#laresandpenates

[lelush06]

Я помню эти цветы, Танцевала твоя душа. И ветра любовались: как ты, Как ты была хороша! Над сутулым небом Невы Летала живая взвесь. Я не видел зеленее травы, Когда ты была здесь. . . . 🎵ДДТ - Когда ты была здесь . . . #вечер #пятница #чтение #романтика #цветы #тепло #уют #уютно #ддт #evening #friday #reading #romantic #flowers #roses #LaresandPenates #ddt #inside #peace #oneplus #oneplus6 #shotononeplus https://www.instagram.com/p/B6lrCOlJEDn/?igshid=giw1u83ggdid

[lorischorus]

House & Universe

When she was gone, I wandered around the big room, looking at stones and bits of glass Juniper had collected; at a game of finchnell with glass pieces laid out on a board. There was a flute lying on a piece of velvet on a chair, a big harp standing in the corner, and a lute resting against the wall. There was a distaff half covered with thread with a puff of wool beside it. These did not interest me much as some strange cards laid out in a row on a table. The cards had pictures of kings and queens, of clowns and soldiers and ladies of somebody hanging on a gibbet like I had once seen on a visit to the town of Salen. I played with the cards for a bit, and then I could not remember the original order but thought that Juniper would probably not notice anyway. I was fascinated that Juniper owned books—a whole row of them on a shelf. Fillan was the only person I knew who had books, and he had only one or two. I took one of them down, holding it carefully, pressed the squeaking covers back on the table, and saw that it was about stars, with pictures of people and animals drawn around the stars in the sky. I knew a lot about stars, and I thought I would enjoy studying the book later. I put it back on its shelf. There were books of spells, too. In a way I longed to be able to do spells—it seemed very exciting—but I was also frightened that Juniper would do a spell against me, and I didn’t like that idea at all

  * * *

  I turned to the staircase. It was very remarkable. At the bottom of the stairs, and halfway up, and again at the top, the carpenter had used the stair posts to carve flowers—poppies and pinks and roses and convolvulus—and along the banisters he had carved animals—gentle deer, and lambs and dogs and lions. I thought it was the most interesting staircase I had ever seen, though I had not seen many. Beside the staircase an enormous window of greeny leaded glass looked sideways over the village and past it to the sea, and the window was curtained in a silky fabric of forest green with touches of red and blue gleaming in it like metal, and once again the motif of poppies and roses and pinks and convolvulus was repeated. I touched the curtains with reverence—they were so beautiful. There was a thick carpet on the stairs, and it led my feet up to another floor with doors opening off it. The doors were closed, and it was frightening to open them.

            However, my curiosity was too great for me to resist, and I discovered that there were two big bedrooms, each with a carved bed and a white cover on the bed. Each had big dark cabinets. Remembering what Seumas had said, I shuddered. One of the rooms had another tiny room opening off it, almost like a cupboard, just big enough to hold a small bed, with a pretty rag rug beside it. It was a cozy little place, a nest with the walls painted in orange flowers.

            Another small staircase led upward from this floor. I climbed up a few steps, knowing that this must lead to the attic. I could see the small white door at the top, with a beautiful ivory handle. I was so sure that this door must be locked that I could not resist trying it, but to my surprise it opened half an inch. My heart began to beat very fast as I decided to explore further, but just then I heard Juniper’s step downstairs. I shut the door quickly, and ran softly down the wooden staircase and back down the carpeted one.

            Juniper smiled at me. “Do you like my house?” she wanted to know.

            “It’s pretty,” I said coldly.

--Monica Furlong, Wise Child