E and E

Summer months brought peace to the people of the land, especially to those who were good to the land. It sewed prosperity for the hard work of the seasons prior. The longest day of the year fell in June and was believed to be the connection of humanly Earth with the godly heavens. It was a day for tradition and celebration, where legends and reality intertwined.

Elsie loved this day just as much as the rest. Her family had been lucky enough to own land and hire locals to tend to it. She remembered life as a small girl when her mother would dress her and her sisters in colorful gowns and intrinsically hand-woven flower tiaras. She recalled how elegant and delicate her mother’s hands would look as she prepared their crowns. Elsie closed her eyes for a moment, and replayed how all her sisters would sit in a line before their mother, awaiting their golden locks to be braided. When she was finished she would weave flowers interspersed.

In a moment Elsie snapped back to the present. She sat in front of her faded mirror looking at her freckled complexion with dismay. She missed the way things used to be. Now, all her sisters had been married, her mother since passed away, and her father was seldom to be found these days. His grief was layered and deep.

This was her lonely life, and she looked forward to the one day she could feel closest to her mother, Midsummer. Elsie finished her braid, then patted out the pleats in her dress. She took the carefully selected assorted flowers she trimmed from her garden and placed them throughout her hair just as her mother had once done.

Elsie opened her bedroom window and welcomed in the early morning noises of summer floating through the warm air. Pausing for a moment, she took it all in with a deep breath. From her window, she could see the deep fields and pastures of her father’s land.

As she looked to the East, she saw her beautiful mare being guided through the clover pasture. Her horse was being led by one of the stable workers, but it was one she did not recognize. Elsie thought to herself for a moment. This was odd- none of the workers were supposed to be here today. It was a holiday, and one her father had always honored with a paid day of rest.

The worker continued to make their way across the field, and the horse seemed content. This sight made Elsie very pleased- she loved her horse dearly. Elsie thought again for a moment, this was a deep kindness the worker had shown for her horse. It was important for a riding horse such as her to have daily exercise, and this new worker had so selflessly come on a day off to perform this duty.

Elsie looked back at her reflection once more in the mirror, smiled, no longer in dismay. She made her way down the stairs, and before she left the house, stopped in the kitchen to grab some apples for her horse. Elsie bounded out the back door and broke out into a small jog to the clover field.

When she made it to the field, she still had difficulty identifying the worker. They must be new, she thought for a moment.

“Who are you?” Elsie asked.

“I am sorry. I beg for your pardon. I am your new stablemen, uh, well I guess woman” the worker replied.

Elsie took a step back and dropped some of her apples. “I am sorry. I did not recognize you. When did my father hire a woman to work in our stables?”

“Since he came upon a woman so down on her luck and in dire need of a hand up in life” the woman responded.

Elsie nodded, then looked at her horse. She handed the mare an apple then turned back to the woman.

“My name is Elsie,” she offered up.

The woman looked at her, “yes, I know who you are. My name is Erilyn.”

“That is a beautiful name. A pleasure to meet you,” said Elsie. She paused for another moment to feed her horse an apple. “What is your celebration plans for Midsummer?” Elsie asked Erilyn.

Erilyn blushed and turned away. “I was planning to catch up on some chores” she offered in response.

Elsie frowned at her. “That's no way to celebrate!” She insisted. “You must come into town, and you will celebrate with me.” Elsie persisted.

Erilyn blushed again, this time a deeper red than before. She looked at the horse, then glanced back to the stables. Finally, she looked back at Elsie and smiled, “okay, I will go with you.”

“Excellent”, Elsie exclaimed. “Go fix the saddles for my horse and another and we will ride into town.”

Elsie ran back into the cottage and went straight to her sister's old bedroom. She ruffled through one of the wooden chests in the corner. Carefully she pulled out a beautiful buttercream yellow dress. Elsie dusted off the dress and held it up with a feeling of content. She then went under the bed and found her favorite pair of canvas boots and went back downstairs.

In the garden, Elsie took her trimming shears and started selecting flowers for a crown. Elsie chose to use the tiger Lillies that grew in the corner and fastened them in a three-prong display in the front of the crown. Next, she added delicate white roses as the rest of the headdress. She collected small yellow daisies to spread throughout Erilyn’s braid.

Erilyn called from outside the stunned wall. Elsie grabbed the flower crown and slipped out the back gate. The two women met up on the cobbled path, with the two horses on hand.

