Spilt Milk

Little Eva was on her knees scrubbing the floor of the stable when she accidentally kicked over the bag of seed. It knocked over the first container of milk and the rest of the milk cartons followed like dominoes. Enraged the farmer told her to get out and never come back. Eva left running and crying as soon as she could pick herself up off the dirt floor where she had fallen into the milk. She put on her going to the village cloths, hung her green stone amulet around her neck, tucked her golden hair beneath a wide brim hat, packed her bag, and left walking down the dirt road towards the big city.

She walked for two days and was very sorry she hadn't brought anything along to eat. A kind gentlemen on the road had shared an ear of corn with her the first day but after that she had had nothing but water from a cistern well that lined the road. But she could see the tall buildings of the city far away on the road with the golden palace of the Caliph rising just behind it on a tall mountain. She just knew she was on her way to the magic kingdom and her dream of being a great singer would come true.

Now at this time there was a rumor going around the big city that the Caliph was none too happy with the populace, in fact, it was rumored that he was going to raise the taxes once again on his daughter's birthday, that is, unless she was found quick and sent back to the palace. Unfortunately, no one in the city had seen the daughter for fifteen years, no one could remember what she looked like, no one knew if she was alive or dead. She had been a young infant when she disappeared. Nevertheless, each year the Caliph, still crazy with grief and dotting in his old age, increased the taxes for the whole populous. The people of the city were very poor and only held themselves together by quick wits and hard work. Their frustration rose by ten degrees each year, the amount of raised tax, yet they loved their old Caliph and therefore didn't dispute him.

This tax burden was on the mind of the South gate keeper when Eva lined up to be admitted into the big city. She was quite enjoying herself in the crush of hustle and bustle that surrounded her. Swarms of brown pack animals, ragged and travel tattered wagons, and people wearing turbans and shawls and baggy blue pants shoved and pushed every which way waiting their turn through the gate. The commotion delighted Eva and she was so busy gawking and absorbing this new experience the gate presented that when her turn came, she almost missed it.

Suddenly noticing the gap, she shoved herself forward toppling the table where the gate keeper sat with his many paper bundles, stamps, and inks. All went spilling to the ground to be trampled with black dirt, gravel bits, impatient feet, and numerous bodies out of balance.

Panicked and trying to scramble up his papers, the gatekeeper yelled for the guards, "Guards, guards," and pointed his finger at Eva. Eva was pulled to the side and stashed into a small room to await the gatekeeper.

It took all day. Eva sat and stood and walked in a circle and cried and laughed at her own clumsiness and finally took a nap on the wooden bench propped against the wall. The heavy door slamming shut awoke her.

"Hump, such a tiny thing to cause such havoc."

She sat up with a start and wiped her eyes and touched her green necklace for comfort.

"It has taken me all day to clean up the mess and get things back in order, young lady. You doubled my days work. How do you intend to pay me back? What is your intent? Where are you going? Where are your relatives?"

The questions went on forever perhaps to give the gatekeeper time to think of a plan because every now and then his eyes slid towards the green amulet hanging from a leather thong on Eva's neck. Finally, his civil resolve cracked and he actually put out his hand to touch the green stone with the tip of his finger.

Eva jumped back, her eyes grown huge with fear. Her hand grabbed at the amulet.

"Oh, don't be frightened, my dear. But that is a nice stone. It's value would make up for all the mischief you caused me today."

"Oh, no. It has no value at all, it's only my junk piece." And my soul, Eva thought because she'd been attached to the stone all her life.

"Quite all right dear. Say, my wife may be able to find you some work if you come home with me; besides, she will have supper on the table, I am sure."

At the mention of supper Eva's eyes lit up and her head nodded in agreement of its own accord. So, with her face wearing a huge grin and her heart beating rapidly with hope, off Eva went, out the gate and into the brick paved streets of the city escorted by one of its best known and hard working officers.

