to do nothing. Nothing but hand her cooking utensils and sweep floors and whatever else she demanded I do, even if it was just to stand there worshipping the ground she walked on.”
I winced and readjusted the basket on my arm. Elfriede hadn’t been that bad, surely. No worse than any other goddess. Probably better than some. Like Jurij’s mother.
“No, worshipping a woman, doing whatever it took to make her life easier, that was a fine occupation of my time. But now that I can do whatever I want … ”
I dropped the basket onto the ground, hoping the noise it made would snap Jurij out of his tirade. My toys were hardy; they could take the abuse. “We’re here.” I put my hands on my waist and looked at the little patch of ground in front of the baker’s shop like it was something I’d built with my own two hands. Jurij had stopped speaking at least, but he wasn’t thinking, either, apparently. “Blanket.” I pointed to the bundle under his arm.
Jurij nodded and shook the blanket out, spreading it on the ground in the spot I’d asked Mistress Baker to let me borrow one day a week. She’d been so flustered when I’d asked, elbow-deep in flour and yeast, I wasn’t sure she’d heard me. But she hadn’t corrected me since, so I was content to keep setting up shop in front of one of the village’s most popular stores. Everyone needed bread. And kids almost always tagged along to the baker’s, hoping for something sweet.
I sat down on the blanket and opened the basket, setting out the wooden animals I’d brought along. Jurij stood there blankly. “Are you going to walk around the village?” I asked, placing a wooden doe next to the stag whose antlers had taken me half a day to get right. The broken-off one was just part of his appeal. “Look for some kind of work?”
Jurij scrambled to sit next to me, digging into the basket and grabbing a handful of animals. We didn’t say anything for a moment. I finished emptying the basket, but Jurij was still staring at the animals in his hands, utterly
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