the storm

by anonymous

when i try to think back on the true beginning of my life's journey, i recall, not my wedding at the grey castle, nor franz going off to war in his blue and gold uniform, but nasha, my governess, and old pastor mubank, seated beside the river,and myself, wandering off to the bank and seeing a trout jump up suddenly and look me straight in the eye, probably the first live "wild" creature i ever encountered, although i was, due to my careful upbringing, already fairly proficient in latin, french, russian, the piano and the violin, and such "science" as was then considered suitable for a female child what are you doing? what does it look like i am doing? reading a book. that is, in fact, what i am doing. let’s go outside and.play croquet. it looks like rain. then let’s get a game in before it does. all right. natalie and ferdinand had barely started their game when the skies opened up and they had to go back inside. where is my book? natalie asked plaintively. someone must have picked it up - brenda, or maybe the new parlormaid. it is not their function to go around picking up my books, or , for that matter, anything i choose to leave lying around. don’t take it so personally. was the book interesting. i had only begun it. there you are! go and change into dry clothes, both of you. what were you thinking? could you not see the storm clouds gathering?