Gone Fishing

Writers: Yvonne
Date Posted: 19th March 2017

Characters: Jisalle, Majan, Rinne
Description: Jisalle and her kids spend an evening together - or not.
Location: Amber Hills Hold
Date: month 10, day 27 of Turn 8

It had been a long day. Jisalle made her way through the Hold to her sister's apartment to pick up her children, declined an offer to stay, and went back to her own little apartment with the pair of them. Majan ran to stoke the fire as soon as they were in the door, while Rinne sat down at the table and began talking about her Harper lessons.

"We sang Teaching songs all morning," she said. "I think I'm losing my voice. I don't have to go to Harper Lessons tomorrow if I can't talk, right?"

"You can go and listen," Jisalle told her. "Why wouldn't you want to go? All your friends will miss you."

"Because I could stay in bed and sleep aaaaaaaalllllll day! Yunica did that two days ago. She says that her mother brought her tea all day and they played cards and went for a walk outside and petted the runners."

"Pet the runners, not petted. Lucky Yunica." The herbalist opened the pantry, then decided to send Majan over to the Kitchens to pick them all up something to eat. She'd forgotten to pick up anything fresh again, and beans would take too long to soak and be ready. "Why don't we play cards tonight?"

"I can't. I said I'd go over to Darrik's place," Majan said. "We're going to go fishing at dusk. Roncin is coming too. That ok, Mom?"

Jisalle thought for a moment. "Any Harper Lessons you need to finish tonight?"

"No." Majan smiled, a buck-toothed, infectious grin. "Besides, I'm almost too old for Harper Lessons. I know it all already!"

His mother raised an eyebrow, even though Majan's comment made her heart shiver. Her little boy was almost old enough to go to work, or to start an apprenticeship. He'd move away and leave her. And he was just a _boy_. "Let's see what the Harper says. But isn't it a bit cold outside?"

"No - the ice on the river is melted. We're just going to the bend in the river north of the Hold, it's not far at all. And we'll bring warm coats and make a fire."

"And mittens. And a hat." Jisalle sighed, recognizing a losing battle when she saw one. "Before you go, can you run over to the Kitchens and pick up something for us to eat for dinner?"

Majan's face fell. "Aw, Mom! Do I have to?"

Rinne turned to Jisalle. "Can I go fishing too?"

"I thought we were going to play cards?" Her mother sat down beside her. "What about me? You don't want to spend time with me?"

"You can go to auntie's to play cards." Her daughter turned to face Majan, her eyes big and pleading. "Can I come? Pleeeaaaase?"

Majan made another face. "You're too loud. Last time you scared away all the fish."

"I'll be quiet this time!"

Majan sighed. "Fine. But you have to promise. And you have to keep up. And you have to come to the Kitchens with me and pick up dinner."

"Yay!" Rinne jumped off her chair in her excitement. "I promise! I promise!"

"And _you_ had better promise to take care of your sister," Jisalle told Majan sternly.

Her son rolled his eyes as he headed for the doors. "I'm not going to leave her in a hole somewhere, Mom. We're just going fishing."

But so much could go wrong when you went fishing. Someone could fall into the river, or catch a fish hook in the finger. They could get lost coming back to the Hold after the sun went down. They might get hypothermia, or burnt by the fire. They could twist an ankle or get stolen by Holdless. Jisalle watched her children fall out the door and race toward the Kitchens, and the apartment abruptly went from busy and full to empty and lonely.

It would be wrong to run after them and gather them up in her arms and lock them away from the world. After her husband's death, Jisalle had tried to do just that -- and had failed. And they were getting older and growing up. They were starting to have lives of their own. And Michan would have wanted Majan to go fishing with his cousin and friends, and Rinne to trail after her big brother. Jisalle wrapped her arms around her middle and gave herself a hug. They'd be all right. **And you'll be all right too,** she told herself. The more she said it, the more likely it was to be true. Pretending things were fine eventually made them fine.

She stood and put the kettle on for tea. **And everything will be just fine.**

Last updated on the April 25th 2017

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Gone Fishing