Short-Story-A-Day #4
Title: Light
Author: kay_brooke
Rating: PG
Word Count: 610
Story Arc: The Myrrosta
Summary: Mynlai has a great gift, and she doesn't understand why that makes her father angry.
Note: Crossposted to runaway_tales ( here) and Dreamwidth.
"I saw light." Mynlai grinned at her mother and father in turn. "In the water, I saw silver light."
"Did you?" her father mumbled, not glancing up from his dinner. Her mother said nothing at all but gave a little sigh that Mynlai had learned to read a long time ago.
"It's a good thing!" she snapped at her mother. "Grandfather says it means I'm learning quickly!"
"I said nothing," her mother quietly answered. "I'm sure your grandfather is very proud of you."
Mynlai slumped over on her stool, disappointed. This had all been going on for too long. Why were her parents determined not to be excited about her water visions? She had the gift for future-seeing, a rare gift indeed, and it wasn't something to either lament or dismiss. Especially her father. Mynlai had almost given up on her mother; she had no future-seeing ability and would never understand what it was like. But her father . . . he was the one she had inherited her ability to see in the water from. Why wouldn't he be more excited for her?
It was something she had always wanted to ask, but she never dared. As she had gotten older she thought perhaps her father's reticence came not from the confirmation of her talent, but from the fact that her grandfather, her mother's father, insisted on teaching her. Mynlai had long ago realized that her father and grandfather were not friends.
"Mynlai, please sit up straight," her mother admonished.
Mynlai did so. "He says soon we can move on to the next step in my training," she continued, determined to keep the conversation going even if her parents didn't want to hear it. This was important to her and it should be important to them.
This time her father actually looked up at her, and Mynlai shrank back a little at the angry look in his eyes. "The next step?" he fairly spat. "And what does that mean, exactly?"
"Etter," Mynlai's mother said, the warning clear in her voice. "He isn't going to do anything without speaking to us about it first."
"How do you know that?" Mynlai's father had now turned his burning eyes on her mother, which Mynlai was glad for. Not only was that anger no longer focused on her, but she was ashamed to admit that she had no answer to his question. She didn't know what the next step meant, and she knew she should have asked, but she'd just been so excited about her own progress. She'd waited to years to find out if she had the future-seeing ability, and once that was confirmed she'd waited even longer for her grandfather's slow, methodical lessons to get around to teaching her something useful.
"This is not the time to discuss this," said Mynlai's mother, and she threw a sideways glance at Mynlai that irritated the girl because she knew it meant there would be no discussion of whatever her father wanted to discuss while she was in the room.
"Still," said her father, his voice calming slightly. "We should see him tomorrow, just to make sure."
"If that's what you want." Her mother's voice was weary and she clearly wasn't in the mood to argue.
Mynlai's father nodded and sat back, his full attention once more turned to his meal.
Mynlai looked down at her own meal, wondering again why her grandfather was such a controversial topic among the family. What could he do that her father was so afraid of? She wished her parents would actually talk about anything important in front of her.
Then again, that was what eavesdropping was for.
Author: kay_brooke
Rating: PG
Word Count: 610
Story Arc: The Myrrosta
Summary: Mynlai has a great gift, and she doesn't understand why that makes her father angry.
Note: Crossposted to runaway_tales ( here) and Dreamwidth.
"I saw light." Mynlai grinned at her mother and father in turn. "In the water, I saw silver light."
"Did you?" her father mumbled, not glancing up from his dinner. Her mother said nothing at all but gave a little sigh that Mynlai had learned to read a long time ago.
"It's a good thing!" she snapped at her mother. "Grandfather says it means I'm learning quickly!"
"I said nothing," her mother quietly answered. "I'm sure your grandfather is very proud of you."
Mynlai slumped over on her stool, disappointed. This had all been going on for too long. Why were her parents determined not to be excited about her water visions? She had the gift for future-seeing, a rare gift indeed, and it wasn't something to either lament or dismiss. Especially her father. Mynlai had almost given up on her mother; she had no future-seeing ability and would never understand what it was like. But her father . . . he was the one she had inherited her ability to see in the water from. Why wouldn't he be more excited for her?
It was something she had always wanted to ask, but she never dared. As she had gotten older she thought perhaps her father's reticence came not from the confirmation of her talent, but from the fact that her grandfather, her mother's father, insisted on teaching her. Mynlai had long ago realized that her father and grandfather were not friends.
"Mynlai, please sit up straight," her mother admonished.
Mynlai did so. "He says soon we can move on to the next step in my training," she continued, determined to keep the conversation going even if her parents didn't want to hear it. This was important to her and it should be important to them.
This time her father actually looked up at her, and Mynlai shrank back a little at the angry look in his eyes. "The next step?" he fairly spat. "And what does that mean, exactly?"
"Etter," Mynlai's mother said, the warning clear in her voice. "He isn't going to do anything without speaking to us about it first."
"How do you know that?" Mynlai's father had now turned his burning eyes on her mother, which Mynlai was glad for. Not only was that anger no longer focused on her, but she was ashamed to admit that she had no answer to his question. She didn't know what the next step meant, and she knew she should have asked, but she'd just been so excited about her own progress. She'd waited to years to find out if she had the future-seeing ability, and once that was confirmed she'd waited even longer for her grandfather's slow, methodical lessons to get around to teaching her something useful.
"This is not the time to discuss this," said Mynlai's mother, and she threw a sideways glance at Mynlai that irritated the girl because she knew it meant there would be no discussion of whatever her father wanted to discuss while she was in the room.
"Still," said her father, his voice calming slightly. "We should see him tomorrow, just to make sure."
"If that's what you want." Her mother's voice was weary and she clearly wasn't in the mood to argue.
Mynlai's father nodded and sat back, his full attention once more turned to his meal.
Mynlai looked down at her own meal, wondering again why her grandfather was such a controversial topic among the family. What could he do that her father was so afraid of? She wished her parents would actually talk about anything important in front of her.
Then again, that was what eavesdropping was for.