TamLin01
Really Really Experienced
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2011
- Posts
- 450
From "The Ballad of Tam Lin":
Tam Lin was disguised as a puddle on the side of the road when she arrived, but of course Janet recognized him right away. "Oh, hello," he said, sitting up and drying himself off. She kissed his cheek. He walked past without looking at her. It was a grey day, and the leaves on the trees were dying, and there was a chill in the air. Tam Lin looked grey around the edges himself.
"You don't seem well?" she said.
"I'm not well. I'm going to die. It's Hallo'ween, you know, and I still can't leave Carterhaugh."
"You can't?" said Janet, sitting down with the clover. "How very odd."
"I don't understand it. Once I have the love of a good woman that should break the curse and allow me to leave. Nothing about this makes sense." All of a sudden he grabbed Janet by the shoulders and shook her a little. "Janet, you do love me, don't you? Really?"
"Of course," she said, studying the grass blades under her feet. "Truly. With all my heart."
"Janet...I'm beginning to think that you've taken advantage of me."
"Are you upset?"
"No; impressed. Very impressed. But it doesn't help either of us with our problems. You're pregnant, aren't you?"
She nodded.
"And you wanted to help me so that I can get you out of an engagement, don't you?"
"Are you reading my mind?"
"No, just your behavior. You can't marry me if I'm dead, you know."
"I can't marry you anyway, not until you're a proper man."
"I haven't been a proper man in my entire life," said Tam Lin. "I can't believe it's going to end like this. I have so much to live for. There are songs, and wines, and women, and food, and women, and the forest, and women..."
Janet took her cloak off, laid it on the grass, and stretched out on it to think. "This Tithe," she said, "there's a ceremony?"
"Yes," said Tam Lin, his voice flat.
"What if we stopped it? She can't sacrifice you if we don't let the sacrifice happen, right?"
He laughed. "Oh, that's rich. You'll stop her, will you? She's the Queen of Fairies and you're—" He stopped. "You're...someone magic doesn't work on. I wonder...Janet, I'm having a thought."
"Well there's a first time for everything."
"As I've said to so many young women these seven years," he said. "But I think I know how we can save me. By which I mean us. But only if you're feeling very brave." He looked at her. "Are you very brave, Janet?"
She put both hands against her belly. "I hope so," she said.
***
Want to know what happens? Read:
Tam Lin was disguised as a puddle on the side of the road when she arrived, but of course Janet recognized him right away. "Oh, hello," he said, sitting up and drying himself off. She kissed his cheek. He walked past without looking at her. It was a grey day, and the leaves on the trees were dying, and there was a chill in the air. Tam Lin looked grey around the edges himself.
"You don't seem well?" she said.
"I'm not well. I'm going to die. It's Hallo'ween, you know, and I still can't leave Carterhaugh."
"You can't?" said Janet, sitting down with the clover. "How very odd."
"I don't understand it. Once I have the love of a good woman that should break the curse and allow me to leave. Nothing about this makes sense." All of a sudden he grabbed Janet by the shoulders and shook her a little. "Janet, you do love me, don't you? Really?"
"Of course," she said, studying the grass blades under her feet. "Truly. With all my heart."
"Janet...I'm beginning to think that you've taken advantage of me."
"Are you upset?"
"No; impressed. Very impressed. But it doesn't help either of us with our problems. You're pregnant, aren't you?"
She nodded.
"And you wanted to help me so that I can get you out of an engagement, don't you?"
"Are you reading my mind?"
"No, just your behavior. You can't marry me if I'm dead, you know."
"I can't marry you anyway, not until you're a proper man."
"I haven't been a proper man in my entire life," said Tam Lin. "I can't believe it's going to end like this. I have so much to live for. There are songs, and wines, and women, and food, and women, and the forest, and women..."
Janet took her cloak off, laid it on the grass, and stretched out on it to think. "This Tithe," she said, "there's a ceremony?"
"Yes," said Tam Lin, his voice flat.
"What if we stopped it? She can't sacrifice you if we don't let the sacrifice happen, right?"
He laughed. "Oh, that's rich. You'll stop her, will you? She's the Queen of Fairies and you're—" He stopped. "You're...someone magic doesn't work on. I wonder...Janet, I'm having a thought."
"Well there's a first time for everything."
"As I've said to so many young women these seven years," he said. "But I think I know how we can save me. By which I mean us. But only if you're feeling very brave." He looked at her. "Are you very brave, Janet?"
She put both hands against her belly. "I hope so," she said.
***
Want to know what happens? Read: