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The Harvest
By: L. M. Mercer
One morning in late autumn the old woman knelt by the young girl’s cot. She awoke Rebecca with a small nudge and explained that her studies were complete—it was time. Rebecca was to become the new “Death’s Maid” for today’s “Harvest.” She would perform the ritual for her first time.
Fear and uncertainty unexpectedly rushed over Rebecca. Her complaints were silenced when the aging woman raised her hand. The woman attempted to reassure her that this was as it was meant to be.
As her final act, the elderly woman dressed Rebecca in robes of deepest black. The garment was so large it made the child appear even smaller than she actually was. Then, after a kiss on each of the girl’s smooth cheeks, she pulled the hood down to conceal Rebecca’s young face. With her last task completed, the weathered woman rested herself across the bed and drifted peacefully into an eternal slumber.
Rebecca walked out of the building knowing it would be her new home until the day she died. She followed the town elder, who waited outside to guide the newly appointed “Death’s Maid,” to the ritual clearing. There she would fulfill her destiny and ensure the town’s prosperity for another year. At her first “Harvest” she never knew that the cloaked, stooped person she encountered was her beloved father.
Once the ritual was complete, the same elder that had led her to the ceremony escorted Rebecca home afterwards. All the while, he remained silent and detached.
Once the two had reached her house, the elder ensured she had previsions to last through the harsh winter. He then removed the lifeless body of the previous “Death’s Maid.” As quickly and quietly as he came, he left the cottage.
Now she stood in the cold vacant room all alone. Rebecca suddenly realized any dreams she had held about her future were gone. She was alone and that was how she would remain.
* * *
Rebecca stood in the small clearing and remembered that fateful day fifteen years ago, how unbelievably slow had passed for her. She recalled that during her few trips into town she had learned it was best to be as self-sufficient as possible. She was avoided by most townspeople and completely shunned by others. She was often the subject of taunting and tormenting by the village children. But such things are to be expected when you are a professional scapegoat.
That had changed earlier this spring when a handsome newcomer arrived in town. After a group of young boys tripped her and started kicking dirt in her face, the kind man had chased them away and graciously helped to gather up her dropped parcels. The spring friendship, started with that single act of kindness, had grown into love during the warmth of summer.
Earlier that morning, just as the sun was rising in the east, Rebecca slipped from her bed. With a soft kiss on his brow, she left her lover peacefully asleep in order to prepare for the day’s hideous task. While the rest of the town gathered and selected the year’s “Chosen One,” she had pulled on the black robe. Her long golden curls bunched within its hood.
Rebecca entered the newly harvested clearing in the wheat field. Now Rebecca stood, as “Death’s Maid,” within the center of the field and simply waited. She waited with a ridged stone in hand and her arm extended outwards.
As her arm began to tire, the weight of the rock in her hand seemed to increase. It brought Rebecca’s attention back to the present and the gruesome task at hand. Rebecca tightened her grasp on the heavy stone and readjusted the cloth that shrouded her face from view. With this mere flip of the hood, Rebecca’s annual role as “Death’s Maid” had once again been established.
Rebecca dropped her hand to her side as the town elders slowly entered the clearing. They were dressed in monk-like robes of crimson velvet, faces partially hidden within the heavy cowls of their garment. A few steps behind them walked the “Chosen One” for this year. The wearer’s identity was safely concealed within the heavy folds of a pure white, wool cloak. The “Chosen One” walked calmly forward, with a motion that demonstrated both free will and selflessness.
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