A Tinn’s tale

t was a chilly afternoon, snow had fallen for the past few days. The family was huddled together in the Paral cottage, after the Mass in the Church. Dorus sat, his head buried in his hands.

 

‘I am so sorry! I- I just-’

‘But why, father?’ Luc asked.

Dorus shivered, hearing his sons small, clear voice made him feel so guilty.

‘Why?’ Merle insisted.

‘You didn’t hear the pastor!’ Jantine snapped while protecting her husband. ‘It’s understandable he wanted to give his opinion, especially because he’s been tempted for so long!’

‘We really are in trouble now,’ sighed Robyn. ‘I haven’t even told you yet that everyone is talking about father-’

Dorus moaned.

‘-I heard from Frank. Almost everyone thinks you’re a heretic.’

 

 

‘I’m off, cleaning off the workspace,’ Dorus mumbled and he went.

‘But what exactly did he say?’ insisted Merle.

Robyn didn’t listen to her mothers reply, she sat up and went to the chandlers workshop. She knew her father to be neat and he would never leave his mess until this late. Especially because he was working with beeswax. There must be really something going on this afternoon.

 

 

Robyn found Dorus, staring out of the fouled window at the falling snowflakes. He sighed.

‘We’re behind you.’ she said quietly. ‘You know that, right?’

She saw her father nod. She almost didn’t recognize him. The once so strong man now stood there, being so frail.

‘I do not doubt that they will punish my for my thoughts.’ Even his voice was hoarse. ‘This is what we were afraid of. So when I am.. gone, please take good care of yourselves. You must go on!’

He swallowed and looked her in the eyes, seeming to be thinking. Then he smiled weakly, walked over to her and pulled her in a close, desperate, fatherly hug. ‘You are all I have.’

 

 

Dorus loosened his grip and looked at his daughter. ‘Please. Marry Frank and make him happy, and he’ll love you in return. And I will have grandchildren, even if I do not know..’

‘I will father, I promise. I think I love him. I really do.’

He gave her a gentle pinch in her hands. ‘And now we must get back to the family,’ he said and started rummaging around and pounding a bit on the wooden table. In fact he had cleaned up, before going to Church. Even that seemed long ago.

‘Very well,’ she said, ‘there isn’t any need to act as if you’re cleaning. Come and get back to mother, and we’ll have a cosy family afternoon.’

 

 

And so they went and got back to the family. Indeed they had a cosy family afternoon. Dorus and Jantine sat close together on the couch, and the children sat and played and sewed by the lit fire. And they talked a lot. Future plans were carefully avoided, but at some point Luc asked whether they would go fishing in spring.

‘Of course,’ Dorus answered, ‘When all this is over and the water between the hills has melted, we’ll go fishing like men, and I’ll teach you. That’s a promise.’

 

 

But it seemed a promise he could never keep, thought Robyn later in bed. Thinking over the matter and remembering the nice afternoon they had had, she couldn’t help but smile sadly. All this was about to change some day soon.

But, turning under her bedspread, Robyn hoped that day would never come.