what?”
She thought for a moment, trying to recall. “Anna Fisher,” she declared. It was weird, but as she said this, she actually wanted it to be true. Right now she wished she really was Anna Fisher.
“Malachi!” Daniel hurried around from the other side of the barn with a severe expression, as if he were extremely displeased about something. Perhaps Madison shouldn’t have been talking to Malachi like this. She remembered Anna said the rules in this community were quite strict.
“ Wie geht’s , Uncle Daniel?” she said nervously.
“Uncle Daniel.” Malachi’s smile faded when he saw his uncle’s grim expression. Daniel launched into what sounded like a severe scolding, pointing at the bales of hay and shaking his head. Was he complaining because Malachi wasn’t working hard enough? Was it some unpardonable sin to take a break? What was wrong with these people anyway?
Madison didn’t know what to do. Maybe this was her fault.
Daniel stopped chastising Malachi and turned his attention to Madison. He pointed at her and growled something unintelligible. Then, shaking his head like she was hopeless or some kind of degenerate, he muttered something under his breath and stormed away.
“What did he say?” she asked Malachi. “Did I get you in trouble?”
Malachi chuckled. “No. I make my own trouble.”
“Why?”
“It is Sabbath,” he explained. “No work is allowed. Only daily chores.”
“Oh.” She nodded.
“I was meant to move this hay yesterday.” He nodded to the bales. “I forgot. So I came over this morning and then I forgot it is Sabbath.” He shrugged. “It seems I am nothing but trouble.”
Madison was still trying to process what Daniel had said to her and why he was so angry. It couldn’t be that she was working on the Sabbath. Then she remembered how he’d pointed to her head. She reached up and remembered her cap was missing. “My cap,” she said quickly, trying to do this right, like Anna would do. “I must go to house.”
“I will see you again?” Malachi smiled.
She smiled back. “I hope so.”
As if embarrassed, she turned and hurried back to the house, feeling light-headed. Malachi was an unexpected surprise. Equally surprising, he seemed to like her as much as she liked him. Perhaps she’d been too hasty in wanting to get away from this place.
“Hello?” Rachel’s brows arched with curiosity as Madison came into the house.
“I was outside,” Madison explained. “Fresh air.”
Rachel nodded, then turned to stir a pot of what looked like oatmeal. “It is almost done. You can set the table now.”
Madison tried to get the dishes and silverware in the right places, but even this task required coaching from Rachel. Meanwhile, Elizabeth was pulling pots and pans out of a cabinet. It seemed Madison’s best contribution was to keep Elizabeth out of trouble so that Rachel could finish cooking.
“I met Malachi,” Madison told Rachel as she balanced Elizabeth on one hip so they could both watch Rachel cracking brown eggs into a white ceramic bowl.
Rachel smiled and nodded. “Malachi is a good boy. Hard worker.”
Madison decided not to mention the working on Sunday bit. “Malachi is Uncle Daniel’s nephew?”
“ Ja . He is Daniel’s sister’s boy.” Rachel poured the eggs into a cast-iron pan, stepped back as they sizzled in the grease, then quickly stirred them with a wooden spoon until they started to get fluffy.
Madison was about to ask how old Malachi was and where he lived, when Daniel and the boys spilled into the kitchen. Before long, all were seated at the table, where Daniel again bowed his head and prayed silently for a long time, and then everyone concentrated on eating oatmeal, muffins, scrambled eggs, and ham.
After breakfast, as they were cleaning up in the kitchen, Rachel told Madison it would be time to get ready for meeting soon.
“What kind of meeting?” Madison asked.
Rachel gave her a funny look, then chuckled. “ Ja
She thought for a moment, trying to recall. “Anna Fisher,” she declared. It was weird, but as she said this, she actually wanted it to be true. Right now she wished she really was Anna Fisher.
“Malachi!” Daniel hurried around from the other side of the barn with a severe expression, as if he were extremely displeased about something. Perhaps Madison shouldn’t have been talking to Malachi like this. She remembered Anna said the rules in this community were quite strict.
“ Wie geht’s , Uncle Daniel?” she said nervously.
“Uncle Daniel.” Malachi’s smile faded when he saw his uncle’s grim expression. Daniel launched into what sounded like a severe scolding, pointing at the bales of hay and shaking his head. Was he complaining because Malachi wasn’t working hard enough? Was it some unpardonable sin to take a break? What was wrong with these people anyway?
Madison didn’t know what to do. Maybe this was her fault.
Daniel stopped chastising Malachi and turned his attention to Madison. He pointed at her and growled something unintelligible. Then, shaking his head like she was hopeless or some kind of degenerate, he muttered something under his breath and stormed away.
“What did he say?” she asked Malachi. “Did I get you in trouble?”
Malachi chuckled. “No. I make my own trouble.”
“Why?”
“It is Sabbath,” he explained. “No work is allowed. Only daily chores.”
“Oh.” She nodded.
“I was meant to move this hay yesterday.” He nodded to the bales. “I forgot. So I came over this morning and then I forgot it is Sabbath.” He shrugged. “It seems I am nothing but trouble.”
Madison was still trying to process what Daniel had said to her and why he was so angry. It couldn’t be that she was working on the Sabbath. Then she remembered how he’d pointed to her head. She reached up and remembered her cap was missing. “My cap,” she said quickly, trying to do this right, like Anna would do. “I must go to house.”
“I will see you again?” Malachi smiled.
She smiled back. “I hope so.”
As if embarrassed, she turned and hurried back to the house, feeling light-headed. Malachi was an unexpected surprise. Equally surprising, he seemed to like her as much as she liked him. Perhaps she’d been too hasty in wanting to get away from this place.
“Hello?” Rachel’s brows arched with curiosity as Madison came into the house.
“I was outside,” Madison explained. “Fresh air.”
Rachel nodded, then turned to stir a pot of what looked like oatmeal. “It is almost done. You can set the table now.”
Madison tried to get the dishes and silverware in the right places, but even this task required coaching from Rachel. Meanwhile, Elizabeth was pulling pots and pans out of a cabinet. It seemed Madison’s best contribution was to keep Elizabeth out of trouble so that Rachel could finish cooking.
“I met Malachi,” Madison told Rachel as she balanced Elizabeth on one hip so they could both watch Rachel cracking brown eggs into a white ceramic bowl.
Rachel smiled and nodded. “Malachi is a good boy. Hard worker.”
Madison decided not to mention the working on Sunday bit. “Malachi is Uncle Daniel’s nephew?”
“ Ja . He is Daniel’s sister’s boy.” Rachel poured the eggs into a cast-iron pan, stepped back as they sizzled in the grease, then quickly stirred them with a wooden spoon until they started to get fluffy.
Madison was about to ask how old Malachi was and where he lived, when Daniel and the boys spilled into the kitchen. Before long, all were seated at the table, where Daniel again bowed his head and prayed silently for a long time, and then everyone concentrated on eating oatmeal, muffins, scrambled eggs, and ham.
After breakfast, as they were cleaning up in the kitchen, Rachel told Madison it would be time to get ready for meeting soon.
“What kind of meeting?” Madison asked.
Rachel gave her a funny look, then chuckled. “ Ja
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