Page 108 of Timeless
“You thought they got sick because you defied your father?”
“I didn’t want them to die. I just didn’t want to marry. My uncle, aunt, and I had to bury them all on the property and then, my uncle told me that he was going to find me a husband. I packed what I could and left the next morning before dawn.”
“And now, you live free?”
“Yes, I do. Here. It’s this way,” Frances said.
She pushed through some downed tree limbs, and they walked to a thick grouping of trees.
“There it is.”
Agnes looked around but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
“Therewhatis?”
“Where I live for now.” Frances pointed to the largest tree in the middle that had been split into three large sections.
It had died long ago because Agnes remembered seeing this tree years ago during one of her very few trips into the woods. It was surrounded by living trees, though, and received a lot of cover from their branches and leaves.
“Inside,” Frances said and pulled on Agnes’s hand. She then pushed the branches and leaves aside, revealing a small, covered shelter that she must have built using the dead tree inside. “I found this tree, and there was enough room inside it for me to have a little space away from anyone who might wander by. The animals mostly stay away because the tree is long dead. All I had to do was lash small branches together, add mud and leaves to the roof, and attach it to the tree. I’m working on some walls now, which will give me more protection during the coming winter and from animals who still get curious.”
“Where do you put your fire?”
“Over there.” Frances pointed to a small hole in the ground. “I dig it out every day and fill it at night. That way, I can easily cover it in case someone comes by.”
“You did all of this yourself?”
“Yes. My father taught my brothers, who taught me. I don’t have much to do during the day since I have no one to take care of but myself, so I can spend the time building my shelter and finding food. And when I have to go, I can just leave it behind and build a new one somewhere else.”
“Why would you have to go?” Agnes asked, suddenly very concerned that Frances would leave.
“Because people want to build on the land. They get tooclose, and I don’t plan on letting anyone take me from the life I want for myself. It can be dangerous, being out here on my own, Agnes. Sometimes, I have to hide, and it’s not because of an animal. I’ve had moments where they got too close. A man stood outside of my old shelter once. My fire had just been put out, and he thought someone was still there, so he looked and looked. I hid, and I was silent, so he left, but if I hear a voice, I hide to keep myself safe, and then, I leave. I don’t wait for them to come back. I packed my things and left that time, too. I don’t want to be taken by anyone. And theywouldtake me. They would want to sell me or make me theirs because I’m the scariest thing in the world to any man.”
“Why? What are you?” Agnes asked.
“A woman who won’t be tamed,” Frances replied.
CHAPTER 37
1507
She was used to being alone, which was why it surprised her how much she no longer wanted to be. Meeting Agnes had been an accident. Frances hadn’t been careful enough, going to the farm during the day to pick a few things to have for her supper that night. She knew better and had to be more careful, but she’d lost most of her already small food supply to an animal of some kind that had entered her burrow when she’d been away, hunting squirrels and rabbits to skin and cook. She’d been hungry and hadn’t noticed the woman in the field at first, emerging from the tree line before she’d seen her, and it had been too late. She’d worried in that moment that she’d gotten herself caught and that she’d have to leave again.
As much as she loved living on her own, she’d lied to Agnes a bit when she’d told her about how great her life was. Being free was worth it, but there was a lot of work just to stay alive that she hadn’t let on about. Building shelters was hard work, and it was never done on that first night, so she often had to lie out in the woods she hid in, hoping that no man or animal came upon her in her half-built shelter. She was always cold, no matter the time of year. Her pelts helped keep her warm, but not by much. After a few nights of suffering, she was usually able to complete her new home, and it was warm enough, but the first sign of something getting too close meant she had to leave and do it all over again. It was safer that way, but it was a lot of work.
When Agnes had introduced herself, Frances had taken a chance, believing the woman to be like her: someone who didn’t want to follow the rules of a man but wanted to make her own rules and maybe even live her own life. Since thatfateful day one month ago, Agnes had entered the woods several times. It wasn’t every day, and they never made plans because Agnes didn’t want to, for fear that she wouldn’t be able to keep them, but Frances would stand at the edge of the tree line just out of sight and hope that she’d see Agnes even working the field with her mother if not to come for a visit. She lived for the days when Agnes was alone and continued walking.
Frances would rush back to her shelter and try to make sure it had enough space for the two of them to lie down and talk. She would run her hands through her hair and try to recall when she’d last had a river bath. Agnes’s family wasn’t well off. She knew that. Still, she felt like she wanted to dress up when Agnes visited, even though she had nothing else to wear other than the clothing she had on her already and the animal pelts she’d managed to weave more than sew together to keep warm.
Today, she stood at the edge of the woods, waiting, hoping to at least see her. It was how she spent most of her time during the day when she wasn’t out searching for food. On the days when Agnes showed up in the field, she’d see her looking up, looking for her, and even though Agnes couldn’t see her, Frances would smile at her, and she’d think about what their life might have been like if Agnes could live with her. As she watched the woman leave the house and tried to see if her mother or anyone else was behind her, she knew it would all soon be over because Agnes didn’t live with her in her small shelter made of sticks and mud. She lived in a house with her family, and soon, she would be married and living in another village.
“I could come with you,” she said to herself as Agnes walked into the field, carrying a woven basket. “Wherever you go, I could come with you, live in the woods, and we could still see each other.”
Frances smiled at the thought but knew that it wasn’t likely. It would be too hard. Agnes would have a husband, and that would mean he would be touching Agnes how Franceswished that she could. It was against God’s law, but she couldn’t help it. She didn’t believe that she could live in the woods outside of Agnes’s new house and watch her raise her husband’s children.
When Agnes continued walking past where she would normally stop, Frances moved quickly, hurrying back to her tree, and straightened the few items, awaiting her arrival and trying to pretend as though she hadn’t been watching her, hoping for this. Then, Agnes gave the bird call that they’d practiced in order to let Frances know that it was her and not someone else approaching, and Frances walked out of her shelter and smiled softly at her.
“Hello,” she said.