Short Story: Contentment
The tall grassy meadow waved soft in the wind, rippling as if it were waves on the ocean. This was her favorite place to escape from the never ending house chores. Here she could sink down into the earthy scent of wild flowers and sweet grass. Her small frame was easily hidden by the towering grass as she reclined back into the green yielding mass. With her hands behind her head she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Birds chirped happily nearby adding to her blissful contentment, while the tinkling brook tried to lull her to sleep. She resisted the urge to drift off with the soothing water that lapped against the rocks.
Being a young housemaid, liberties like these were few but treasured moments. She smiled thinking ‘Oh, how wonderful would it be to be one of the wealthy privileged. I would surely do this every day if I could.’ She didn’t feel jealousy towards her employer or his friends. Actually just the opposite, she felt very lucky to have her position in his fine house, especially since she was hired with no experience or someone to recommend her. She knew things could have been a lot worse for her being a grown orphan with no home, no job and no friends, a so called “nobody” in society’s eyes. No…she felt very fortunate indeed.
The overhead sun warmed her skin and she loved the way it washed over her. She knew it would put unattractive freckles all over her nose again, but at the moment she didn’t care. Here in this field was the one place where she refused to bring her worries or woes. This place was her sanctuary and it was off limits to anything trivial or negative.
The soft whisper of leaves seemed to be telling secrets all around her, as the water chuckled at knowing what those secrets were. The chirps of crickets sang songs along with the busy buzzing sound of bees floating from flower to flower. A tiny butterfly tickled the skin on her arm as she opened her eyes to see the brilliant colors of orange and yellow splashed on its lovely wings. It stopped and looked at her then fluttered away as if it were dancing on the wind. The sky above was the same blue color of the wild flowers that grew in the meadow. She remembered watching clouds as a child and imagining things in the shapes they made, but today the clouds were wispy and almost nonexistent. In the distance she heard her name being called, “Abigail!” Realizing her leisure time was over; Abigail sighed as she stood up and brushed the dirt and pieces of grass off her skirts. Her work was calling her again. With one last look at her tranquil meadow, she returned to the large manor she now called home.
Being a young housemaid, liberties like these were few but treasured moments. She smiled thinking ‘Oh, how wonderful would it be to be one of the wealthy privileged. I would surely do this every day if I could.’ She didn’t feel jealousy towards her employer or his friends. Actually just the opposite, she felt very lucky to have her position in his fine house, especially since she was hired with no experience or someone to recommend her. She knew things could have been a lot worse for her being a grown orphan with no home, no job and no friends, a so called “nobody” in society’s eyes. No…she felt very fortunate indeed.
The overhead sun warmed her skin and she loved the way it washed over her. She knew it would put unattractive freckles all over her nose again, but at the moment she didn’t care. Here in this field was the one place where she refused to bring her worries or woes. This place was her sanctuary and it was off limits to anything trivial or negative.
The soft whisper of leaves seemed to be telling secrets all around her, as the water chuckled at knowing what those secrets were. The chirps of crickets sang songs along with the busy buzzing sound of bees floating from flower to flower. A tiny butterfly tickled the skin on her arm as she opened her eyes to see the brilliant colors of orange and yellow splashed on its lovely wings. It stopped and looked at her then fluttered away as if it were dancing on the wind. The sky above was the same blue color of the wild flowers that grew in the meadow. She remembered watching clouds as a child and imagining things in the shapes they made, but today the clouds were wispy and almost nonexistent. In the distance she heard her name being called, “Abigail!” Realizing her leisure time was over; Abigail sighed as she stood up and brushed the dirt and pieces of grass off her skirts. Her work was calling her again. With one last look at her tranquil meadow, she returned to the large manor she now called home.
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found you via twitter, btw.