The sun broke over the horizon, the wind rushing to meet the morning dawn. The leaves rustled, awakening the forest to the start of yet a new day. Birds slowly started their calls, the morning dove crying out for its love to come to roost and celebrate the spring in the most ancient of ways. The song of spring was well into its melody. It was the same as last year, all the previous actors reprising their roles, but at the same time this year was all the more different. New voices joining in on the call, melting with the old with their discordant tune.

But one voice did not rise to the song, though she did appreciate it none the less. Getting up from her bed she smoothed out her chemise, taking in the morning air slowly and deeply. Letting it fill her chest with a sense of awakening, and chill. The fire had gone out. The woman sighed deeply, her breath visible in the chilly morning, and got up. Slipping her feet into her slippers by the bed she felt at the wood stove. Cold. As she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes she slowly remembered that she never lit it the previous night before bed, with a shake of her head she set about putting in wood and kindling. Picking up the striker she gave it a good few hits watching the sparks fly onto the bits of straw and dried grass. She hit the steel a few more times before the fire took and slowly began to grow, consuming the grass readily.

Closing the door to the wood stove she fussed with the dampener to ensure that the fire wouldn’t burn too hot too fast before fishing out her cookware. Realizing that she hadn’t even made it so far as to draw water for the day, she sighed deeply once again and made her way towards the door. Swapping out her slippers for proper shoes before going out for the well, carrying pole over her shoulders and empty buckets on each end.

Frost still covered the landscape, leaving a shimmering glittering expanse over the field. Just enough to ensure that her footsteps may be unsteady should she not be paying attention, and just enough for her path to be marked as her steps warm the frost just enough to melt. Dawn had found the grove in which she lived, slowly chasing away that twilight clinging so laboriously to it. The pines that surrounded at offering the most wondrous sight of the verdant ocean that surrounded her grove.

Gathering water was routine, the carrying pole set to the side while each bucket rested on the wall of the well. Attaching the first to the hook she dropped it down into long dark and listened for the splash, waiting a few moments before she pulled it back up. Slower and more careful this time as so not drop it back down into the water. Once the first bucket had been retrieve she repeated the process for the second. With both filled it was time to head home again, the wood stove would be burning hotly by now and it would be perfect to start breakfast and even some water for a bath. Half way to the house she stopped dead in her tracks. She forgot to light that before she got the water. A loud groan escaped her throat, tired exasperation reaching through her very being at the mistake. Well there was nothing to be done about it now other than starting that up.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

With the idea of a bath already so taken in her mind she went into the bathing room to pour the water into the tub. It had taken her eons to save up enough coin to afford such a luxury, but it was worth it in the end. Boiling a pot of water on the wood stove to carefully sponge herself clean was all well and good in the winter time, but sometimes a girl just wants a nice hot bath to slink into after a fashion. Gathering up the fire starter again and arranging the wood nicely in the stove made specifically for the task of keeping the water nice and steamy. A few hits of the striker and the sparks took, promising a good fire soon.

That wasn’t so bad now, now just to finish the water chores so that the barrels were topped up and the rest of everything could be tended to as well. She went back out to the well to finish what she had started, pouring each bucket into the water barrels and then eventually started to fill up the tub as well. No sense in spreading the trips out over a longer period of time than absolutely necessary. Once the last of the water that she would need was poured into its proper place she hung up the carrying pole and the buckets and sighed contently. Fussing with the dampener to make sure that the fires wouldn’t burn out too quickly while she went to go tend to the plants.

Grabbing her watering can, the lone figure dunked it into a water barrel and made her way over to the patch of land where she’d planted the first spring crop. Sprinkling water over the small shoots of green poking up from the dark rich earth, she prayed that the frost wouldn’t take it. She hadn’t been expecting frost at all, it was supposed to have passed. That was what the almanac had predicted after all, and she’d even made sure of it herself. However the powers that be had other plans. The cold snap that overtook her grove threatened to take her crop with it. But these were hardy plants, potatoes have been through worse. She hoped. With the plants watered and prayers quietly muttered to the harvest gods she went on, taking a basket with her to collect eggs from her hens.

The chickens were more than happy to see her with feed, though rather indifferent to the basket. Spreading the grains and some of the scraps from the previous night’s dinner to a rousing success for Chicken Breakfast. With all of the chickens out of the coop and now eating, the woman began collecting all of her eggs. Mentally setting aside a few for her own breakfast. Between all of them, she managed to get seven eggs. Two for her own breakfast and the rest goes in the container. The chickens clucked happily as they pecked at their feed and started their own foraging efforts, maybe there’d even be a mouse. The morning was effectively theirs now, eggs collected and feed given. And the hens were more than happy to take advantage of the morning, each praying that it’ll warm quicker.

The figure put away the cup that she had used for the chicken’s feed and started off for the house. The outside chores were finished, it was time to get ready for the rest of the day.