The Toyseller It was hard to know what to pick. Ursula jingled the copper pennies in her fist and glanced back and forth between a little rag doll with a flouncy dress and button eyes and a wooden horse with wheels you could pull by a string. At last she decided that if it wereContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 12”
Category Archives: raven
Advent Calendar Story: Day 11
The Tavern “I heard the graf was down in the market yesterday with a woman!” “A woman? St. Hildy’s bones! I thought horses were all the man cared for.” “He’d best start prizing skirts over saddles. He needs an heir! If he doesn’t get one, Sigismund will take most of his domain and give itContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 11”
Advent Calendar Story: Day 10
Women Winding a Ball of Yarn “Don’t fidget!” snapped Aunt Elisabeth. The silence was what was making Ursula fidget. Usually her aunt gossiped away about the neighbors as they wound balls of yarn together for her knitting work, but not today. Ursula didn’t mind winding so much as spinning. True, her arms got tired fromContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 10”
Advent Calendar Story: Day 9
The Gaming Booth Ursula stood with a cup of glühwein warm in her hands watching two little boys play games in the Christmas Market. They were tossing wooden rings at a wall of pegs in the hopes of winning a little whittled cat with its barky tail curled winsomely around its belly. She couldn’t believeContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 9”
Advent Calendar Story: Day 8
The Storehouse “I can’t tell you how overjoyed we were when the watchmen reported seeing your party emerge from the Fichtenwald,” the burgermeister said over his shoulder as he led the graf up the last dusty, winding flight of stairs. He took a fat ring of keys from his belt, and they jingled like bellsContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 8”
Advent Calendar Story: Day 7
The Council “Sigismund’s Crusades are going to bankrupt us!” “What price can we put on the Holy Faith? These Hussite Infidels will destroy it if they’re not stopped.” “Attacking them just seems to draw more to their cause and make them stronger….” “We must think about our own. We barely have enough grain in theContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 7”
Advent Calendar Story: Day 6
Saint Nicholas Ursula was downstairs stoking up the fire while her aunt finished up the day’s knitting when a knock came at the door. It was getting late for customers, but this close to Christmas, you never knew, so Ursula rubbed the soot from her hands on her apron and went to answer. “Oh hoContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 6”
Advent Calendar Story: Day 5
The Roast Goose “Bernard, close the window and come to dinner. It’s freezing out! And the graf is well and gone up to the castle. You’ve seen him, eh? He’s all in one piece, isn’t he?” Freiherr Bernard von Ritter harrumphed in his white mustaches, but he obediently closed the window and turned back intoContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 5”
Advent Calendar Story: Day 4
The Woman by the Fire The fire crackled and the pot of lentil stew bubbled away on the hook above it. Mathilde put down her stitching and reached over with a long-handled spoon to give the stew a stir. Almost done. She took up her needlework again, one ear on the firepot and the otherContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 4”
Advent Calendar Story: Day 3
The Roses Sidonie had just set the roses in their pitcher on the carven stand in the oriel window when one of the maids downstairs screeched, “He’s here, he’s here!” and suddenly everyone in the house was thumping either up or down stairs trying to get to a window or a door. Sidonie herself wasContinue reading “Advent Calendar Story: Day 3”
The Rookery 