Too Much Time /creative writing process

Too Much Time

A Modern Unangan Tale


By Searean Moon













Copyright Searean Moon, 2016




Raven was one of those that can happen in any village, nice but kind of slower then the rest.  Sometimes they are pretty or good at weaving or at something that makes them stand out anyway.  But Poor Raven lacked in most ways except for imagination.  She could not tell what she thought though, she was too shy.  So she was a bit slower then the rest of the villagers but it was also painful shyness too.

But there were some who could hear her and loved the tales and adventures she dreamed up when she sat alone and lonely before bed.  She created a heroine who would go on adventures all over the world and outsmart those who tried to trick her.  Now you wonder how a girl who is sweet but slow can imagine clever things to do, she thinks of it night and day and day and night.  Often she would think of something that might work and be happy with that and move on with her story.  She named her heroine "Silk" after the pretty fabric she had bought from overseas. 

She had it hung on her wall by her bed and each night would lie there gazing at it and begin to dream what would happen that day to Silk.  She often told the same tale but none of her secret listeners minded.  As she began to grow into a woman, they wondered who she would end up marrying.    In just under half her tales Silk traveled the world looking for a husband.  In the rest she would travel for the love and freedom of it.  Not that Raven herself ever dreamed of traveling away from her village.  She knew these fine people all her life yet was still painfully shy to talk much to them. 

In her stories, Silk would travel to small out of the way village and everyone would be taken with her.  She never had to pay for anything because she could play a sort of guitar and sing beautifully.  The single men would fall for her because she was so 'exotic' looking.  She wore makeup expertly to hide the fact she was plain looking.  She played the guitar to hide her nervousness, her fingers playing the guitar instead of showing how nervous she secretly was.  Her tales were told over and over so she got better at it each time.  If someone did not like it or understand it, they thought the problem was them so would not mention it and only say how great she performed. 

Sometimes the leader of  a village was bad and greedy and Silk would help the village out.  In those times she wore a black outfit that was normal enough looking not to shout out she was an assassin.  She would buy a goat or sheep or something small and easy to travel with and 'pay' for her stay at the small village by giving her pet.  She would restore order and disappear before they could thank her since she was shy like Raven at times.

Raven had no idea why her thoughts changed and she would imagine Silk more as a warrior.  She had no idea that one of her secret listeners had that sort of Power, to change thoughts.  That person, who shall remained unnamed for my own personal safety as I do not want to offend Her, liked battle stories best of all.  So over time her tales became more and more about Silk being a warrior then a bard.  Raven did not mind but wondered if it made her a bad person that these thoughts started about the time her best friend married the villages best fisherman.  She thought she was maybe jealous or something.

She tried her best to make up for her feelings by being super nice and helpful to the newly married couple and their families.  which in a village is practically everyone!  After the first year of this kindness some of the elders wondered why the change.  they thought maybe she wanted to be married.  None in the village wanted to marry her though.  They decided they should find a way for her to meet men from other villages.  They began to devise reasons to send her to some village or another. 

It was on one of these trips that something strange happened.  Each village she traveled to had a spell of bad weather while she was there.  They had no idea how or why but only that it started when she set foot on their island and ended when she left.  After the third year, people became a bit afraid of her.  Who was she that she could control the weather.  By the 4th year no village wanted her to stop by.  Raven had no idea about any of that though.  She was a bit slow, remember.  She thought everywhere else but her own Home was not as pretty or good.  She was thankful when they stopped sending her anywhere.

But then there was an urgent message to the village.  Another village was under siege and needed everyone they could spare.  The wise woman said specifically to bring Raven.  Raven was now 23 and decided she would help this one last time.  She decided to bring her fabric with her so she would feel at home since she might be stuck there for half the year.  As expected, as soon as Raven set foot on their island clouds began to form.  After the first week half the people laying siege to the village decided it was not worth it.  the wise woman was happy.  She sent for Raven to come visit her at her own home.

The wise woman had a son who was very weak.  He kept telling his mother he needed to find a girl called Silk and described the heroine from Raven's tale.  He said he had been to a village overseas and this woman came and enchanted him.  He became ill as he searched for her but could not give up.  He was half delirious when he was brought home.  The wise woman did not even listen to the raving anymore.  He had a scarf or something that belonged to her though and had it hung on his wall.  Naturally the wise woman did not want Raven around her son, it was embarrassing enough the whole village knew he was raving mad, she did not want outsiders to know.

Raven became a regular visitor at night.  The wise woman learned if you were very patient Raven could be relaxed enough to talk.  She had learned patience over the last few months when her son was brought home.  Raven was over one evening when the Wise Woman had to go on business.  The siege was almost over and peace was being offered.  She had to go and decided it was ok to leave Raven there.  She said her son was mostly quiet but if he called, it was probably for water. He never called and she left without having seen him that night.

It was the next day when the Wise Woman raced around trying to find anyone who had some fabric from overseas as her son was having a fit.  Raven had her piece hung on the wall in the guestroom across the village.  She went to get it and raced back to the wise woman's home.  The guy was so distraught.  He had woken in a nightmare still and attacked the fabric thinking it was a witch taunting him about his love Silk.

Most of the villagers had never heard his raving until this moment so they were interested and wanted to know about her.  Raven was strangely quiet but no one noticed.  He told one of her tales she thought in secret as if it had happened.  She had dropped the fabric and it lay there forgotten on the floor as he told the story of having met the wondrous bard named Silk.  He fell in love at first sight.  He went on with his tale and only Raven was not listening to it enchanted.  The rest loved the story even if it meant their wise woman's son had gone crazy. 

It was a romantic tale as he followed her trail, hearing of her turning into a sort of hero.  He fell more in love with her the more he heard of her.  Raven began to grow strangely angry.  She felt it was unfair that the lady she dreamed of becoming had a guy in love with her like she dreamed some guy would fall in love with her.  He went crazy for her like she dreamed a guy would feel about her.  Raven was so mad that without thinking she spoke to him.

"You are a liar, sir!"  she shouted at him, making everyone jump since most had become lost in the tale.    Her voice shocked him into silence for the first time that evening.  She began to say he loved not the girl.  He would swear he did.   She would say that would he love her if she had no makeup on to hide her plain face.  he said it mattered not what she looked like, it was her spirit he loved.  Raven could not help making a man-sized guffaw at that.  He became enraged, recognizing that sound as a man challenging his maleness.

For the first time since he was brought home, he got out of bed.  As he got close though, he remembered she was a woman so stopped, uncertain what to do.  He wanted to fight for his honor and for Silk's honor.  But he could never hit a woman.  Even one as deserving as this minx!  They argued for an hour, the rest of the room forgotten.

 It was then the Wise Woman noticed the cloth on the ground at Raven's feet.  She told her son she could make Silk appear, using her magic, if only he would trust her and close his eyes until she said open them. 

She opened her drawer and pulled out a box.  She walked over to Raven and said "I did not know why I had to buy this, until this moment" and gave it to her.  As Raven opened it and saw it was the foreign makeup that Silk wore she smiled and quickly put it on as one of the village woman held a mirror and another fixed the fabric over her hair.  She stood there by the door, the moon light shining on her, giving her a magical appearance.  The wise woman went to her son and said if he really loved Silk then open his eyes.

The rest of the tale is for another time.  This was only to explain how the Moon came to shine so brightly a second weekend in a row!!

http://morganablackmoon.deviantart.com/art/the-raven-and-the-moon-319656425

Pic from Deviant Art :  Morganablackmoon