Chapter Text
The stretch from the warm summer season into the chilly autumn days always seemed much shorter compared to the changing of season in winter and spring. Oh, the wait for the thawing of snow and the tiny sprouts of flowers seemed to last forever, but when it came you enjoyed every new day of a little less snow and a little more warmth, looking forward to digging up the earth for a new garden and watching the flowers slowly creep up from the dirt in small, green little threads. Tegan found something to enjoy in all the seasons, but fall was the precursor to winter and winter always had more work involved in it than spring and summer. There were logs to be gathered and the house needed to be shuttered up from the cold. The pantry should be stocked early on, in case snow decided to come early. All the warm weather clothes should be packed away into chests and closets, and the cold weather clothes - jackets and cozy boots, thermals and long sleeves - pulled out for the family. Most of these things fell on the eldest daughter - herself - to take care of. While he mother was still relatively young and lively, an accident a few years back made it hard for her to do a lot of more physical work, especially repeatedly climbing stairs and making numerous trips around the town and countryside. However, despite all the work that fell on her head, Tegan didn’t mind. Not only was it work she was used to and involved talking to people she enjoyed speaking with - no one really spoke ill of the Deerfield family, after all - she had her sister, Darby, to accompany her on these trips.
In late September, after school was well under way, Tegan would leave her mother to close up shop at the bakery while she went to pick up Darby from school and take care of errands. A stop at the grocer, to pick up extracts for cakes and pastries. A stop at the butcher to put in an order of meat for the next month. A stop to pick up Darby’s new winter boots - her old ones had been hand-me-downs from her older sister and had finally, after many years, given up the ghost and worn through to the point they could no longer be repaired.
The last stops for the day was a treat for both of them. Tegan always bought her sister something small for helping out around their bakery shoppe, since money was all but useless for a girl her age and she seemed to enjoy the little gifts a lot better, anyhow. Today, Darby had picked out a new book of fairy tales to add to her ever-growing collection. Tegan’s treat for herself was new yarn for knitting - she wanted to make a shawl before winter hit - and a bag of fabric remnants that one of the shopkeepers would save and sell to her cheap.
On the way back to the bakery to pick up their bikes, the sisters talked about the remainder of the year. Darby said she was almost done with her Christmas list and told Tegan that it was a surprise and no one could see it until it was perfect. Tegan inquired how school was going and got a long tale about lunch gossip and one of the teachers planning a week-long Halloween event, which Darby sounded really excited about and began rambling off costumes she wanted to make and if her sister would help her. The chatter made the walk through the small village go much quicker and, when they reached the bakery, Tegan took the time to slip inside the empty shop and restock some of the ingredients before locking the building back up. The two loaded up their bikes and headed off to the family’s little cottage in the forest as the sun started to color the sky as it began to set.
The path they took back home was a winding trail that was used by a handful of others that lived in the forest, as well. Although, once a certain point was reached, the trail branched off in half a dozen different directions, all leading to other little cottages - except for one which led to a meadow full of sheep. The path to the Deerfields’ home was the third to the last on the right side. When Tegan was old enough to go back and forth to school on her own, her mother had put a tall, wooden stake in the ground at their fork, so she would remember which one to take back home. In the spring and summer, morning glories grew up the stake and made it stand out even more. In the fall and winter, Tegan would put a wreath on the stake to keep it visible.
This smaller trail ducked into the trees and the light was always dimmer under the conifers and pines that mingled with the deciduous trees that were bursting with warm autumn colors, gradually losing their brilliant summer green. The path under the trees was short, however, and it lead out into a scene almost from one of Darby’s fairy tale books. A quaint little stone cottage was settled into a clearing. It was surrounded by flowers and one or two small trees - one taller than the other, both planted when each sister was born. The cottage had an arched, wooden front door, a chimney, and a garden ready to be harvested behind it. The sisters’ mother could be seen out back in the garden, a basket in hand, and plucking ripe vegetables from their vines or stalks. The girls led their bikes into a shed next to the house and gathered up their goods from the earlier errands as they made their way to the house, calling briefly to their mother to let her know they were home.
“Mama, Tegan bought me a new book,” Darby exclaimed as she ran through the small garden rows, holding the book high in the air for her mother to see.
Their mother straighten herself up to see the book her daughter held, adjusting the basket on her arm as she did so, “Oh, sweetness, we haven’t even finished the last one yet!” It was true, Darby and their mother were only about halfway through the last book she’d acquired. They read it together for bedtime stories.
