(quick fic) Patience

[wytchcroft]

The sea at least is honest; it's the land that lies.

Gazing out from the soft slope at the edge of a red sandy cliff, Daniel could barely see the listing ship and could not make out the granite teeth that had abused her so cruelly.

The sun was beginning to rise, reaching out to touch the shadows of the cliff-base, between them they slicked the Sea with red.

"Really, t'aint but a mercy we'll be doin'..."

The wind of the night had dropped, and though a breeze still sang through the spines and spikes of grass about his feet, Daniel could hear the low voice clearly, from close and behind. The man speaking was as broad as his accent, Samson he was called and never a name more fitting.

Daniel gave a half nod, shifting his hands in the wide pockets of his oilskin. "If it were such a mercy Sam then we should be about our business already by now." He turned slowly to face his grizzled companion.

"Patience is a virtue," the man said.
He was staring at Daniel with hungry but level eyes, like a mastiff waiting for the chain to be struck off.

"'Tis almost dawn and who will tell tales then eh? No one to be blamed for anything, our little lights can't be held responsible now, can they?"

Daniel was glad he had no eyeglass to see the flailings onboard - though he'd be more than close enough before long. He ran a hand up to the wild gorse of his hair. "Mercy is it?"

Truly, Samson was not in the mood to humour the milk-blooded likes of young Daniel, but he was content to do so since in a few minutes all this mealy moping would be forgotten and the two would be tramping through the surf like men, men with a purpose, men with a duty - to their people, their wives, and their homes.

"Do you not see Dan," the man rattled off his words in a well practiced manner, "it's always about mercy - take the Sea... she's merciful to us, we have a need and she delivers. Or if you like, you could say God's will is merciful - as Father Adrian does. We are grateful after all, aren't we - aren't you?"

"Aye..."

"And it's the law -who's to question the mercy of the law eh? What comes in comes in. It's right for us - and right for them big city folk, those that run the line."

"And those poor men?"

"We ease their suffering lad - better their time ends quick and painless." Samson had pulled a heavy club from a linen bag slung over his shoulder. An odd fluting sound cut through the air, cut across their conversation. "There be the whistle lad, time to move them jelly legs of yours." Samson turned away to trudge down the descending path to where it met the dunes. The boys would have a boat on the other side and ready.

"Mercy..." Daniel said again, and to himself.

But Samson had good hearing, for he turned about suddenly and pointed his club accusingly at Daniel's lanky frame.

"And let no man call us Wreckers," he yelled.

Comments

[stoshagownozad.livejournal.com]

wow chilly!

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

спасибо! :))

[alex-kraine.livejournal.com]

A very grim picture.

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

ahh... must be all the Bresson movies i've been watching! :))

[aliasse.livejournal.com]

If there were murderous wreckers, don't you think this is how it would have been? Horrible; I'm glad the fic finished when it did.

Do you believe people really did this?

Lots of description I really liked, like hair like wild gorse.

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

Well, i dunno, i hope the writing makes it sound plausible, that's all i was looking for really.

Buut - if you look into the history of Maritime Law you discover that it was actually, and legally, in everyone's interests that there be no survivors... survivors could claim under a kind of compensatory finders keepers law. If there were none then the articles could be claimed by anyone as 'salvage' and the insurers would pay up immediately to the owner or shipping line. To what extent this was taken advantage of is still a controversial topic.

As for the writing (such as it is) well it has sentences at least - and i'm working a more uplifting little thing right now. It has Knights in.

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

oops forgot to say, the coin price in compensation to survivors would be paid by the shipping line, whilst compensation for the vessel came from the insurers.
i hope i've made sense? :))

Chess-playing knights?

[aliasse.livejournal.com]

It absolutely does sound plausible - the way that Samson justifies murder to Daniel and himself. But he's revealed what he really is with his 'Patience is a virtue' - the virtue of the predator, if this type can be said to have one.

I've read that literally hundreds of people used to follow a damaged ship along the Cornish coast hoping for pickings. But that sounds like poetic licence to me.

Re: Chess-playing knights?

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

well it gets my Cornish blood a-pumping!

i am so relieved that the Samson character and the twist on a virtue came through. THAT was my motivation to write it.

oh - and coz i'm evil and shallow, here is a preview of my knight piece that i just posted to somebody.

...........................

The man kept his silence, what was there to say? No/one had spoken to him in this manner before - indeed, people never spoke like to anyone.

Not even Guinevere. She had been - she was - so young. Her tongue had been like a starling, a song of the morning, the sun and the scent of wild roses.

And few words.

He had never sought further than the elements that he could hold, no matter how abstract; honour, justice, placed into his hands like a chalice and placed there by a King, a King.

And they had sat together round His table, as a family.

It felt like an age ago, suddenly.