“Erilyn, you cannot go to holiday without the proper attire” Elsie started on.

Erilyn let out a small smile and nodded. Willingly she let Elsie take her by the hand and lead her into the house. In a small room, off to the side, Erilyn prepped a bowl of warm soapy water and a towel. She handed it through the curtain and Erilyn cleaned up the best she could. When she was finished, she slipped on the yellow dress.

“Once you are dressed, come out. I will do your hair” Elsie called out to her.

Erilyn took one last look at herself in the mirror, then bashfully turned and rushed out. There she met back with Elsie, who was sitting on a small wooden bench in the middle of the room. Next to her she had the flowers, a brush, and a bowl of sweet-smelling oils. Elsie motioned for her to sit in front of her, and so she obeyed sitting with her back facing her. Elsie began to use a brush to comb through her hair then pour the sweet oils throughout. With a detailed comb she styled the hair and wove it into two braids. The two women sat in silence and strewn the daisies throughout, then placed the lily crown on her head.

Handing Erilyn a hand mirror, she finally broke the silence, “look at you.”

Erilyn flipped the silver mirror around and revealed a beautiful woman she had not seen in a long time. For the first time, she could see her green eyes sparkle past the pain and grief. She broke out into a smile and a small tear traced down her cheek.

She looked back at Elsie. Erilyn took her hands into her own and with a tight squeeze replied, “thank you.”

Elsie smiled and pulled her into a tight embrace. The two women hugged for a moment, both overcome with the mutual feeling of comfort. Elsie pulled away, saying “let's get to the festival!”

***

The two women rode into town. As they neared the square, the music and laughter grew louder. The smells of the delicious food also became more pungent. Before the women made it to the center, they dismounted their horses and paid a group of village boys to care for the animals until their return. Erilyn grinned ear to ear; this was her first Midsummer celebration in many seasons.

Elsie grabbed her hand, and they made their way through the packed street. Every so often they would stop at a vendor booth to try a food sample or admire the local art. After some time, the two women grew tired and found a shaded spot to sit and rest.

“How do you like the festival so far?” asked Elsie.

Erilyn turned to face her. “This is the most fun I have had in a long time. Thank you for bringing me” she replied.

A small man appeared before them, a vendor selling local wildflowers. He carried a wooden cart behind him selling a range of sized bouquets. There was a legend that said if you slept with a wildflower bouquet under your pillow on Midsummers, the sleeper would dream of their true love or the one they would marry.

Erilyn and Elsie looked at each other and smiled again. Then Elsie took some silver coins from her purse and handed them to the man. The man motioned for the two women to choose their bouquets. Decisively, the two women chose their flowers, their hands bumping into one another as they went for the same bundle. They giggled at this and chose the bouquets on either side of the one they both almost chose. The merchant went on his way for a new customer, and the women continued to sit and enjoy the festival.

The festival began to draw to a close and the sun was starting to grow soft in preparation for its setting. The two women made their way to the alley where they had stored their horses. When they arrived, the group of boys were nowhere to be seen and one of the horses was missing- Elsie's beloved horse. Elsie dropped to her knees in shock. Erilyn rushed to her side and held her steady. Erilyn instructed her to take a deep breath and promised to get to the bottom of this.

Elsie sat there clinging to her arm, sobbing, as the sun started to set. Erilyn helped her to her feet, and she assisted her into the saddle of the remaining horse. She held Elsie close to her as they rose back to the cottage, the pain of the loss echoing the entire journey back.

***

When the two women made it back to the home, it was already late. Elsie invited Erilyn up to her room to sleep since it was too dark to make up a bed in the stables. They changed for bed, slipped under the sheets-almost forgetting to place their wildflower bundles underneath their pillows. Erilyn rolled over and whispered to Elsie reminding her of the flowers. They tucked the flowers under the pillows and soon drifted off to sleep.

Erilyn was stirred awake by noises from outside. She stayed very still for a moment, and felt her body flush. She recalled having a pleasant dream that was rudely interrupted by the noises. Erilyn attempted to remember the exact occurrences of the pleasant dream when she was again interrupted by more noises, though this time much louder. This noise was unmistakable; it was the cry of one of the horses. Erilyn suddenly leapt from the bed and hauled herself down to the stables.

