writing prompt Her own history

THIS WEEK'S WORDS from sunday whirligig: apricots, hay, appear, beef, stone, carry, shoulders, piped, sensors, running, archaic, everything

 

                                         Her own history

The sun was warm on her shoulders as she walked through the hay fields. She remembered being here as a child, running through these fields with her friends, playing hide and seek.

What fun that was!
The thrill of getting caught by surprise... the slight excitement from the possibility of getting lost, wondering if a mouse would appear in her path.

The drying grass that would feed their animals that winter, smelled dusty, and scratched her arms as she wove through it. She knew these fields well, had helped plant them and rode on the harvester as they cut the hay each year.

This was her history.


Now she was grown, and carried the weight of big decisions on these warm shoulders. Now that she and her new husband owned these fields she had to know when it was time to cut and bale the hay, and get it into the barn for the winter months.

Her barn.

The old archaic stone barn was now hers to protect. It protected her hay, and livestock, and she protected it.


Life was a balancing act wasn't it?
She was the child being protected right?

But everything changed when her parents passed the farm onto her,  and her new husband. Now she would continue to build the history of the place. History was important to her, as was the smooth running of the farm. She wanted everything to continue as it had since it was a part of her history.


Already they had to make a few changes like adding sensors to the barn. A nod to the present. They now piped in water for the animals instead of fetching it by the bucket as her parents had done. Did this change the charm?

Should a person protect history by not changing the present or could they coexist?




Could they keep the traditions while living in the present? Would she be able to do all that was needed?




She sensed the sun going behind a cloud for a moment and looked up. Yes there may be rain later, she knew this from living a life here in this place. She learned daily the signs given by the earth when it was time to harvest the apricots, if the hay needed to come in, that the grapes were ready to pick.

 History. 

She knew the history of the place and loved it.




Yes she would carry on. She would protect the barn, the hay and the earth best she could.

( just to let you know, I've fallen in love with these characters and have now written an additional 8 chapters! Wonder what will become of these two?)