Fiction: Going Maying
May. 5th, 2014 10:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
clare_dragonflyTitle: Going Maying
World: Falling Into Light
Word count: 1,041
Rating: G
Prompt:![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
rainbowfic Moonlight 16, Halcyon; We are all meant to shine, like children do; may day challenge
Notes: Backstory to a novel/duology I'm in the planning stages for. This story is probably really confusing because I tried to avoid spoilers--the stuff the mom is worrying about is a major part of the plot.
“Mama!” cried Sasha, running up from the school bus to the front step. Her mama was waiting there, as she always was, and scooped Sasha up in her warm, soft arms to give her a tight hug. Sasha shrieked with delight, hugged her mama back, and then wiggled to get down, clutching her drawing from school in her hand.
“What have you got there, sweetheart?” her mama asked as she set Sasha on her feet. “A drawing of flowers? Oh, that’s pretty.”
Sasha held up the picture to show her mama. She wanted her to see her idea, the two of them out in a field full of flowers. “Can we go may?”
“Can we what, darling?” her mama asked, ushering her inside while still looking at the picture.
“May,” repeated Sasha. “Miss Rosie told us about it, and it’s fun, okay?”
Her mama shook her head. “Come into the kitchen, Sasha. I’ll put this up on the refrigerator and you can have your snack.” Once the picture was safely in its place in the middle of the fridge, covering the corners of many other drawings, Mama laid out a plate of carrots, crackers, and cheese in front of Sasha. “Now, what is it you want to do? Pick flowers with me? That’s what we’re doing in the picture, right?”
“Yeah!” Sasha stuffed a cheese stick into her mouth and wriggled with excitement. “Miss Rosie told us all about it! We go may! On the first day of May we have to go outside and pick flowers, and they’ll be pretty, and good luck. We can put them all over the house. You can wear them in your hair!”
Mama smiled and tucked some of Sasha’s wild curls behind her ear. “You can wear some in your hair, too. That sounds like a fun game. Miss Rosie said it’s called go may?”
“May-ing,” Sasha enunciated clearly, unaware that her clarity was somewhat impeded by the carrot stick that was now filling half of her small mouth. “It’s something people used to do all the time in the old days. Did you do it when you were little, Mama?”
“No, dear,” her mama said, shaking her head and smiling. “Don’t you want Daddy to come too?”
Sasha shrugged, absorbed in choosing the perfect cracker to go with the assortment of food already in her mouth. “Daddy won’t think it’s fun. He’ll think it’s silly. We’ll pick lots of flowers and when he comes home it’ll be a big surprise!”
Mama laughed. “I think you’re right. That’s a fun idea. How far away is the first of May?”
Sasha laughed too, because she knew Mama knew the answer to that question and she thought it was very silly of her to ask. “It’s tomorrow, silly. When I come home from school we can go out, okay? Can we pick flowers on the highway? They have those pretty purple ones.”
“Not on the highway, I don’t think. But I’m sure we can find some good places to go pick flowers, and they might even have those purple ones you like. When you’re finished your snack, we can look at a map and see where there’s a good park for picking flowers.”
--
Sasha was right; going may was a very fun time for her and her mother, and they also had a fun time decorating the house with the flowers. (Lucy had to pick off bugs occasionally, and once she threw out a dandelion that had some unidentifiable white substance on it, when Sasha’s back was turned. But mostly the flower-picking expedition was a success.) And when her father came home, he laughed out loud at the profusion of color in their little house, and danced around with Sasha for a while before changing out of his work suit and going into the kitchen to make dinner.
Lucy hoped the flowers really did bring them luck. As a family, they could probably use luck. Herself, she could use luck. She watched Sasha’s little shining head, her careless laughter, her unsullied delight, and an empty place inside her ached. She wished there could be another of her. If she had her way she would fill the house with a dozen.
But it wasn’t safe. Bad enough she’d had even one child. Another—it could work, it could be another girl, but what if it wasn’t? She didn’t exactly have control over that.
And tonight was the night.
After Sasha had been put to bed and she and Vince were sitting around with the television on, she said softly, “Did you hear what Sasha said picking flowers was called? On the first of May?”
“Of course,” he said, not looking at her. “Going maying. It’s an old-fashioned term, I think, but just the sort of thing for a teacher to bring up for the children. I think it’s sweet.”
“You’ve heard it?” she asked, surprised.
“Not often.” He glanced over at her, his brow furrowed. “But it’s not exactly obscure. You haven’t heard it?”
“Not before yesterday.” Lucy cursed herself. She shouldn’t have brought it up that way. She shouldn’t have let him know that there was something she didn’t know. About this world. She always found herself tripped up on these little things… and one day he was going to ask her.
She swallowed and tried again. Maybe not bring it up tonight. Maybe just have a normal conversation. “Sasha really liked it. So did I. Maybe we can do it again next year.”
“That sounds great,” said Vince. “It might be on a weekend next year. Or I’ll take half the day off. It would be great to start some new family traditions, things just for us and our kids.” He leaned over to kiss her softly on the hair. “Maybe next year we’ll have another little one to share the tradition with.”
Lucy just stared at her hands. No, she couldn’t bring it up. Not tonight. Next time Sasha threw up on his tie, or dunked his socks in her paint… Maybe then she’d be able to tell him that she’d had her tubes tied behind his back. Because she could have no more children, ever. The risk was too great.
