up here.”
“It is. We have to haul up fresh soil, and we have to be sure the platforms are not rotten. Last year six of our people died from falling through bad platforms. But only five of them were women.”
“Only five! Well, that’s wonderful!” Abbey muttered. She took a bite of juicy melon and wiped her chin as the juice ran down. “I wish you’d stop putting women down, Enid.”
Enid did not understand this at all.
“She means don’t say,
‘Only
women!’” Sarah urged. “One of the things we’ll have to teach you is that women and girls are just as important as men and boys.”
Enid looked around as if she were afraid someone would hear such talk. “Please! You must not talk like that. If anyone heard it, it would cause trouble.”
“I don’t care,” Sarah said. “Look at you. You’re a beautiful girl, and you’re in love with Teanor, aren’t you?”
“In love? What does that mean?”
Both girls looked at her with shock. Then, “You don’t know what it means to be in love?” Abbey exclaimed.
“What does it mean?”
Both Sarah and Abbey tried to explain what courtship was. But it was a hopeless situation. Enid seemingly could not grasp it.
Finally she asked with a puzzled look on her face, “So in your world a young man will come with gifts and sing songs just in order to get a female to be his?”
“Yes,” Sarah said firmly. “And that’s the way it could be here.”
“No. That will never be! All a man has to do if he wants a female, is simply to tell the king. And the king, if he likes the man, will give her to him.”
“You’re not a piece of fish to be given away!” Abbey cried. “Don’t you see that, Enid?”
The two girls struggled on but seemed to make little headway. Finally Abbey threw up her hands. “This is going to be harder than I thought.”
“Yes, it is,” Sarah agreed.
Enid kept looking at the two girls with wonder. “It must be very different from where you come from. I can’t even imagine such a place. And Teanor would never think of me as an equal. All he would do is allow me to serve him.”
Well, we’re going to change that
, Sarah thought but did not speak it.
All that morning, the girls wandered about Cloud Land. They were amazed at the way the Cloud People had adjusted to such a strange environment. They grew their own vegetables, and they also raised a small number of birds kept in cages. They were like pigeons, only larger. These they used for food. They also had small herds of goats, which they used for milk and which they slaughtered from time to time for fresh meat.
They both noticed that none of the men did any work at all. The women cared for the vegetables, killed the birds, did the cooking, and washed the clothes.
“Maybe we’ll free some slaves while we’re here,” Sarah said with determination. “We’re going to try.”
It was later in the day when Teanor came along. “The king will receive you.” He looked over toward Enid, who nodded her head and curtsied to him. “Hello, Enid,” he said. “Our clothes need washing.”
“Yes, Teanor. I will see to it.”
“Did you ever think of washing your own clothes, Teanor?” Abbey asked, staring at him.
“Men don’t wash clothes. Women do that,” Teanor said. “Come along.”
Sarah was seething inside but knew that this was not the time to argue.
Teanor ushered the girls to the palace, and soon they were standing before the king and Prince Jere.
“The men have not come,” the king said accusingly.
“It’s a hard journey, sire,” Sarah said quickly. “And the way is new to them. But I have decided that we will not wait for them.”
At that, King Celevorn gave her a puzzled look. “What will you do?” Sarah had formulated a plan the previous night as she lay tossing on her mat. She had thought it over this morning and decided that something had to be done at once. There was no way to know when the boys would come back from their hunting trip, and
“It is. We have to haul up fresh soil, and we have to be sure the platforms are not rotten. Last year six of our people died from falling through bad platforms. But only five of them were women.”
“Only five! Well, that’s wonderful!” Abbey muttered. She took a bite of juicy melon and wiped her chin as the juice ran down. “I wish you’d stop putting women down, Enid.”
Enid did not understand this at all.
“She means don’t say,
‘Only
women!’” Sarah urged. “One of the things we’ll have to teach you is that women and girls are just as important as men and boys.”
Enid looked around as if she were afraid someone would hear such talk. “Please! You must not talk like that. If anyone heard it, it would cause trouble.”
“I don’t care,” Sarah said. “Look at you. You’re a beautiful girl, and you’re in love with Teanor, aren’t you?”
“In love? What does that mean?”
Both girls looked at her with shock. Then, “You don’t know what it means to be in love?” Abbey exclaimed.
“What does it mean?”
Both Sarah and Abbey tried to explain what courtship was. But it was a hopeless situation. Enid seemingly could not grasp it.
Finally she asked with a puzzled look on her face, “So in your world a young man will come with gifts and sing songs just in order to get a female to be his?”
“Yes,” Sarah said firmly. “And that’s the way it could be here.”
“No. That will never be! All a man has to do if he wants a female, is simply to tell the king. And the king, if he likes the man, will give her to him.”
“You’re not a piece of fish to be given away!” Abbey cried. “Don’t you see that, Enid?”
The two girls struggled on but seemed to make little headway. Finally Abbey threw up her hands. “This is going to be harder than I thought.”
“Yes, it is,” Sarah agreed.
Enid kept looking at the two girls with wonder. “It must be very different from where you come from. I can’t even imagine such a place. And Teanor would never think of me as an equal. All he would do is allow me to serve him.”
Well, we’re going to change that
, Sarah thought but did not speak it.
All that morning, the girls wandered about Cloud Land. They were amazed at the way the Cloud People had adjusted to such a strange environment. They grew their own vegetables, and they also raised a small number of birds kept in cages. They were like pigeons, only larger. These they used for food. They also had small herds of goats, which they used for milk and which they slaughtered from time to time for fresh meat.
They both noticed that none of the men did any work at all. The women cared for the vegetables, killed the birds, did the cooking, and washed the clothes.
“Maybe we’ll free some slaves while we’re here,” Sarah said with determination. “We’re going to try.”
It was later in the day when Teanor came along. “The king will receive you.” He looked over toward Enid, who nodded her head and curtsied to him. “Hello, Enid,” he said. “Our clothes need washing.”
“Yes, Teanor. I will see to it.”
“Did you ever think of washing your own clothes, Teanor?” Abbey asked, staring at him.
“Men don’t wash clothes. Women do that,” Teanor said. “Come along.”
Sarah was seething inside but knew that this was not the time to argue.
Teanor ushered the girls to the palace, and soon they were standing before the king and Prince Jere.
“The men have not come,” the king said accusingly.
“It’s a hard journey, sire,” Sarah said quickly. “And the way is new to them. But I have decided that we will not wait for them.”
At that, King Celevorn gave her a puzzled look. “What will you do?” Sarah had formulated a plan the previous night as she lay tossing on her mat. She had thought it over this morning and decided that something had to be done at once. There was no way to know when the boys would come back from their hunting trip, and
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