The Harvest Moon Consortium

[Winterhawk99]

Midara

Midara pulled her little skiff into the Akalin family boathouse. She had a creel of fresh fish for her father to fry up for supper and had gotten in a good two hours of practice on her mandolin besides. Her mother was going to insist on locks and traps drill after supper, Midara just knew it. Mandolin case in on hand, creel strap over her shoulder, Midara looked over at the family's two docks.
The Lively Lass was back in town! She ran over to the ship and pounded up the gangplank.

"Hello there, Terridy, " she said to the deckhand. "Is my sister still on board?"
"She's in the cabin going over the accounts before she has to face your Ma."
"Oh," Midara stopped, dismayed. "Did the voyage not go well?"
"No fear of that,"Terridy said reassuringly."Just making sure things are in good order before your Ma's gimlet eyes get a glance at 'em."

Midara laughed and, leaving her burdens on deck, ran down into Amalara's cabin.
"You're home and I caught masses of fish and there's fresh tomatoes from the garden and I wrote you a jig for the Lass!"

"Hush now, Dara,"Amalara said,"And let me concentrate on this or I'll drop the pretty I got for you right into Everhaven Harbor."

Midara sat on her sister's bunk. The ship's cat was already lolling on Ama's pillow. Dara stroked Ratchet and listened to her rusty purr.

Soon Amalara put down her pen. She blew on the page and slung her bag.

"Come along then, Sis," she said, picking up the big account book. "I could use a good salad after the last week."

They went back up into the bright afternoon sunlight. Midara gathered her things together.

Talking over the month they'd been separated, the sisters headed for home.


Story by Maddyanne