There, in the deep moonlight, was a group of four trying to smuggle horses into the night. Erilyn positioned herself so she could have a better look. The thieves made their way through the fields undetected and escaped. Erilyn slipped into the stables and took inventory of what had been stolen. All but one horse had managed to be napped. She grabbed a blade and a pellet gun she knew was hidden in the barn. Carefully she approached the fearful horse and saddled him with a woolen blanket. Erilyn fastened a quick rope rein in the horse's mouth and took off after the bandits.

The horse was quick and persistent as they rode through the crisp air. The moon and the stars were the only light for as far as the eye could see. They made steady pace as if the horse knew the mission at hand. Before long they caught up with the prints of the bandits. Erilyn thought it was best to pull behind and scope out the area. All the while, Elsie lay fast asleep in her bedroom, patiently awaiting the dream of her future love.

The bandits came to an abandoned barn. They led the group of horses through the big wooden doors and quickly shut them. Erilyn dismounted and crept around the side hoping to get a better view of what was transpiring inside. On the back end, there was a piece of wooden panel missing and she was able to peer inside. As she surveyed the room, her eyes fell on Elsie's prize mare in the corner.

Erilyn smiled with relief. She sat back and thought for a moment. She needed a distraction, something extended so that she could calm the horse enough to ride away on her.

Erilyn retreated back into the wooded area around the barn and began snapping branches. She quickly ran around to the other side, doing the same. She then let off several rounds from her pellet gun. These sounds finally drew the attention of the bandits, and they poured outside the barn. All the bandits scurried in different directions. Erilyn saw an opening and in a split second, made a run for the barn doors.

She slipped through the doors without a trace and made her way over to the horses. Erilyn made soft “coo” noises to soothe the horses. She took small footsteps with her hand extended as she approached the horse. As soon as they made contact Elsie's horse was immediately less tense. Erilyn carefully and gently led the horse through the barn closer to the barn door.

The cover she had was no longer there. The bandits had surveyed the area, deemed it safe, and were all walking back to the barn. In a haste, she moved the horse to the corner and began making piles of hay and old rags. She located a rusty gas can and sprinkled the remnants onto the piles. Erilyn struck several matches and ignited the piles.

The horses began to get jumpy, wide eyed at the sight of the growing flames. Erilyn moved near the horses and tried to comfort them, stroking their manes. The barn quickly began to fill with smoke and flames spread throughout the barn. The flames climbed up the walls, and Erilyn could hear the scattered voices of the bandits outside. They agreed to flee, and Erilyn lined up the horses, tying them in a row, and grabbed as much of the stolen property she could manage.

Erilyn opened the gates and hollered for the horses to gallop out. They waited patiently for Erilyn to emerge. With soot covered clothes, she finally escaped the burning barn. She mounted Elsie's horse, and they rode off back to the estate in the early dawn.

Elsie awoke to the sound of galloping horses. She felt around her bed and found it empty, realizing that Erilyn had already left. Her heart beat fast. She raced up to her bedroom window and saw Erilyn mounted on her beautiful mare. Erilyn waved up at her and flashed a brilliant smile. Elsie gasped and grabbed for her robe.

She raced down the steps and stumbled along the cobbled path to greet them. She wrapped her arms tightly and the mare nuzzled her back. Finally, she looked up at Erilyn, with tears in her eyes.

“You saved her,” she spoke in a daze.

Erilyn dismounted and faced Elsie. “I know how much she means to you. I heard the thieves in the night… and I followed them.”

“Oh Erilyn,” Elsie gasped, “that is so brave of you.”

Erilyn blushed and looked down at the ground. She kicked at the rocks below her boots.

“It was nothing,” Erilyn mumbled in response.

“No. It's not nothing. It's everything. Thank you so sincerely” Elsie pleaded in a stern voice.

The two women stopped and looked at each other, both breaking out into a smile. Elsie took a step closer to Erilyn.

“I have something to confess” Elsie whispered.

“When I put the flowers under my pillow last night,” she paused for a moment and took a deep breath, “I dreamt of you.”

Erilyn gulped and blushed. Before she could speak, Elsie placed a small and gentle kiss on her lips. They held there and Erilyn wrapped her in a tight embrace. They pulled sways and smiled. Hand in hand they walked out into the pasture.

The legend of this land says that they lived and farmed her father’s land long after that beautiful Midsummer’s Day- creating, singing, dancing, loving, and most of all being true to themselves.

THE END