Frustration

When Mr. Donahue left, he did not stop the story box from working. Considering that I had no idea how he had started it in the first place, how to get it to quiet was an art beyond my understanding. I simply hoped it would go silent if I let it be for long enough. However, even by the time I was preparing to go to bed the thing continued to make its racket. I took a look at what was on the box, but everything was so foreign to me that I didn't dare touch it. For all I knew, the thing could explode if I did something wrong. My attention focused on the rectangle device Mr. Donahue had been previously holding instead. There was a name embossed on it that matched the name on the box. Few of the buttons were labeled, but I decided the large red one might be a good choice. I was right. The box went quiet.

Although I wanted the thing to stop making its noise, the absolute silence that swept over the house was disconcerting. In the elven lands all of the buildings, for the most part, do not have doors, but open archways. There are drapes for when one needs privacy, yet the majority of the time there is very little to separate us from the outside world. I am used to the gentle breeze of wind and sounds of little creatures wafting throughout the halls. The large window in my bed chamber here could not be opened, so I retreated to my bed trying to ignore the engulfing silence. The fear from earlier in the day returned. Though I was more cut off from the world outside here than I was at home, I felt horribly exposed. I don't know why I attempted to rest, for I found little sleep that night. The suffocating silence and unease was part of the problem. It was the terribly uncomfortable bed that was the other issue though. I might have endured less pain if I had slept on the floor instead. It was a true blessing when the sun rose. The warm sunlight was a welcome change from the moonless, cold night sky.

I sighed as I began going about my day. I took a look at the oven machine, but was even more confident I would cause it to explode if I even looked at it the wrong way. Human machines terrify me. I knew I needed to learn how to operate it soon though. I had some cold bread for breakfast, and that and salads for dinner would not be nearly enough to sustain me.

Just as I finished eating, I spotted a woman dressed in all blue putting something in the box out in the front of my yard. I managed to catch her before she left, and asked her what she had done. I knew the box was for communication. Some small part of me hoped it was a message from home. Unfortunately, the explanation that I was given was nothing like what I wanted. The woman told me she had just brought me my bills. Bills? The only bills I knew about were the kind on ducks. The mail carrier saw my confusion and told me that bills were something I had to pay twice a week. The money would to the places that help keep my house working. I knew the amount of money I had was small, so I ask her what would happen if you weren't able to pay your bills. She responded by explaining that I have several days to pay. If I don't provide the money, someone will come and take something from the house in order to make up what I owed. The term for such an event was "repossession", and I was alerted to the reality that it wasn't a pleasant experience.

I thanked the woman for her information, and she left soon afterwards. After taking the bill out, I was horrified to see that I definitely did not have the money required to pay it. I already had so little. I could not afford to lose anything.

I went back inside to finish my painting. It came out better than I had expected. I had some issues and made a bit of a mess, but as I worked more and more of what I had learned from naneth came back to me. Unfortunately, it sold for much less than I hoped- only two units of the currency here. It hardly made a difference.

I thought perhaps if I painted something larger I could then obtain more money. I started a new piece of work, I felt as if it was a definite improvement over my first work. I chose not to eat lunch, and continued without stopping so that I could finish by the time dinner arrived. Again, the piece did not sell for much. It sold thirteen units, but I cheered up somewhat. At least there had been an increase. If I kept up a similar pace I should be able to get just enough money to avoid the repossession. I would worry about how much poorer I would be after I paid my bills  after I got to that point. I kept myself distracted by thinking of the human who bought my second painting. He had appeared less interested in it, and more interested in the fact that an elf had painted it. I wanted my works to be bought because they were truly desired by the buyer, but I suppose I should not complain if being an elf helped me out along the way.

I wished to look for another way to make money though. Painting is naneth's obsession- not mine. I could not imagine myself keeping up with it for very long.

Dinner came and went. The house was suffocatingly silent again. I was starting to desire conversation- even if it was human conversation. I also knew needed to introduce myself to more men. I would be stuck as I was forever unless I tried to progress further. Coming up with what I thought was a smart plan, I made a trip down to the local tavern. Surely there would be many others about.

And unfortunately, I was incredibly wrong. The only other person there besides me was the bar maid. It was frustrating enough that I had been given such a horrible order from the Goddess, but in that moment I was more frustrated with how difficult doing what needed to be done was to accomplish. Mr. Donahue had been deplorable, and it felt then as if I was being avoided. Despite my better judgement, I purchased an alcoholic drink. It was tasteless and thick compared to the fine wines I was used to at home. It did affect me much more strongly than I anticipated though. I had never been drunk before, but I considered as I sipped at that stinging beverage that being intoxicated was most likely the only was I might be able to keep my sanity when I took part in the least desirable part of this task- the part in which the child was actually made.

I stayed at the tavern for some time, but no one else ever arrived. I left, but did not want to return to my house. I instead wandered away from the buildings. There were small woods around the town, and walking underneath the trees had been the most relaxing thing I had done since I arrived. I found a patch of flower bushes and laid down next to them. If there was anything I could be thankful for, it was that there was this once place of sereneness and peace in this town.

For one brief moment, I was able to fool myself into thinking that I was back home daydreaming in my favorite flower patch......