Sara is starting to ask.

The next morning Sara got up, showered and dressed then copied out a bit more of the book, before putting it in her school bag and heading down stairs. She didn’t wake Hanna but as she put the first pans in the oven her sister cam in rubbing her eyes. Sara said. “The tea water will be ready soon. It looks like it is sausage and waffles this morning, so there is time to wake you before getting anything started. Powers on so we could use the electric maker, I have the other one heating. I find it easer myself. So just plan or should we mix it up? There are still a few berries and we have all kinds of spices.”

Hanna said. “How are you so awake this early? It is insane. I had no idea that fixing breakfast meant get up at dawn. Mother just said waffles.”

Sara said. “I don’t sleep much, that is why Grandma started teaching me to fix breakfast.  One of the things I enjoy about it is the fact that you can pretty much do as you like when you are up first. Like adding spice or fruit to the waffle batter. It is a chance to experiment with recipes and learn what works and what doesn’t.” She took the first pan of biscuits out and put the second one in, leaving the small pan. She got two mugs down as the tea pot started to sing. “What kind of tea do you want?” Hanna looked at her confused. Sara opened the tea cupboard and took hers down. “The top self is medical teas, the rest are not. What do you want? This one is what is served most mornings, but you can try what ever.” Hanna blinked and walked over to the cupboard and looked.

“I never looked I just took what I was given.”

Sara said. “Well then once your tea is in the cup start going though the cupboards and learning what is in them. It makes it easier to cook once you are sure what you have, and where. I will get out the recipes, but you are going to mix up one batch on your own, using what ever you want.” She got the book down and turned it to the pages of waffles. “You must decide what one and find the ingredients. Some of them are hard to read in spots, so I will help with that. But that is all I will help with.” She checked the oven and took the small pan, and dumped it on the counter to cool.

Hanna said. “But what one do I use? And where do I find the mixer?”

Sara said. “They will all make waffles, and look for it. I am sorry that you don’t know. I should have made more effort to make you put the dishes away. It is time you learned how to do on your own. It won’t be that long until you are in your own kitchen. I have been wrong to hog the breakfasts. They are the best meal to start with, as there is always time to start over.” She buttered the dark biscuits then said. “You see what you can find, I will go see to the chickens. However tomorrow you will have to gather the eggs, and I will handle the set up. Only fair we take turns. Remember there is bread in the oven.” With that she took up the bisects and headed outside.

When she came back in with the eggs the mixer had been found and Hanna was starting to mix the first batch of batter. Sara put the new eggs in the refrigerator and took the old ones and set them on the counter before getting a bowl out and going for spices for her batter. Hanna said. “If we didn’t have the outside things we could sleep more. Half the bread could be cooked in the evening. Why encourage the woken ones to hang out anyway?”

Sara said. “The kind ones help the barrier against those that mean harm work. Other towns keep mages incase the mean sprit shows up, we have the sanctified barrier and bargains with the kinder sprits. We do not have to feed them, but we get more help when we do. Our garden is better than others, and we get gifts from their hidden gardens. Like the greens after the storm yesterday. They help us in return for a few baked goods. Really we get more than they do out of it. However there is nothing that says it must be done. I will feed them as long as I am able to for I find it a worthy task, but you need not. I would keep the chickens though. The eggs are a big help, just look at how often we must go to the market in the cold months when they are not laying as well. I am sure that when it is your job you will find your own rhythm to doing things.” Sara refilled her tea cup and got some more down hearing foot steps on the stairs.

Hanna said. “I just don’t see the point in getting up so early. It seems unnecessary to me.”

Sara said. “Not every one dose it this way, you will have to find your own way. Grandma was an early riser, and I just don’t sleep well, so have been as well. I just adapted her way of doing things. I think mother did cook a lot of the bread in the evenings before, and I doubt if she will mind change back. In fact she will likely be relived. I never thought about how we just kind of took over the mornings.”

Edith said. “It is not like I protested any. But yes it is time we go back to baking some in the evenings. You are the early riser, and with you leaving soon I need to get back to fixing breakfasts. We have a couple of weeks to get it together. You may see to your gnomes, but I would ask that outside of that you leave the cooking to us after today. I am sure you have books that need your attention, and there are those curtains you have started. So after this morning you may come in and fix your tea and the gnomes, but the rest you must leave undone.”

Sara looked at her and start to object. Then looked at Hanna and remembered how confused she was this morning. She had been cheating the younger girls by claiming the mornings for so long. She should have stepped back some. They needed to know how to mange, that is all her mother meant. It was not the attack it felt like. “If you want, the gnomes will be just as happy with scones, therefore there is no reason for me to get the big stove going in the mornings. However I cannot leave the stairs dark.” She hoped the words came out sting free. In spite of the logic to it she still felt like she was being pushed out.

