chapter 12: the head and the neck.

Chapter 12: The head and the neck.

The three day’s, the Lady spoke of, where gone in a flurry of excitement.
Only: the men did not notice, for outside the ladies gatherings, in the kitchen of the houses, and shops where only women came, there was not spoken about our plans.

Slowly I did see grannies with wooden carts, laden with picnic baskets, blankets to sit on and a few things more out of sight, go in the direction of a field besides a cliff.

The men did not notice they did not return all.
Some of the grannies stayed there with the youngest, other, with children between 7 and 12 came back to repeat the picnic-act again, and another cart full of survival stuff and food went up.

The third day, after the last load of elderly and children were gone, while pulling the heaviest loads, because there were no babies or toddlers among them, the other women and girls went with their own back-pack to the place, they promised to gather.

Cindy and me did a, what we now called: “mirror-hop” to the mill, to fetch the gear, we left behind and that could be useful and completed it with what we could find around us.
We also were ready.
Every women just fitted in the great room we were before, ready to go.
There was a secret doorway behind a wardrobe.

Cindy asked: “Is that not to obvious to stay un-noticed? That would be the first spot ‘I’ would look for something missing!”

But Amany answered: “Our men never look in cupboards, unless there is food in it, or their own clothes. Most of them expect us to keep those full.”

“Oh”, I said, “and what do they do, to get those filled, when they are not adventuring, or grabbing all they like from others, like in Homeland or my world?”

“They do rest themselves, for adventuring and robbing others, is a hard-working job, they think.
Besides that, they have to drink, to boost, and to enjoy themselves mostly.” Said one of the other women.

I kept asking, while being used to a totally other world, if there where at least some men, who did do a honest job, and did more things beside that job.
“Are there no exceptions on this rule?”

The Lady answered: “Yes, there are. And to those men we are going now. They also have waited for this time.
They do live in a secret valley, not far from here, do jobs like the Otherlanders or the people of your, Lea’s, world do. Them we do need.

But no more asking, let’s go.
Today we are going to show, that what my mother, and grandmother used to say, is true: The man thinks, he is the head of the family.
Let him think so.
The woman is the neck of the family. And if the neck does not turn, the head only can see one way…

This time we are going to show, which way WE want this land to go, which way the heads have to look!
And when all is set right again, the head and the neck can work together again, like it is meant to be in daily life,”

So off we went in silence, the last woman did put all the clothes on the rack so nobody would expect the doorway.
After that we did put some sturdy beams against it, and went to save this country from a nasty way of living.
The women have had enough.

© Nan van Daalen All rights reserved.