“I know, but I thought I’d think ahead. In case there’s no good books over the winter.” The young girl wasn’t far off, often the stores in the village didn’t get new stock if the winter was particularly bad. Usually, just the grocer and butcher would go out of their way to make sure they had a stock of merchandise for the village. Things like books and trinkets and yarn weren’t necessities and could be waited on until the weather broke. “This one has a story about an owl named Raoul and a big, gruff man named Bluebeard!”
Their mother gave Tegan an expression that read ‘did you really buy her a book with Bluebeard in it?!’ and Tegan shrugged with a sympathetic look in response. “Let Mama pick the stories from that one, okay, Darbs? Some of them might be pretty scary.”
Darby set her face in an expression that made Tegan think she was going to complain, but she nodded, “Okay. We have to finish the other book first, so maybe the ones in this one won’t be as scary when we get to them!” As if the stories might change in that time.
Their mother laughed a little, obviously thinking that very thing. “That sounds like a good idea, sweetie. But now, do you want to help me make this salad for dinner?”
“Yes! Let me put my book away and I’ll meet you in the kitchen in five,” Darby said matter-of-factly as she spun around and ran into the house.
Their mother raised her eyebrows at Tegan and they both laughed a little. “Well, that was certainly prompt of her. How was your errands?” When she reached the door, her mother held it open for her daughter to slip inside the house before she let it swing closed behind the two of them.
“Oh, uneventful,” Tegan commented as she removed her shoes and cardigan, carrying her bag into the kitchen and sitting it on the large table in the center of the room. It was the dining table, but doubled as a counter or island for cooking, the seats were akin to picnic table seats and tucked underneath it when not in use. “Darby’s excited about Halloween at school, ask her about it. She has a dozen costume ideas already,” the girl rolls her eyes a little. “I picked up some new yarn for that shawl I was talking about knitting,” she comments as she removes the newly bought items from her bag and places them on the table, “and I picked up my bag of fabric from Ms. Fortuny. I think I’ll be able to make a nice patchwork skirt for the fall with it.”
Her mother nodded as she went about getting the salad ingredients together and ready to prepare, “We should see if there’s anything that needs mended for the winter, as well. Maybe you’ll luck out and get some extra fabrics from some old items we can’t repair.”
Tegan smiled, “I’m going to try and pull that stuff down this week, hopefully. I hate to pack up all the summer clothes just yet, because it feels like we might get a few more warm days. At the very least, I’ll pull the blankets down tomorrow, since it’s been cold at night,” she comments as she puts away the food, spices, and extracts into their proper places in the cupboards as her sister returns to help with the salad.
“Today at school,” Darby began as she pulled out one of the table benches to kneel on as pulled a bowl and a bag head of lettuce towards her, “Bailey said her and her mother went into the city over summer break and they went to an art museum and saw paintings of animal people. So we were thinking it would be neat to dress up as animals for Halloween!” As the young girl talked, she shredded up the lettuce with her small hands. “We could sew little paws for our hands and maybe make little ears on bobby pins or something! We’re trying to keep it a secret so no one else takes our idea. Mr. Rowen wants to have a week long Halloween celebration, so I want to have something really neat to dress up as!”
The other two let Darby chatter on about her Halloween plans and her re-telling friends’ summer adventures as they went about finishing up dinner - pulling down plates, silverware, and mugs for hot tea. As Darby’s story wore down, she went about setting the table for dinner and spooning salad into bowls for all three of them, then she pulled out the other bench so they could all sit at the table. After food was served, they all joined hands and Tegan said a small prayer, thankful for their bountiful garden and those that help them keep food on their table.
After dinner and small talk about the bakery and plans for winter pastries and sweets, little bits of gossip about fellow villagers, and the oncoming change in the seasons, plates were gathered up and the kitchen cleaned. Another log was tossed onto the fire in the living room and candles were light to bathe the room in warm light. Electric cables hadn’t been strung this deep into the forest. They had it in the village, but not out this far out and most of those that lived all they way out in the forest knew how to live well without it. Tegan did find it to be an convenience, but seeing the damage that needed to be done in order to have it, she knew it wasn’t worth it. Despite the lack of wired electricity, they did own a few items that were battery powered, including a generator in case of emergencies, but it was rarely needed or used. What they did use frequently, however, was the radio. The station they picked up this far out came from the country nearby and was pleasant for background music, as they played a mix of country music and oldies, which her mother enjoyed.
The night went on as it normally did. Darby and their mother reading from the fairy tale book, taking turns as characters and using funny voices. Tegan would knit or sew for an hour or two before preparing items to be baked early in the morning to be taken to the bakery the next day.
It was a pleasant, simple way to live, but Tegan didn’t mind it one bit.