Patience

Written 54-I07 [2023-03-08], Edited 54-I07 [2023-03-08]

Image credit: Twitter Twemoji

“I am ready,” said the child. She was the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, and had never eaten any goose or duck in her entire life.

All of this was necessary for the ritual.

“Then let us begin,” said the acolyte of the sisterhood. Her robes were as green as the leaves in the surrounding trees. Her expression was as cold as the stones under the river behind her.

The elder of the sisterhood stood next to the acolyte, clad in black and still as a tree.

“Repeat after me,” said the acolyte. “Mira, master of air and water, please bless us with rain!”

“Mira, master of air, please bless us with rain!” said the child.

“You forgot to mention that the great spirit Mira is master of both air and water! This is necessary for the ritual,” said the elder.

“Mira, master of air and water, please bless us with rain!” said the child. “You forgot to humble yourself before Mira by bowing before her! This is necessary for the ritual,” said the elder.

The child repeated the chant and bowed.

“Is there further missing from the ritual?” asked the acolyte. From her bag, the acolyte pulled out a clay tablet and stylus.

“Yes indeed,” said the elder. “The child forgot to snap her fingers before bowing. This is necessary for the ritual.”

So the child snapped her fingers, repeated the chant, and bowed.

“Young one,” said the acolyte, “did you not hear the elder? The snap must be before the bow, not before the chant.”

So the child repeated the chant, snapped her fingers, and bowed.

“Patience child,” said the elder. “You take a deep breath between the snap and the bow. This is necessary for the ritual.”

So the child chanted, snapped, breathed, and bowed.

“Has Mira forsaken us?” the acolyte lamented. “Shall we dry out like weeds under the sun?”

“No, my sister,” said the elder. “But we forgot to tell the child to spit upon the ground before beginning her chant. Only a dry mouth can bring us water. This is necessary for the ritual.”

So the child spat, chanted, snapped, breathed and bowed. But there was still no rain, there was not a cloud in the sky.

“Ah yes,” said the elder. “I remember what is missing! The child must hop on one leg after her snap and before her bow!”

The child giggled for a moment and the acolyte said, “This is not a laughing matter! We must appease Mira so she can spare us from peril.”

As the sun creeped across the sky and hours passed, the ritual changed and changed again. When no rain arrived the first day, the trio returned the morning of the next day.

Finally on the noon of the third day, the child sprinted, rolled, spat, clapped, chanted, licked a berry, placed her ear on the ground, snapped, winked, picked her nose, somersaulted, picked up a stone with her toes, hopped on one leg, breathed, and bowed. And on that day, the great spirit Mira wept tears of joy, and the rain finally fell from the sky.

Notes

This was uploaded many weeks late by accident.