~ Jul. 28, 2009
Just an update
Alright, I'm putting this story aside for a while. Just thought I'd let everyone know so they don't wonder. I'm currently working harder on Guided by Rangers which you can read on my other blog.
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~ Mar. 9, 2009
Chapter 4~The Work Begins
It was mid-spring, making it time for planting. Adelina’s father had bought two goats, a few chickens, a horse, and a lot of lumber to build a barn. She suspected her father had gotten the money from the plates, quilt, and her mother’s things.
Adelina plowed two weeks after her father had softened the dirt up a bit. She had blisters from the wood and peck marks from the chickens. She did this while her father built the barn. “The only good thing about all this is that it’s not very hot yet,” Adelina reasoned with herself.
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Despite the busyness of Jordan and Adelina, they found time to meet together for
“Schoner hugel,” said Adelina in a drowsy tone.
“Aye, it is that indeed!” he paused a moment, “Why is your father treating you like this Adelina?” he asked out of nowhere.
“Oh I don’t really know, but I suppose everything that has happened to him has hardened him, “she replied in a matter of fact way.
It had started to get warmer and the light breeze that cooled their faces was welcome. They were sitting on the side of a hill that was full of lush green grass, and wild flowers that had seemed to come up over night. It gently sloped down before coming to the small amount of flat land that had a few willow trees before starting up another hill.
This is where they always met for their lessons.
“Well we better get started on our lessons,” began
“Let’s get with it then,” Adelina replied with a lazy tone.
They started their lesson with greeting in English. Adelina had mastered that part.
Adelina yawned and couldn’t think anymore. She couldn’t remember any of the words that she had mastered almost a week ago.
“I think we better stop,”
Adelina didn’t think it that funny. She started to list all the things that hurt on her body to him: “head, hands, feet, skin, it even feels like my hair hurts!”
“I’m sorry,” he said ashamed of himself, he immediately sobered.
The sun was starting to set, giving a yellow glow to the flowers. Both of their hair had gold on the tips.
It was a summer sunset.
“You’ve been asking about me, what about you Jordan?” asked Adelina.
“Well Baldric is very nice to me, along with the other monks. I pay for my own food from working in the fields. I’ve started to feel bad for living with them. I asked Baldric about it the other day and he said it was his duty to God to take care of orphans,” he leaned back on his elbows, “Honestly he’s brought me closer to God too. My parents obviously taught me about Him, but….oh I guess you know too.”
Yes Adelina remembered not having enough time to go to church during the warmer months because of planting and then in the winter months the snow was too high for them to even get out the door.
“Why don’t you come to services?” he asked.
“Father never really has been one to attend services, not saying he’s not a God-fearing man, plus he doesn’t understand what they’re saying. I’ve tried to teach him English, but you know him, won’t except any help from anybody, not even his own family. I don’t always catch everything in the service either,” she said. She yawned again.
They both lay on their back. Then Adelina looked at him and he looked at her.
“Are you going to stay here even when we’re older?” Adelina asked abruptly.
“Yes, I think so. But I think we both ought to get home,” he answered simply.
The sun was almost behind the hills bathing them in an orangish, yellowish haze.
I hope you enjoyed this one and hopefully I'll get into the habit of post more often.
~Lillian
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~ Dec. 15, 2008
Chapter 3~The Start of a New Beginning
It took a week for the ship’s repair. But they were headed for
Adelina avoided her father as much as possible. And he rarely talked to her. If he ever looked at her it was with those cold eyes.
“LAND!!!!!!!!!” yelled a man who was at the front of the boat.
Everybody, including the captain who was usually not too excited about anything, rushed to the front to see the long awaited land.
They saw a thin strip on the horizon which they all knew was their new home. It was a grayish greenish color, but it was still very inviting after seeing so much of the sea.
The lady’s dresses were stiff, wrinkled, and worn from the voyage. Their hair was in disarray. They men weren’t much better with their torn clothing and uncut hair.
The food smelt horrible, crawling with worms and nobody had eaten much of it for the past week because of it.
It took them another week to reach land after weaving around reeves and then the wind stopped for a day.
That week was the longest many of them had ever felt, just to be barely moving was bad enough. But at least it wasn’t very hot or cold.
The ship hit land a day later.
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Adelina’s father lifted only two out of the four trunks they had originally brought with them.
“Come along,” he said roughly to Adelina, she quickly obeyed.
She, along with everybody else, kind of swayed back and forth as they walked on land, one of the sailors told them it was because they were all so use to being on the ship.
The landscape was beautiful, although almost dreary because of out wet it was from a spring shower it must have had just the day before. The land was a little muddy but if you looked far off you could see rolling hills with a grassy covering. Overall it was breath taking.
