Excerpt from Defame thy Neighbor
“Of course you are uncomfortable with the heat! It is the season of the light,” Henry demanded. “I don’t want to hear anymore of this heresy.”
“Heresy?” Sapphire was becoming concerned that her husband was not just acclimating to the Christain life, but he was believing the teachings of the church to which they walked on Sunday mornings. “The heat this year is unbearable. I fear if I do not help Margaret with the midsummer celebration, Ukko will not give us rest from,”
“That is enough Sapphire.” Henry pulled his wife closer to his body as they walked over the tramped dirt in the path they and their neighbors worked from their homes to the church near the river.
The church was made from stone and mortar. The construction appeared to be stronger than their homes made from felled trees and daubed clay. But Sapphire saw the cracks in the walls and knew how water wore away the stone. She thought about how the tears in her private times wore away at her foundation and allowed fissures of doubt about herself to be pried open by the few people in her life. This new world was a voluntary change and intended to be a fresh start for Henrick and her but now, she felt it was nothing more than banishment. The house was a place she secured herself and things. The house should have been her home. It was nothing more than a box to her. A box to shut up personalities as well as mouths to be proper in communal settings. A community of boisterous men and exhausted women fearful to behave differently than the others, even if every other of them want nothing more than to behave differently than they do.
“At Market there was talk of moving the river.”
“Words like that are more heretical,” Sapphire said.
“I think you need to quiet your tongue.”
“Only when my head quiets, will my mouth follow.”
Henry tightened his grip on Sapphire’s hand and kicked his foot to the side shooing a rabbit that had joined them in their walk.
“What are you doing?” Sapphire pulled away from Henry and knelt to scoop the rabbit into her arms.
“Woman,”
“Husband,” Sapphire said as she rose and looked Henry in the eye. She gritted her teeth and spoke with a clenched jaw, “You will not be cruel to any creature while they are in my presence.”
“You will regard me with obeisance when we walk among men.” Henry pushed the rabbit from Sapphire’s hands. The rabbit hopped away from them. He pulled her arm into his and gripped her wrist so that she could not move away from him.
Margaret and Nils approached from the courtyard of the church.
“Neighbor,” Henry called without loosening his grip from Sapphire’s wrist.
“Friend,” Nils said in return of the gesture.
Margaret pulled Sapphire close to her face for a kiss on the cheek in welcome.
Margaret threaded her arm through Sapphire’s and walked close, whispering about meeting to speak of midsummer preparations.
“I mustn't,” Sapphire insisted.
Margaret nodded and feigned a smile. She said, “There will be time for it.”
When arriving at church Henry released Sapphire’s arm and she pushed away Margaret’s arm to breathe with a freedom she felt was missing in the last hour. She unfastened the kerchief from her neck and wiped beads of sweat from her brow noticing Henry was glaring at her action as if she stripped off all her clothing in the shade of the trees of the courtyard. While looking at her husband she refastened the kerchief with the brooch. But as she pushed the pin through the fabric, she pressed the point through her fingertip grimacing in discomfort as she exclaimed. “Fie!”
“Sapphire!”
“Woman, you are at God’s house!”
Margaret took Sapphire’s hand in hers after the men exclaimed and pulled her kerchief from her own neck to wrap her friend’s bleeding hand. Margaret squeezed Sapphire’s hand harder than Henry had in the walk over filling the kerchief with blood. “Honestly, the both of you should be ashamed. She is hurting.” Margaret turned to Sapphire and said, “I will take you from here and get you mended.”
Henry gritted his teeth together and said, “Nils, you have no control over your woman?”
Nils smiled and slapped Henry on his shoulder. He laughed as he said, “My wife does the things she finds pleasing, and in that freedom, she does things to please me.”
“I am caring for,” Margaret said as she pulled Sapphire away from the men.
Nils interrupted and said, “There is not a need to explain. You do your mending. I will revere the light in Svenson’s home and you will worship in your private way on this sabbat.”
Margaret turned to walk away from the church. “Remember wife,” Nils called to her while he stood at the door, “To set time aside to worship this day our God has designed for such purpose.”
Margaret held her hand in the air to wave away her husband’s presence as much as his comment. She released Sapphire from her hands and whispered, “Come let’s talk of midsummer while the men busy themselves with false exaltation.”
Sapphire laughed and said, “Margaret, your demeanor is so free. What if someone hears you?”
“If someone hears me talk of stuff in my mind and in my spirit, it may coax them to a profligacy that will allow them exposure of the things they must suppress in this cloud surrounding our new society. Svenson opened his home as a church, placing stone around his logs. The internal is nothing different than what we have in the Woods of Weccacoe. The external appears different because a veil of stability was erected to satisfy a need to elevate this religion we must abide because,” Margaret paused and held her hands into the air, “Why? Why must we bend to this religion that is not ours? I see you Sapphire. I see you with the fire behind your home.” Margaret stopped walking and pulled Sapphire close to her face. “I see you with the fire in your belly,” she growled and squeezed the flesh through Sapphire’s dress. Sapphire smiled knowing Margaret spoke truthfully. She grasped Margaret’s hands to pull them from her dress losing the kerchief that was wrapped around her finger.
“The bleeding stopped.”
“It was only a prick from which you needed mending.”
Sapphire was uncertain if she referred to the pin in the finger or the man she left behind. “I will launder your kerchief and return it to you on the night of discussion under the full flower moon with a fresh bottle of goat’s milk.”
Margaret smiled knowing Sapphire just agreed to be a part of Ukko Kukko celebration. Moreover, she was going to be a part of the planning which was key in Margaret’s opinion. She felt it not only acquiesced to the ritual but it truly connected organizers to the purpose of the gathering.
