Moon at Nine by Deborah Ellis

Author:Deborah Ellis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2014-12-19T16:00:00+00:00

ELEVEN

SOUNDS OF THE morning filtered into the tent.

They were cheerful sounds – of children playing and others doing light work. The scents of wood smoke mingled with the scents of the animal skins that made up the tent and the musty smell of the old wool blanket wrapped around Farrin. She kept her eyes closed for a while longer, wanting to stretch out this moment.

Farrin always slept well when she visited her grandparents. Maybe it was the fresh air. Maybe it was the novelty of sharing her sleeping space with a bunch of other women and children, all cozy on rugs and mats.

Slowly, Farrin started to wake up. She could feel someone close beside her and she knew it was Sadira. Everyone else had already left the tent. She buried her face in Sadira’s hair, breathing in the slight scent of jasmine. Her arms were around Sadira, and Sadira’s arms were around her.

There was no better place in the world.

‘You two had better hurry before all the food is – ’

Farrin’s grandmother stood over Farrin and Sadira, looking down at the way they were together.

The look on her grandmother’s face made them pull apart.

‘Good morning, Grandmother,’ Farrin said, trying to sound like she normally would. ‘Did you have a good sleep?’

She kept her hand in Sadira’s. She didn’t think to move it.

Her grandmother closed the tent flap and came close to them so that she could speak quietly.

‘I have been told that your mother is dead,’ she said to Sadira. To Farrin, she said, ‘And your mother is …’ There was no need to finish that sentence. ‘So perhaps no one has spoken to you about such things.’

‘What things, Grandmother?’

‘You two are friends. Fine. That is a good thing. But make sure your friendship is just a friendship. Don’t make it into something unnatural, something ugly. You should not hold onto each other like that. No man will want to marry you if you act like that with another girl. Don’t do it! Your future will be crushed! This time, fine, you didn’t know. There should not be another time. That is my message to you. Now you have heard it, there is no more need to talk about it.’ She headed out of the tent, saying over her shoulder, ‘Breakfast is ready.’

She left them alone.

‘I guess we’d better get up,’ Farrin said.

They got up from the mats and began to fold their blankets.

‘She looked mad,’ Sadira said. ‘I’m sorry about that. I don’t want your grandmother to be mad at you.’

They folded the rest of the blankets in silence, and tidied up the other beds.

Just before they left the tent, Farrin turned to Sadira and said, ‘I’m not sorry.’

They smiled at each other and went out into the day.

When they joined the others, all was the same as it was the night before. Farrin’s father was in a great mood, women were busy with little tasks, and the men were already settled into smoking and talking.

Farrin and Sadira joined different groups of women doing different things.

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