Frost covered grass cracked beneath Kali’s feet as she made her way towards the house of Old Detri. He had taken a turn for the worse the night before and Grandma Aimes had stayed over to look after him. Kali, wrapped in her warmest clothes, took more medicine and hot broth to them.
She entered Old Detri’s cottage quickly to prevent the heat from escaping. With a shiver she placed the covered pot on the table and stood in front of the fire. She could hear Grandma Aimes scold Detri in his room. He had to take his medicine and quit complaining. Kali’s hands stopped freezing and she quickly spooned hot broth into a bowl for Detri’s breakfast. Grandma Aimes came out of the room just as she finished. “Ah, thank you, dear child. This will go down very well.” Her voice shook with fatigue as she took the bowl back into the room. Kali heard Old Detri start to complain again in his thin gravelly voice but Grandma Aimes would have none of that. Each time she heard him start talking Grandma put a full spoon in his mouth, for the old man only got out one word at a time.
***
Jay pulled Sime back behind the chicken coop as Kali walked out of Detri’s cottage.
“See? I told you the best time for our plan is early morning. Kali is always out at the crack of dawn.”
“But what if she doesn’t go past the barn?” Sime couldn’t help asking. Jay shushed him and they stared at Kali as she walked through the village square towards the teamster’s house.
“I knew it,” Jay smiled. “Auntie Mags told me that Benji’s youngest son, Geralt, has taken ill. Now we just have to wait and watch the show.” His pleasure at getting her back for every imagined slight burned in his heart.
Kali headed directly towards the patch of ice that Jay and Sime had made when they poured water on the path to harden through the night. That morning before dawn, they spread rushes over the ice to make sure Kali didn’t see the hazard.
***
Kali stepped on the hidden ice and felt her boot slide out from beneath her. The basket in her left hand kept her from grabbing the edge of the barn and with nothing to take hold of on her right, the basket flew through the air as her arms wind milled to keep her upright. Time seemed to stand still as she realised there was no escape.
***
Jay and Sime snickered as they watched Kali fall. Not even the cracking sound as her head hit the stone boundary wall of the barn lessened their pleasure. Jay’s self-righteous indignation exploded in a flash of hot satisfaction as she crumpled to the ground. At last he had got her back for every time that she had spoiled their fun.
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