“Heresy?” Sapphire was becoming concerned that her husband was not just acclimating to the Christain life, but he was believing the teachings of the church to which they walked on Sunday mornings. “The heat this year is unbearable. I fear if I do not help Margaret with the midsummer celebration, Ukko will not give us rest from,”
“That is enough Sapphire.” Henry pulled his wife closer to his body as they walked over the tramped dirt in the path they and their neighbors worked from their homes to the church near the river.
The church was made from stone and mortar. The construction appeared to be stronger than their homes made from felled trees and daubed clay. But Sapphire saw the cracks in the walls and knew how water wore away the stone. She thought about how the tears in her private times wore away at her foundation and allowed fissures of doubt about herself to be pried open by the few people in her life. This new world was a voluntary change and intended to be a fresh start for Henrick and her but now, she felt it was nothing more than banishment. The house was a place she secured herself and things. The house should have been her home. It was nothing more than a box to her. A box to shut up personalities as well as mouths to be proper in communal settings. A community of boisterous men and exhausted women fearful to behave differently than the others, even if every other of them want nothing more than to behave differently than they do.
“At Market there was talk of moving the river.”
“Words like that are more heretical,” Sapphire said.
“I think you need to quiet your tongue.”
“Only when my head quiets, will my mouth follow.”
Henry tightened his grip on Sapphire’s hand and kicked his foot to the side shooing a rabbit that had joined them in their walk.
“What are you doing?” Sapphire pulled away from Henry and knelt to scoop the rabbit into her arms.
“Woman,”
“Husband,” Sapphire said as she rose and looked Henry in the eye. She gritted her teeth and spoke with a clenched jaw, “You will not be cruel to any creature while they are in my presence.”
“You will regard me with obeisance when we walk among men.” Henry pushed the rabbit from Sapphire’s hands. The rabbit hopped away from them. He pulled her arm into his and gripped her wrist so that she could not move away from him.
Margaret and Nils approached from the courtyard of the church.
“Neighbor,” Henry called without loosening his grip from Sapphire’s wrist.
“Friend,” Nils said in return of the gesture.
Margaret pulled Sapphire close to her face for a kiss on the cheek in welcome.
Margaret threaded her arm through Sapphire’s and walked close, whispering about meeting to speak of midsummer preparations.
“I mustn't,” Sapphire insisted.
Margaret nodded and feigned a smile. She said, “There will be time for it.”
When arriving at church Henry released Sapphire’s arm and she pushed away Margaret’s arm to breathe with a freedom she felt was missing in the last hour. She unfastened the kerchief from her neck and wiped beads of sweat from her brow noticing Henry was glaring at her action as if she stripped off all her clothing in the shade of the trees of the courtyard. While looking at her husband she refastened the kerchief with the brooch. But as she pushed the pin through the fabric, she pressed the point through her fingertip grimacing in discomfort as she exclaimed. “Fie!”
“Sapphire!”
“Woman, you are at God’s house!”
Margaret took Sapphire’s hand in hers after the men exclaimed and pulled her kerchief from her own neck to wrap her friend’s bleeding hand. Margaret squeezed Sapphire’s hand harder than Henry had in the walk over filling the kerchief with blood. “Honestly, the both of you should be ashamed. She is hurting.” Margaret turned to Sapphire and said, “I will take you from here and get you mended.”
Henry gritted his teeth together and said, “Nils, you have no control over your woman?”
Nils smiled and slapped Henry on his shoulder. He laughed as he said, “My wife does the things she finds pleasing, and in that freedom, she does things to please me.”
“I am caring for,” Margaret said as she pulled Sapphire away from the men.
Nils interrupted and said, “There is not a need to explain. You do your mending. I will revere the light in Svenson’s home and you will worship in your private way on this sabbat.”
Margaret turned to walk away from the church. “Remember wife,” Nils called to her while he stood at the door, “To set time aside to worship this day our God has designed for such purpose.”
Margaret held her hand in the air to wave away her husband’s presence as much as his comment. She released Sapphire from her hands and whispered, “Come let’s talk of midsummer while the men busy themselves with false exaltation.”
Sapphire laughed and said, “Margaret, your demeanor is so free. What if someone hears you?”
“If someone hears me talk of stuff in my mind and in my spirit, it may coax them to a profligacy that will allow them exposure of the things they must suppress in this cloud surrounding our new society. Svenson opened his home as a church, placing stone around his logs. The internal is nothing different than what we have in the Woods of Weccacoe. The external appears different because a veil of stability was erected to satisfy a need to elevate this religion we must abide because,” Margaret paused and held her hands into the air, “Why? Why must we bend to this religion that is not ours? I see you Sapphire. I see you with the fire behind your home.” Margaret stopped walking and pulled Sapphire close to her face. “I see you with the fire in your belly,” she growled and squeezed the flesh through Sapphire’s dress. Sapphire smiled knowing Margaret spoke truthfully. She grasped Margaret’s hands to pull them from her dress losing the kerchief that was wrapped around her finger.
“The bleeding stopped.”
“It was only a prick from which you needed mending.”
Sapphire was uncertain if she referred to the pin in the finger or the man she left behind. “I will launder your kerchief and return it to you on the night of discussion under the full flower moon with a fresh bottle of goat’s milk.”
Margaret smiled knowing Sapphire just agreed to be a part of Ukko Kukko celebration. Moreover, she was going to be a part of the planning which was key in Margaret’s opinion. She felt it not only acquiesced to the ritual but it truly connected organizers to the purpose of the gathering.
