Peppercorns

The Never Ending Quest - Episode 25311

Benjamin started, "I give thanks for our the meal we are about to receive, and for the ripening harvest. I give thanks for the character and wisdom of Mary, without whom my life would have been much poorer. I give thanks for the survival and prosperity of Joseph, Martin, George, Henry, Sarah, and Ellen, our beloved sons and nieces, and their families as well. Please give us the stength to withstand the trials that lay before us with grace and dignity. Grant us the wisdom to understand Your Purpose in bringing Checkers to our farm, and grant her the success she deserves on her mission." Mary responded with a quiet "Let it be so," and Benjamin reached for Checkers' bowl and filled it with the savory stew.

As the host was serving her, Checkers thought about this little speech. She did notice the question and equivocation in the last sentence - Why is she here? and Give her the fate she deserves.. They still did not trust her, then. But they had saved her life, twice. She felt as one who had flown too long over an ocean, and had no place to land. She needed some rest, some answers, but every hour brought more questions and new dangers. "Well, the quest to kill the dragon is not supposed to be easy," she thought. At least she was still alive, and that was more than she should have expected, given the long trek across the grasslands and now being in the middle of country dominated by hostile farmers.

Checkers noticed that her hosts were waiting on her to eat. "It must be a custom to let the guest eat first. Back home the first portion goes to the elder, so I thought that Benjamin would start." She dipped her spoon in the bowl, and blew softly on the stew to cool it, and chewed on it. The meat was disappointing. Somehow it seemed bland - not high as one would get in good game. She had trouble identifying it - it was almost like deer, but not quite. It might be one of the big animals with the short horns that she saw penned while in the barn. It somehow did not seem virtuous to eat something that one had not hunted, but she was not going to refuse the stew, which almost certainly would have been rude. Besides, she was hungry.

The vegatables and seasoning of the stew made up for the blandness of the meat. She recognized the purple bits as carrot, as well as some green beans and peas about three times the size of the average RDL bean that one might pick in the wild. Mary had done a superb job with the sauce, she noticed. The gravy was excellent, thick and hearty, and there was spicy black seed that she had never seen before. She bit into it, and winced for a second, but the pain faded, and the lingering taste was something that she had never experienced.

"This gravy is wonderful", Checkers declared. What are these little black seeds? I love the taste of them, although they have a bite."

"Thanks, Checkers," answered Mary. "The black seeds are peppercorns. They are not meant to be eaten whole. They grow them to the south of here. They are getting dear - with the robbers plaguing the merchants on the southern and western routes into the Buroughs, peppercorns, when they can be found in the market, are getting too dear to purchase. These are old and somewhat past their best."

  1. "Have the robbers always been a problem?"
  2. "I would like to thank you for sharing your supper with me. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

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3/26/2003 10:56:31 PM

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