"It is an old legend," Bakhtar continued. "Pierrot was a clown in a
travelling carnival. One day the carnival came to a village where lived
the beautiful maiden Columbine. Pierrot and Columbine met and fell deeply
in love. But the carnival only stayed for a few days, and then the lovers
had to part, never to meet again. For Pierrot was indentured to the
carnival, and was not free to leave it until he had earnt enough to pay
off what he owed, whilst Columbine was kept at home by her father, and she
dared not defy him. Eventually her father died, but by that time Pierrot
too was dead of the pox."
"How romantic!" Bella said. "How spineless!" Astra retorted. "If I was Columbine, I wouldn't have stayed at home. I'd have followed Pierrot whatever my father thought. But it's a pretty enough song." "And you sang it very well," Shirini said. "You and Bella combined beautifully." "Thank you," Astra replied. As she spoke she was looking longingly at the lake. The water looked very clean. To go for a swim would be refreshing, she thought, and it might even remove the last of the lingering odour of the lye soap that Granny had used to clean her. Still under the disinhibiting effect of the Resin of Petrona, she asked: "Would anybody mind if I went 'skinny dipping', as we used to call it back home when I was a child? The lake looks very inviting."
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9/22/2004 1:26:01 PM
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