World: Falling Into Light
Word count: 1,041
Rating: G
Prompt:
rainbowfic Moonlight 16, Halcyon; We are all meant to shine, like children do; may day challengeNotes: Backstory to a novel/duology I'm in the planning stages for. This story is probably really confusing because I tried to avoid spoilers--the stuff the mom is worrying about is a major part of the plot.
“Mama!” cried Sasha, running up from the school bus to the front step. Her mama was waiting there, as she always was, and scooped Sasha up in her warm, soft arms to give her a tight hug. Sasha shrieked with delight, hugged her mama back, and then wiggled to get down, clutching her drawing from school in her hand.
“What have you got there, sweetheart?” her mama asked as she set Sasha on her feet. “A drawing of flowers? Oh, that’s pretty.”
Sasha held up the picture to show her mama. She wanted her to see her idea, the two of them out in a field full of flowers. “Can we go may?”
“Can we what, darling?” her mama asked, ushering her inside while still looking at the picture.
“May,” repeated Sasha. “Miss Rosie told us about it, and it’s fun, okay?”
Her mama shook her head. “Come into the kitchen, Sasha. I’ll put this up on the refrigerator and you can have your snack.” Once the picture was safely in its place in the middle of the fridge, covering the corners of many other drawings, Mama laid out a plate of carrots, crackers, and cheese in front of Sasha. “Now, what is it you want to do? Pick flowers with me? That’s what we’re doing in the picture, right?”
“Yeah!” Sasha stuffed a cheese stick into her mouth and wriggled with excitement. “Miss Rosie told us all about it! We go may! On the first day of May we have to go outside and pick flowers, and they’ll be pretty, and good luck. We can put them all over the house. You can wear them in your hair!”
Mama smiled and tucked some of Sasha’s wild curls behind her ear. “You can wear some in your hair, too. That sounds like a fun game. Miss Rosie said it’s called go may?”
“May-ing,” Sasha enunciated clearly, unaware that her clarity was somewhat impeded by the carrot stick that was now filling half of her small mouth. “It’s something people used to do all the time in the old days. Did you do it when you were little, Mama?”
“No, dear,” her mama said, shaking her head and smiling. “Don’t you want Daddy to come too?”
Sasha shrugged, absorbed in choosing the perfect cracker to go with the assortment of food already in her mouth. “Daddy won’t think it’s fun. He’ll think it’s silly. We’ll pick lots of flowers and when he comes home it’ll be a big surprise!”
Mama laughed. “I think you’re right. That’s a fun idea. How far away is the first of May?”
Sasha laughed too, because she knew Mama knew the answer to that question and she thought it was very silly of her to ask. “It’s tomorrow, silly. When I come home from school we can go out, okay? Can we pick flowers on the highway? They have those pretty purple ones.”
“Not on the highway, I don’t think. But I’m sure we can find some good places to go pick flowers, and they might even have those purple ones you like. When you’re finished your snack, we can look at a map and see where there’s a good park for picking flowers.”
--
Sasha was right; going may was a very fun time for her and her mother, and they also had a fun time decorating the house with the flowers. (Lucy had to pick off bugs occasionally, and once she threw out a dandelion that had some unidentifiable white substance on it, when Sasha’s back was turned. But mostly the flower-picking expedition was a success.) And when her father came home, he laughed out loud at the profusion of color in their little house, and danced around with Sasha for a while before changing out of his work suit and going into the kitchen to make dinner.
Lucy hoped the flowers really did bring them luck. As a family, they could probably use luck. Herself, she could use luck. She watched Sasha’s little shining head, her careless laughter, her unsullied delight, and an empty place inside her ached. She wished there could be another of her. If she had her way she would fill the house with a dozen.
But it wasn’t safe. Bad enough she’d had even one child. Another—it could work, it could be another girl, but what if it wasn’t? She didn’t exactly have control over that.
And tonight was the night.
After Sasha had been put to bed and she and Vince were sitting around with the television on, she said softly, “Did you hear what Sasha said picking flowers was called? On the first of May?”
“Of course,” he said, not looking at her. “Going maying. It’s an old-fashioned term, I think, but just the sort of thing for a teacher to bring up for the children. I think it’s sweet.”
“You’ve heard it?” she asked, surprised.
“Not often.” He glanced over at her, his brow furrowed. “But it’s not exactly obscure. You haven’t heard it?”
“Not before yesterday.” Lucy cursed herself. She shouldn’t have brought it up that way. She shouldn’t have let him know that there was something she didn’t know. About this world. She always found herself tripped up on these little things… and one day he was going to ask her.
She swallowed and tried again. Maybe not bring it up tonight. Maybe just have a normal conversation. “Sasha really liked it. So did I. Maybe we can do it again next year.”
“That sounds great,” said Vince. “It might be on a weekend next year. Or I’ll take half the day off. It would be great to start some new family traditions, things just for us and our kids.” He leaned over to kiss her softly on the hair. “Maybe next year we’ll have another little one to share the tradition with.”
Lucy just stared at her hands. No, she couldn’t bring it up. Not tonight. Next time Sasha threw up on his tie, or dunked his socks in her paint… Maybe then she’d be able to tell him that she’d had her tubes tied behind his back. Because she could have no more children, ever. The risk was too great.
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Date: 2014-05-10 11:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-05-10 09:10 pm (UTC)