The ship had landed about fifteen miles away from Bamburgh, but there was a very small settlement close to shore.
It wasn’t much to look at.
“Where is everybody?” Adelina asked herself. In her mind she had pictured playing children and busy streets. But thee was only a church, less than a dozen houses, and a well sitting in the middle of it all.
Though the settlement was considered part of Bamburgh, Adelina called it “Schöner Hügel” meaning “Beautiful Hills.”
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Since all these people were from Germany and did not speak the same language as the people living there, they stuck together and settled on one end of the settlement.
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Since no one had offered to take Jordan into their home, like he had hoped, he had to find somebody to live with. “There aren’t many choices are there?” he said out loud.
A few seconds later he had the feeling somebody was watching him. He jumped around to see a monk.
He was dressed in a brown cloak and he had thin brown hair. He was pleasantly plump and had a twinkle in his eye.
“Oh, I’m sorry to scare you young man, but…” he was abruptly interrupted.
“Wait,” said Jordan. He had been trying to figure out why it seemed so strange to be talking to him.
“That’s it! How are you speaking German?” he asked relieved he had figured it out.
“Oh I’m very sorry young man. I should’ve introduced myself first,” he talked quick and almost nervously.
Jordan already liked him.
“My name is Baldric, I am a monk at that church right over there,” he pointed to the small church that could probably hold less than twenty-five people. But none the less, it was quite tidy by the looks of the garden.
“I couldn’t help myself but to ask you where your parents are young man.”
Jordan kind of liked being called a “young man” but after three times he got tired of it.
“My name is Jordan. My parents died right before my journey here,” he said. He was a little distracted with the landscape. It was very beautiful.
“So, Jordan, where are you going to live?”
Jordan started to open his mouth but then Baldric cut him off. “Oh never mind, no matter what you say I’m going to offer for you to stay and live in the church. Would you like to? He asked this in an odd way.
“Um,” Jordan stuttered, he was kind of taken a back with this whole encounter, “I guess I don’t have much of a choice. I thank you very kindly for your offer and will try to not be any bother at all.”
Jordan was amazed at how this friendly monk just told him he could live with him!
“Oh you won’t be a bother! You came just before spring. God made it so nice these days that I don’t think you’ll be inside much anyway. Come along!” he continued on and on about the weather, about the boat Jordan had come in and such, but Jordan wasn’t really paying attention, though he nodded his head in agreement with everything.
They walked slowly to the church. They made an odd pair.
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Adelina and her father bought a house that someone had built for new settlers.
Adelina was very tired, but the landscape and their small house was breath taking.
Their new house was set on the outskirts of the small settlement on the side of a hill. The house itself was plain, but the many hills behind it along with the beautiful sunset made the house look more extravagant. Plus the idea of an actual, cozy home and a bed made it inviting.
They stepped inside together and her father set the trunks down.
Surprisingly there was a table with four chairs, a bed with a bunk type bed that fit under it. There was also a fire place, other than that there was nothing, not even a window.
“Unpack and go to bed. I’m going to Bamburgh,” said her father.
“Are you going to get some more furniture or food?” Adelina asked innocently.
“NO!!!” he said with practically a shout.
Adelina suspected he was going to find someone to teach them both to speak English, but she dared not ask.
He stomped down the path towards Bamburgh.
It was still a little light but Adelina needed candles, she went to the two trunks.
When they had originally packed, they had packed four trunks; one with her mother’s clothes and kitchen supplies. Another with herself and her father’s clothing. The other two had had more supplies and memory things like her grandmother’s valuable plates, and the fine sewn quilt.
She opened both trunks and saw that he had brought the ones with their clothes and supplies.
Adelina teared up when she found the plates and quilt not among the things in the trunks.
The tears started to flow, she felt alone. She didn’t know what to do, her father, she felt, was not going to be easy on her because she was a girl or because of her age. Her mother was gone, along with everything she was familiar with.
Adelina slipped into her gown, she never found any candles, grabbed a blanket or two and pulled out the bed.
Amazingly she fell asleep quickly.
I hope you enjoyed!
~Lillian
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~ Nov. 13, 2008
Chapter 2~Anew Taken Aback
The voyage was to last one month, which was actually a shorter length trip then most.
Adelina and Jordan were the only kids on the entire ship so they stuck close together.
Adelina’s father had loosened up a little, but he still had a cold look in his eyes.
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“Do you think the captain’s a little mean to the crew?” Adelina asked her mother a week into their journey.
“Well a captain has to be strict, just think if he wasn’t. The ship wouldn’t get anywhere which means we wouldn’t get there, now wouldn’t that be bad?” she told her.
