Miriam's Moon

Sometimes we remember better than others.....

Miriam sat uncomfortably. Her eyes were fine at 80, and she could see details of the dark clouds building and coming up the valley. She winced from the pain, in her knees. Tears came out and stung her cheeks with the first raindrops, and thunder crashed. She didn't move from her chair on the porch as cold drops soaked her light sweater. She had a vivid memory of a similar day, back in a different world, when she was eleven. 

 Miriam sat uncomfortably on a folding chair at a folding table, adorned with tuna sandwiches with the crust trimmed off and lemonade, fresh. Off in the distance the clouds grew darker and thunder rumbled. She and her friend, at eleven years, were not in their element, and only were here as it was fairly mandatory. It was afterall, the Ladies Meeting, held biannually from the local church. Mirams knees both had scabs on them that belied the linen dress, carefully pressed that she wore. 

At the window of the kitchen near where they sat, the voice of Mrs. Avery came sailing out, wailing like.

"Oh good lord! theres a sto-orm a comin', I know it's true, my ankles are on fire!"

Miriam tried and failed to mask the giggle that came as her friend mimicked the old woman, crouched over, and favoring her ankles, she writhed around the porch in horrific pain.

It was great moment.

Later that day, as they strode home to their respective houses, Miriam proclaimed,

''Wot? does that ol' bag think we're stupid? good grief! any fool knows her ankles ain't got diddly to do with that rainstorm. 

you think she's a witch?"

As the memory played Miriam prayed that the pain would go quickly.

A tear rolled down her cheek, apart from the others, signifying that it was of pain, and of joy.

She was thankful to be able to have such sharp recollection of events so long ago, regardless of the consequence, or the reason.

Reviews

[John the Baptist]

Sounds like a karmic thing to me. That, or the guilt implanted unseen in Miriam's mind eventually manifested itself in her body. What you mete out will be meted out to you.