forgotten

[mute_pen]

It's past dark, but when you need the outhouse, you need the outhouse.

Isabel picks her way across the yard of her father's house in the moonlight, hoping to sneak back into bed without waking him.

Comments

[mute_pen]

"Someone asks me to promise something - Carl asks me to promise to be careful walking in the rain, Annika asks me to have a book back in three days - or seems unsure about something I might do - the butcher's not sure I really only left my coinpurse at home and will pay him tomorrow, the neighbor's not sure I'll tell Carl about needing to repair the fence -" She swallows a little when she mentions her father. "And I say I promise, and it means that I will try particularly hard, that as long as it's in my control it will happen and that I think it is in my control."

[growcrooked]

"I don't think loving you is very much in my control," she says. "And forever's a long time."

[mute_pen]

"It is a very long time," agrees Etty.

[growcrooked]

"I promise I'll do my best to love you forever," she tries.

It's not unpleasant, this time, but it definitely didn't work.

[mute_pen]

"Didn't work," Etty sighs. "Not as - cold, though."

[growcrooked]

"I guess that's better?"

[mute_pen]

"I guess."

[growcrooked]

"Sorry," she says, and hugs her again.

[mute_pen]

Hugs.

"Where did you hide the paper and pen?"

[growcrooked]

"Over here."

She leads Etty to a corner of the orchard where some big loose rocks are piled. The end of the scroll is just peeking out of the gap between two of them.

[mute_pen]

"...If I leave it here even after writing on it, are you going to read it?"

[growcrooked]

"I don't know. Do you want me to?"

[mute_pen]

"No."

[growcrooked]

"Okay, then I won't." She grins. "I promise."

[mute_pen]

"You seem sufficiently confused by the concept of promises that I'm not sure what to read into that."

[growcrooked]

"Well, you just explained them, didn't you?"

[mute_pen]

"Yes, I suppose I did." She chews her lip. "Don't take it personally if I decide to move it anyway - sometimes I'm paranoid."

[growcrooked]

"Okay," she says agreeably.

[mute_pen]

It's going to be hard to write in the dark, but she has all night every night to let her eyes adjust, Etty supposes. She starts looking for a flat rock that will be suitable for writing on.

[growcrooked]

There's one on top of the pile that should do nicely.

[mute_pen]

Excellent. And she's not going to be able to see any letters she puts down, yet, and Nona's standing right there, so it is not yet time to do her processing. "Is he still away?"

[growcrooked]

"I guess he is. He usually goes to the lake first, when he comes home from something."

[mute_pen]

"Maybe Carl is hard to kill."

[growcrooked]

"Maybe!"

[mute_pen]

"But probably not."