Entry tags:
Writing Challenge #6: Sensory Perception
The Butcher’s Wife (Part B)
Characters: Amelia Hughes (Anna Black)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 614
The voyage had taken three long stormy months. It was the most unpleasant trip there ever could have been. The ship had finally docked and was being unloaded. Anna, as she was now calling herself, walked down the gang plank to the dock.
There was a hustle and bustle everywhere around her. People were moving back and forth from dock to ship. Crates and barrels along with luggage littered the dock. The rough sailors smiled as they went about their work. In all there was a mix of colors, sights, and faces that were almost overwhelming.
Standing on the dock she could smell the rotting fish mingled with the salty putrid water from the bilges of the ships. In the distance there were smells of cooking and wood fires. It certainly smelled like a sea port.
It sounded like a sea port as well. The sailors were swearing and laughing. Some were making catcalls at the women as they walked by. The noise of the ships creaking and the water slapping onto their sides mingled with it all.
Anna had to find lodgings and then she had to find a way to support herself and the baby. She also needed to get something to eat.
Anna had money with her but it would last very long. She had taken all there had been in the house and she had even cleared the coffers at the butcher store before she left.
No doubt her husband was upset when he saw all the money he had was gone. It would have increased his anger when he found that she was gone.
That no longer mattered to her. Anna was an entire ocean away from him and his bullying. She would never feel the pain of his beatings again. But most importantly, her child would never know them at all. It was the reason she left her life and her name behind. She put her hand on her belly and felt the baby kicking that was when she knew she had done the right thing. They would stay safe here.
Anna hailed a porter and asked about her luggage. He pointed to it on the other side of the walkway. He helped her get her things into a wagon and take them to the public house in the middle of town. She gave him a tip and a smile.
When Anna arrived at pub she could smell the stew and stale ale throughout the room. For the first time she would have a hot meal and a bed that wasn’t constantly moving.
Anna arranged for her room and went upstairs to where they took her luggage. She had also arranged for a meal to be brought up to her.
The room was small and scrubbed clean but that was to be expected. There was a table with a lone chair on one side and a bed and washbasin on the other.
The innkeeper’s wife eyed Anna’s belly and gave her a suspicious look. It was almost as if she didn’t believe the story that she was a widow looking for a fresh start.
When the food was brought up, Anna relished every bite of the beef and roasted vegetables. The beef was cooked so that it melted in her mouth. The crisp edges on the vegetables added a smoky flavored crispness to each bite. The fine white bread was warm and soft and the sweet butter melted just right. Everything was perfect and delicious. She ate until she couldn’t eat another bite.
Anna laid down on the narrow bed exhausted and sated. She would look for work in the morning but tonight she would sleep in peace.
Characters: Amelia Hughes (Anna Black)
Rating: PG
Word Count: 614
The voyage had taken three long stormy months. It was the most unpleasant trip there ever could have been. The ship had finally docked and was being unloaded. Anna, as she was now calling herself, walked down the gang plank to the dock.
There was a hustle and bustle everywhere around her. People were moving back and forth from dock to ship. Crates and barrels along with luggage littered the dock. The rough sailors smiled as they went about their work. In all there was a mix of colors, sights, and faces that were almost overwhelming.
Standing on the dock she could smell the rotting fish mingled with the salty putrid water from the bilges of the ships. In the distance there were smells of cooking and wood fires. It certainly smelled like a sea port.
It sounded like a sea port as well. The sailors were swearing and laughing. Some were making catcalls at the women as they walked by. The noise of the ships creaking and the water slapping onto their sides mingled with it all.
Anna had to find lodgings and then she had to find a way to support herself and the baby. She also needed to get something to eat.
Anna had money with her but it would last very long. She had taken all there had been in the house and she had even cleared the coffers at the butcher store before she left.
No doubt her husband was upset when he saw all the money he had was gone. It would have increased his anger when he found that she was gone.
That no longer mattered to her. Anna was an entire ocean away from him and his bullying. She would never feel the pain of his beatings again. But most importantly, her child would never know them at all. It was the reason she left her life and her name behind. She put her hand on her belly and felt the baby kicking that was when she knew she had done the right thing. They would stay safe here.
Anna hailed a porter and asked about her luggage. He pointed to it on the other side of the walkway. He helped her get her things into a wagon and take them to the public house in the middle of town. She gave him a tip and a smile.
When Anna arrived at pub she could smell the stew and stale ale throughout the room. For the first time she would have a hot meal and a bed that wasn’t constantly moving.
Anna arranged for her room and went upstairs to where they took her luggage. She had also arranged for a meal to be brought up to her.
The room was small and scrubbed clean but that was to be expected. There was a table with a lone chair on one side and a bed and washbasin on the other.
The innkeeper’s wife eyed Anna’s belly and gave her a suspicious look. It was almost as if she didn’t believe the story that she was a widow looking for a fresh start.
When the food was brought up, Anna relished every bite of the beef and roasted vegetables. The beef was cooked so that it melted in her mouth. The crisp edges on the vegetables added a smoky flavored crispness to each bite. The fine white bread was warm and soft and the sweet butter melted just right. Everything was perfect and delicious. She ate until she couldn’t eat another bite.
Anna laid down on the narrow bed exhausted and sated. She would look for work in the morning but tonight she would sleep in peace.