"The battlefield was always easier for you i suppose?" the nun said. It was barely a question.

He turned back from his shield. "The battlefield?"

And now his hands were pushing at shadows. "I am the battlefield," he said.
.......................

[aliasse.livejournal.com]

Well, you gave a clue about 'Patience is a virtue' with your entry tag, which followed on from your Hitchcock-inspired poem. Is there a virtue here? :)

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

kindness.

(although Lancelot is blind to it in the bit above.)

i'm working my way through the seven - but the knights may get their own turn too (just for some, y'know, fun!).

[aliasse.livejournal.com]

like a starling, a song of the morning, the sun and the scent of wild roses

I absolutely love this line: it conjures up all sorts of images from illuminated manuscripts. Didn't they used to eat starlings in those days?:)

Knights are cool. But, even though I have a picture of the knight here, I preferred Gunnar Bjornstrand's squire (was it a squire? - it's so long since I actually watched it).

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

And another comment to make me blush!:))

Koff! er, yes, well they ate lark's tongues - but 'like a lark' just reads all wrong, LOL!, so i changed it - and i do adore illuminated manuscripts :))

knights are... difficult - very appealing but... there's a lot of baggage there; tricky symbols, slippery values, weapon fetishes (!)etc
but i do love the whole Arthur/King Under the Hill thing, i mean it's dodgey as fuck but... nah, i love it :))

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

and i need to re-watch 7h Seal! it's actually been a long time for me too.

i watched 'persona' again just recently and 'through a glass darkly' - and Bergman's last movie 'Saraband'.

Have you ever seen The Magician (aka The Face)? Makes a great double bill with Seventh Seal (and Gunnar's in it too).

right now i'm elbow deep in robert bresson - for my sins.. my - sins... -whip snap!- must mortify - whip snap! - sins - etc etc

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

... and sometimes i watch comedies.

[aliasse.livejournal.com]

Comedies? - tu mentes quand tu petes. (Fart jokes, definitely amusant...)

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

ah oui, d'accord - ala Serge Gainsbourg et vu d'exterieur, ou le film 'petomane'! :))

[aliasse.livejournal.com]

The last Bergman I watched was 'Fanny and Alexander'. I love the scene where the uncle berates the priest; I could watch it a hundred times and still laugh. I find loss of control intensely comedic. I haven't seen the others. And I haven't seen a single Bresson. (That was one of those confessions that didn't feel good...) I'm a sucker for a Hollywood movie.

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

well, it's not like they show them on the telly!

i love a good hollywood movie too, i'm not as pretentious as i sound, honest! LOL! :))

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

pretentious, moi? (LMFAO!)

Re: Chess-playing knights?

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

and thank you, your comments mean a lot to me:))

[aliasse.livejournal.com]

De nada hombre:)

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

LMFAO! oh you are made of icon win!! :)))

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

btw - you were right of course; Kavalier and Clay is a fantastic read :))

[aliasse.livejournal.com]

Aha! Oh, I'm so pleased! I've been wanting to ask you. Isn't it just almost as though it was written by a European? Have you got to the Antarctic interlude yet?

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

Not got to the Antarctic so far... but there's definitely a Euro feel, a lot of influences. But then it's more densely written than the usual books i read, so perhaps they why it seems that way? Anyhoo - it's grand :))

[aliasse.livejournal.com]

I've got a book on my shelf called 'The Dedalus Book of Austrian Fantasy: 1890-2000'. Short on laughs but I think you'd like it so, here, let me e-lend it to you.

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

ooh ta! sounds great! :))

[betsycontent.livejournal.com]

"The sea at least is honest; it's the land that lies." what a great opening line! bravo! enjoyed this piece. :)))

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

oh i'm relieved and glad about that! thanks! :))

ps

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

have you heard from regina at all???

Re: ps

[betsycontent.livejournal.com]

not a word. i hope her mom is all right. i wrote to her about a week ago, but did not hear back.

Re: ps

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

yeah i hope we hear something soon :(

Re: ps

[betsycontent.livejournal.com]

yeah, it's just not the same without regina, shelby, and alberto around. ;) but, really, i do miss her kind spirit as well.

Re: ps

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

exactly, the poetry is a bonus (a BIG bonus!) but i just wish her well really, she deserves some good fortune and a chance to move forward.

[gilliebeans.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, good and dread-ful. You have such a way with description, Samson's eyes like a mastiff's, and I want to join in the admiration for the opening line. I like how their purpose unfolds just a little at a time. Well-done!

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

thank you!:)))

i'm not too happy with my writing just now,
and i've had to put a lot of stories on hold -
but i'm hoping these little pieces will get me back on track.
we'll see!

[qfemale.livejournal.com]

Thank you for sharing!

[wytchcroft.livejournal.com]

thanks for reading! :))

[qfemale.livejournal.com]

:-p