“Yes I guess so, but he doesn’t seem like the kindest man either,” she said.
“Now Adelina, I must agree he doesn’t use the nicest language, especially considering there are women and children aboard, but that is no reason to judge.”
Her mother was the kindest person anyone could ever know and she had quickly made friends with the people aboard, she was Adelina’s roll model, but she would not stand any of her children being disrespectful to their elders.
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Three weeks into the voyage a thunderstorm popped up from nowhere.
Everybody was on deck making it worse. Nobody enjoyed being below deck.
“Don’t you think this ship and voyage are amazing Adelina?” asked
“Honestly I’m not too fond of it, it’s just so boring seeing only water and then there’s nothing to do all day!” she obviously was not enjoying their trip.
“Well right now I have to admit that the waves are starting to get choppy and the wind’s picking up,” he said seriously.
“Everyone below deck!!!!!!!!!” was repeated over and over by the captain. Adelina noticed his voice was fading from all the wind.
Every woman and child went down while the men helped secure the ship.
The ship rocked and turned, making everybody sick to their stomach. Everybody's trucks were sliding back and forth and everyone had to dodge them making it even worse. They had to try and secure them so they wouldn’t bust the ship up from the inside.
The waves gashed at the ship so hard Adelina wondered how the ship was still floating.
“Is everything tied down?” he asked.
Nobody answered but a few nodded their heads.
“Okay then why don’t we all sit down and have a story?” he said it like it was just a normal day on land.
A few people who were still not feeling very good didn’t join them, but that was okay with everyone.
He started telling the story of Jonah and how all the crew was scared during the storm. He told of Moses and the crossing at the
This actually calmed the people under the deck, even though they were rocking and it was cramped.
Finally the storm calmed down, nobody went on deck because they feared of what they might see, plus they still had had no orders. They all thought it was offal quiet up there.
Adelina, on the other hand, had wide eyes and a shivering frame. She was one
They still had not word of what was happening and the ship wasn’t really moving that much, making the crew actually consider their surroundings.
Adelina had recovered also and looked around. She did not see the dark haired lady that she knew as her mother. She started asking around and wondering.
“Everybody on deck immediately,” said a voice of a sailor. It sounded tired and a bit mournful.
Everybody stepped up to see a wet, tired crew, and all of them were looking out to sea on one side of the ship.
The sea was as peaceful as ever and looked like it had stayed that way the entire time of the storm. Though one of the ship’s masts were broken and it had fallen on the deck.
All the people who had come up with her immediately had solemn faces that matched the crew’s.
When they had all gathered together, they captain started saying these words:
“The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh,” he said this while patting Adelina’s father on the shoulder.
Adelina’s heart skipped a beat and she turned pale, she knew what had happened.
Some of the women with them started to weep but Adelina’s eyes didn’t drop a tear, she was in too much of shock.
Abigail, Adelina’s mother, had died during the storm. Parts of the ship’s mast had broken off and hit her in the head as she was running.
Adelina’s father looked at he with cold eyes as if it was her fault her mother was dead.
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~ Sep. 23, 2008
Chapter 1 ~ Dismal Thoughts
Ten year old Adelina, dressed in black, walked home with her mother and father from her brother’s two funerals who had died from the terrible disease that swept through
Just a month before, they had lost most of their crops from drought. “The whole town was going to help each other, how could this happen?” she thought.
“We’re leaving in a week,” her father said, interrupting her thoughts, “we’re going to
“Okay, how much can I bring?” her mother replied quietly.
Her mother had been forced to marry her father but she always did exactly what her husband told her to do and stood behind him a hundred percent.
Both her parents were dazed, just like Adelina. Adelina was a spitting image of her mother of who now had tear stains on her cheeks, and her dark, wavy hair lay on her shoulders. Her father, she just now suddenly noticed, had begun to put himself in a hole from his grief for his only sons, she knew he would have rather had her die than her two brothers.
She had heard talk of families leaving, but she never thought her mother and father would leave their homeland.
But she had no choice, she would be leaving her homeland and that was that.
Adelina thought of her new life in
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“I must go,” Jordan, a frisky young boy of eleven decided. He had his hands in his pockets and he was walking along a muddy path. It was raining and it looked like it was night even though it was the middle of the day. The day matched his dreary thoughts.
When his parents died the day before he had been thinking on what would become of him ever since. They had been planning on going, so it would already be paid for. Besides, most of the village was leaving sooner or later.
Yes, he would go on the voyage to
He hurried off to his home to gather his belongings.
Suddenly tears came to his eyes, he felt so alone, and he was, but now he would have to take care of himself.
But still that haunting feeling of being alone nagged at the back of his mind as he continued to pack things up.