Cunning Fish of the Forest - Chapter 14

But realizing Uncle Leijin’s devout nature hardly gave me any comfort. His prayers were directed at God, not at me. And given the teachings of Janeth, which demanded love and obedience from women, I was expected to obey Uncle Leijin without question. If he decided to wield his sword against Ger, it was my role to accept it quietly.

“Ger, follow me quietly.”

“Yes, yes.”

This was our chance while Uncle was engaged with his prayers. If we could slip out unnoticed, I’d vow never to doze off during prayer time again.

I held my shoes tightly in both hands and crawled on my knees. My shoulders ached and the hem of my dress felt as though it might tear, but just a little further and we’d reach the exit.

I hoped Uncle’s prayers were long, and that the merciful Janeth would keep him occupied longer.

“Miss…”

Reaching the back door, Ger called out to me in a voice that seemed almost extinguished. I could guess his concerns, but I didn’t know how to open the door while lying down.

I gestured for him to be quiet and looked in the direction of Uncle Leijin, who appeared deeply absorbed in his prayers. Perhaps the men of the Ludig family were known for their robust faith.

I cautiously gripped the handle of the side door. They say that the back doors are made to open silently, considering the discretion needed when leaving, but this old door could be unpredictable.

I prayed to Janeth for a smooth exit and pulled. The door, as silent as promised, seemed to answer my prayers.

“Ger.”

Ger crawled over, wobbly, and passed through the back door. With one potential disaster averted, my tension eased momentarily. It was my turn now. I quickly followed behind Ger, slipping through the back door.

“There.”

The silent door performed its duty, closing behind us. The quiet afternoon ambiance of the chapel was shattered by a single word from Uncle Leijin. Now, from my position, I could no longer see him. Startled, I grabbed the handle, attempting to shut it as if I were merely a gust of wind.

“Araneth?”

It sounded like a question asked with certainty. My nervous hand, slippery with sweat, slipped and failed to catch the door, which closed artificially without any excuse of the wind.

We were in trouble. Given how Uncle Leijin had commanded the servant, it seemed likely he would come this way.

“Miss!”

“Run!”

“The wall here is low!”

Outside the back door, there was a small bench and a solitary tree planted to provide shade. The area was enclosed by walls. As Ger pointed out, the walls were low, but it was unclear where beyond them led.

“Miss, hurry!”

“You go first.”

“I, I can’t climb over.”

“What?”

As Uncle Leijin, who had turned a hunter, was coming to us and Ger was praying in front of a burning house. I couldn’t afford to join his rhythm. I adjusted my shoes and retied the waistband of my skirt.

“Step on this chair and go over.”

“What? But…”

“Ger!”

“Yes, yes!”

Ger grimaced guiltily as he left footprints on the pristine chair. His trembling fingertips barely reached the top of the wall. Several attempts to climb over ended in clumsy failures.

I lifted one of Ger’s hesitating legs to help him. With one leg over, Ger’s body tilted and toppled over.

As soon as I heard the ground groan under him, I climbed onto the chair and lifted my toes to the wall, hooking my fingers over the top. It was an easy height to scale, and I quickly climbed up to sit on it.

Ger below had scraped his knees but his face was resolute. Ignoring his offer to help, I prepared to jump down.

“Ah!”

The back door creaked open just as I lost my balance and fell, landing on my shoulder. The last thing I saw before falling was Uncle Leijin’s head emerging from the back door. I rolled silently on the grass, clutching my shoulder. While Ger, tears welling up in his eyes, helped me up.

The two of us, like escaped mice, communicated silently over the wall, while being aware of Uncle Leijin behind the wall.

‘Lady, let’s go.’

‘Where to.’

At that moment, Ger jabbed my stooped back with his finger, tickling me. Startled, I whipped my head around to look at him. His chubby finger pointed towards the open garden.

‘Let’s go that way, Miss.’

Ger slung my arm over his shoulder as he stood up. Uncle Leijin, who had emerged from the back door, was as silent as a hunter tracing the path of mice.

With Ger’s support, I took a step forward and suddenly felt a void below me. Looking down, I saw my stocking that was originally pristine, now stained and buried in dirt.

One of my shoes was missing. Turning my head to look for it, Ger, already panic-stricken, started to run. Inadvertently, I was dragged along with him. Hopefully, if it was lost during our escape, it had fallen inside the wall.

As we moved away, I found myself relying on God once again.