Edith said. “Thank you that will help. Now then where are we?”

Sara moved back and looked at Hanna. It took a bit, but then Hanna said. “Oh right. Well the next to last pan of biscuits should be about done. I think my first blow of waffle batter is ready, but I need to make one to be sure I did it right. And Sara has a bowl done I think. Don’t you?”

Sara nodded. “I have those spices in my batter, and there are some berries there that could be used as well. But If you don’t mind Mother I just remembered I think I left a candle burning in my room. I will just get that pan out then run up stairs.”

Edith looked at her. “Yes, go on and check.” Just what was her bookish daughter up to? She had not protested a bit. Sara was so hard for her to understand. She had expected some argument, some clinging, but instead the girl was pulling back. Isaac would not admit it, but this one would not be taking the vows.

Sara took the pan out of the oven and left without putting the last one in, but taking her tea. Up in her room she relit her light and took out the storm books to work on the predictions a bit before she went back down stairs. There was a knock on the open door. She turned. “The door is open, Anna.”

Anna said. “You don’t sound upset, but you are, aren’t you? Breakfast has been yours since.”

Sara said. “A bit, but. Well I should have had the others in there before now. I have been unfair to hem. Leah not as much as she had the supper set up most days. But Hanna had no idea what to do this morning. She didn’t know there was more than one type of tea or where to find the mixer. The fact there was more than one waffle recipe confused her. She is twelve, by that age I was able to take over the morning meals. She should not be such a stranger in the kitchen. I should have had her in there helping. I don’t know why I was let get away with it. But I don’t like being told to do nothing. Why is she so sure I am leaving? I would love to tell her she is wrong, but Anna I don’t know that she is. I want to take the vows and make a home as God intends. But yet I want to know more. I long to study things I shouldn’t. If I am honest the school offers are tempting. The chance to be there to unlock the weather and learn just why it is so different in this day, just how changed the world is. Yet that is in some ways a sin. After all the teachings tell us why the world is so changed and much harder.”

Anna said. “But they also say we should use what we have to make this world livable. That we should do all we can to recover what was lost and build on it, see if we can’t bet better, be what the Lord wanted. You should not turn your back on your talents, just because they do not fit in this branch of light. The leaders all say that there is no shame in picking the path of light that fits you. Just watch that the dark doesn’t pull you off the path. You have all ways wanted to know more about the world that is what mother is seeing. You would never be truly happy if you stifled that drive to know. Some want both, but here. Well think about it. If one of the boys tried to wash a dish or mix a cake they would be the town joke. Yet there are males that love cooking, there are men that love sewing. Likewise there are women who love the things we say belong to the men. There is nothing worn in it, but there is no place here for them. Hence the sister church was formed. For there is more than one way to live, and be in the light. It is nothing to up set about, and it is not a rejection, just an acknowledgement that this is not your path. I understand that there are six girls coming to us from the other path. They will be asked to live with a family for a month, to see what is expected, then if they still want, they will take the vows.”

Sara said. “It will be a big change for them. Not as big as if they came from outside the church, but still. Did you know that boys and girls mingle in the sister church? Not like the kids in Hammer, they don’t go out in pairs, but they will get together in groups. The person I was taking to found it unbelievable that we didn’t. I hope they find what they need here. We had best go see if they want help setting the table, before someone thinks I am pouting. Even if I was, I don’t want them think it.”

Anna nodded. “Joe has family there and has visited with them. He told me a bit of how odd it was.” She noticed the books that Sara had been looking at. “What are you doing there?”

Sara said. “Seeing if I can predict what years will be bad years, in terms of the number of storms. Looking at the old books I saw a pattern, so I am trying to run it ahead of the records and see if it holds. Grandfather is asking around for recordings of more resent storms so I will have something to test against. It won’t be as good as knowing the strength of a storm before it hits, but might let people know when to start filling pantries.”

Anna shook her head. “How did you find that?”

Sara handed her notebook over. “I was just making a list of the storms and there it was. That is the years the next row is the number of storms for each year.”

Anna smiled. “I think you have your answer sis. Come on they are likely wondering by now what we are doing and trying to find away to come check. As for Hanna, you are her sister it wasn’t your job to see she learned. You do not bare the full reasonability. One of us should have shared the mornings with you from the time we lost Grandmother.”

As they headed down the stairs Sara said. “There are wives in this town that have hobbies other than sewing. Why can’t my books be like that? After all I am just mining the past for things that can help us and history is something ladies are to look after.”

Anna said. “But is that all you want? You should not settle because you think you should be happy.”

Sara was saved from answering as they had reached the kitchen. Edith said. “Just go join the men at the table. We have everything here in hand.” After breakfast the kids in school head to the bus, the men to the field, and the others got to work on Anna’s wedding plans, as it would be on Saturday.