The Pearl Savage by Tamara Rose Blodgett Read Free Book Online Page B

One day, I will not be here, and who will make
certain that our way of life continues?”
    “You will always be here, Father!”
Clara cried, smoothing her yellow skirt over her knees anxiously, the
hem grazing the floorboards of the pungy.
    The king gazed across the water,
looking at the small spheres scattered about the Great Lake, as it
had been called in his father’s father’s time, “One day, even I
will be no more. It will be your job to steward over these
creatures.”
    He pried the shell apart, not a
smooth practice, and inside the creature was undersized and the gem
was but a sparkling speck, the color not yet true.
    “Pay attention Clara,” she
leaned forward, her father poking the flesh of the creature with his
prying tool so she could see the interior of its home encased in
shell. After they had examined it together, he placed the oyster in a
wooden bucket with rope for a handle.
    He gathered another oyster, this one
of proper girth and length, stretching past his palm, almost to the
tips of his fingers, “This is ready.”
    Prying… it sprung open, splashing
muck about the pungy, splatter falling on Clara,(she had the
disquieting thought that mother would be cross). She was often cross
with Clara, especially when she rode the pungy with father.
    The creature was full to bursting
its house (as Clara thought of the shell) a glimmering gem
cloistered inside the folds, its luster in stark relief against
the dull-colored creature within. It was beautiful, the pearl was
beautiful.
    Father plucked the pearl out, the
juices of the creature still covering it, and gave it to Clara. She
immediately dunked it in the fresh water bucket, getting some of the
grime off. It seemed to wink and glimmer at her from her palm… her
first pearl.
    She looked up at her father, delight
on her face and he smiled back, “I also loved the fields and what
they held when I was a lad.”

    “Princess?” Olive held the brush
in her hand, staring at Clara in the looking glass’ reflection. Clara
had been ten spheres away, in the depths of her memory.
    “Yes, Olive?”
    “I asked, ‘what disturbs you’?”
    So much to speak of, but she did not
wish to go through it all again. Once in her mind was enough for
tonight, “My thoughts lay heavy on me. Tomorrow, I will escape some
of the Prince’s attention by checking the fields.”
    “Queen Ada will not be pleased.”
    “I know.” Her mother wished to
have others fulfill the oyster supervision duties, but Clara felt
compelled to oversee much of what had been cultivated for over one
hundred years within her family. After all, Ada was not from this
Sphere originally, but the Kingdom of West Virginia, where there were
no fields. What did she really care what happened to any of it, with
her precious grapes in sight? Clara was her vehicle for their
continuation.
    “I tire, Olive. I would sleep
now.”
    Olive put the hairbrush down without
a word, folding the bedding back, Clara slid underneath her coverlet,
her eyes like great weights dragging her under. Struggling to stay
awake, her eyes followed Olive as she dimmed the sconces and the
chandelier from a central switch located just inside the chamber
door. With one last look at Clara, she retreated to a smaller door
which led to her much smaller chamber.
    The last thing Clara heard was the
lock clicking into place as she fell into a dreamless sleep of
exhaustion.

CHAPTER 7

    Charles lay in bed within his small
chamber thinking of Clara… again .
That was usually where his thoughts lay. Aside from her being the
most beautiful creature he had ever beheld she was a most excellent
friend. He rolled over on his stomach, his chin resting on his fist
instead of a pillow. A heavy sigh escaped him, what
to do ? That strumpet of a man lay in wait for Clara, whoring
himself with aplomb for the wine-pearl treaty. While Clara was held
like a fragile tether between the two factions. If only King
Raymond were still alive, he thought for the