Henrietta Rochester

House on the hill

The fire was so hard to come on this time, because the woods were a little wet. Grand pa was really hungry as they didn't have anything to eat yester night. She cared so much about grandpa and his health and thought about what she could give him to eat for the mean time, to hold his stomach. She was equally very hungry but being a caring and hard working maiden, she cared more for grandpa. She went in to see if there were some oranges left. The basket was empty. There was virtually no food in the house, and they had no option but to try to make the fire. She had to get new woods some how. It had been a heavy down pour yesterday and since the thatched little kitchen roof was leaking, it poured down on the fire woods. Henrietta became quite frustrated as she tried to make the fire over and over again. He came out slowly from the hut and noticed that his grand daughter was having a heard time making the fire. He felt really cold too.

It was an old mud house built by grand pa and Henrietta, several years ago. It could barely accommodate three people and it had a little thatched roofed kitchen outside the hut. If was on an isolated hill top and they had just one neighbor, and old helpless, poor woman. The raining season was here again and grandpa had managed to repair the roof of the house but the palm fronds weren't enough for the kitchen roof. This was the life they had found themselves.

They had moved from a middle class town to a very poor village in regent England. It also started when they were both chased out of the town, immediately after the death of grandpa Oliver's wife.

Grand pa Oliver and his late wife, took their grand daughter Henrietta in, when death took both parents in cold blood and in one year. It was caused by a mysterious illness and the cause of their death was later blamed on the sorcery practiced by her maternal grandmother. Her grand mother began practicing sorcery, all to the disapproval of the entire family. The community became aware of it and some even came to her for consultation. But something happened, the community was struck by an epidemic and many people died. They didn't know the cause and some one attributed it to the sorcery practiced by pa Oliver's wife. They planned on chasing them all out of the community but a few days after they did, grandma fell sick and died. They urged grandpa Oliver to leave the town with his grand daughter or they risked being ostracized. They were of the middle class then, and were farmers. They left to a small village and built a hut on a hill. They became weavers because there was no where to farm and they had not been able to find much people who needed their basket. They gradually moved from the middle class to the poor and down trodden.

Her looks stood out amongst other maidens. Her height could be measured up to five feet nine inches tall, the skin was tanned, she was slim and curvy with deep blue eyes, pointed nose and slim red succulent lips. She took after her late mom who was one of the most beautiful women to behold in her times. Grandpa Oliver took time to groom her alone, from the age of five. He thought her values and character. She was very respectful, although their social life was poor. He thought her how to weave and always sent her to a nearby town where middle class people lived, hoping they could find someone who would pay a reasonable price for the baskets. He also wished that as she visited the market place often, she would find a good husband and settle in marriage. Grandpa Oliver didn't go to church but Henrietta always attended mass in a small church in the village that had barely ten members. It was a new parish and a prayer answered. She had wished for a parish to be opened in Blackburn community. She was always present on Sundays, in the new church but she never waited for the mass to end as she runs away, not wanting anyone to accost her or ask her any question about herself. Where ever she appeared, she caused steers, although, poorly dressed but her beauty could not be hidden, but she didn't want the young men to come any close, forgetting that she would be married some day, as a young maiden.

She managed to get some dry woods and her soup was almost ready. Grandpa had caught a big rabbit and it had been used to make a fine soup. When it was ready, she poured out some for grandpa and herself. They sat down to a delicious meal of rabbit soup and after they finished eating, she took some to old Miss Abigail, a poor old woman who lived all alone down the hill. This had been their tradition since they came to live in Blackburn and discovered that she had no family or friend. They were poor but still had the mind to help the poor. At least grandpa Oliver had Henrietta, his grand daughter, but, miss Abigail had no one. They had never bordered to ask her while she was alone, and why she didn't have a husband nor children at her very old age of over eighty. Sure, she looked older than grandpa Oliver. She had once talked about a run away husband. They didn't know if she was talking about herself or someone else.

Miss Abigail had not been out that day. She knocked but no one answered. She hoped she was okay.

'Miss Abigail!' she called out aloud., 'It's me, Henrietta.'

After a long time, she finally responded and slowly opened the door. She was bent, with a walking stick. She must have been average in height when she was younger, but now, she looked short and cranky. Henrietta didn't think that she was once a beautiful woman.

' Oh my child, I am so sorry. I have not been feeling well lately and I overslept this morning.'

' Sorry miss. I didn't know that you are not feeling well. I brought some soup for you,' said Henrietta, as she stretched the bowl towards her. When she noticed that she had a hard time taking the bowl from her, she took it in herself and dropped it on the floor. Her house was too small and could barely accommodate her height.

' Thank you so much child, for your kindness. Thank your grandpa Oliver for me,' the old woman said, with a smile. Henrietta gave a little bow in acknowledgement. She had stepped out of the hut almost immediately.

' I'll get you some herb miss Abigail, so you could drink and get well. I'll leave now.'

' I'll be expecting it. Thank you so much.'

' Bye,' said Henrietta

' Bye child'.