As soon as they walked into the house he pulled his wife aside and admonished her to find work for the girl so they could keep her near by. His wife perturbed by the demand began to argue. "But don't you see it?" yelled the gatekeeper then he toned down to a whisper, "She has blond hair and a green amulet around her neck. What does that make you think of?"

"Nothing."

"The Caliph! You dumb ninny, his whole palace is done up in green and gold. And his new tax will be due in a few months. What if we could give him something else instead?"

The wife put on a broad smile and nodded. Then she went to prepare the best supper Eva had ever eaten in her short life. After dinner the wife showed Eva to a small room in the attic where she could sleep. Eva thought it was nice, but she didn't intend to stay long; she had a dream to fulfill.

Eva ran errands and cleaned the house for the wife, all the time singing and playing with the dust rag because she liked to make work into a game. It was the errands she liked best though because they often brought her into the middle of the city and Eva had never seen such busy commotion and music. Flutes and banjos and voices of people who danced for coins were always at the square and Eva loved music so naturally she had to stop and listen. Today a colorful new group was dancing and singing so lively that Eva began to bounce on her bare feet too and was so busy listening and bouncing that when the old man with the tall hat and frilly shirt bumped into her she hardly noticed. But when he put his hand to her green amulet she did notice and yelped as she jumped back spilling her packages and herself to the ground. The movement also made her hair fall apart from her hat and spring into golden curls down to her shoulders.

The old man's eyes gleamed and his smile broadened as he said, "At your service, Miss." and bent to pick up her packages and hand them over. "Oh, this one has gotten very dirty. Come with me, I know how to fix that." And he pulled her arm and led her to the side of the road. All this time he was making hand motions to his people that he had a live one by the tail so that by the time they got to the road side the stage was set.

There sat a young boy with his crippled legs hanging from his broken chair and his little sister sitting next to him humming to the music while the mom cooked a small piece of fat over a fire grill and some flap jacks.

"Lookie here what I got, a fine lady who needs our help. Get that water bowl over here honey and wipe this here package off, real nice."

The sister ran to get the bowl of water and a rag then proceeded to wipe at the package.

All this time the mother was cutting the fat and offered Eva some so she sat down at the curb and joined the family at dinner. The group of adults who had been dancing and juggling and playing music came and joined them too. After they ate the crippled boy pulled a flute out of his pocket and began to play and his sister sang as accompaniment but badly. Eva joined in and sang so beautifully they said that she should join their group.

"Oh, I'd love to, but I need to deliver these packages and tell the wife."

"We are gypsies and will be leaving soon. If you want to join us come back here to meet us by Friday, six days from now," the leader said to her knowing all the time that she would because what young girl could resist such an offer.

Eva smiled ever so happy to be asked to join the circus group. She touched her amulet in thanks and felt it warm to her touch as usual then skipped all the way back home even with the heavy packages slung across her shoulders. When she told the wife she was leaving, she begged her to stay. "You must not go with gypsies, it is better to stay here." But Eva's dream continued and she became determined to leave.

In the meantime, the wife's cousin, curious to know why there was a new worker in her cousin's home even though she was always complaining about the lack of money, came for a visit. She rode up with a fine carriage pulled by two horses and a delivery man. As she sat and drank tea with the wife she watched the worker perform her duties. She was quicker then her cousin had been to notice the amulet around the girl's neck and her golden hair kept tied in a knot. She sipped her tea and thought and smacked her lips in delight then accidentally bumped the whole tea pot over on to the wife's new couch while Eva was pouring tea into the little cups. Eva had to clean the mess up while the wife cursed and screamed at her because of her clumsiness.

Just before leaving and while the wife was still fuming, the visiting cousin bent down and whispered into Eva's ear. "I could use a good worker and I will pay you three times as much. You could polish my silver cup and the glass vases. Come get in my carriage. You can come home with me now.

With the wife staring angrily Eva grabbed her single bag and left with the cousin in the fine carriage. This was thrilling because Eva couldn't remember riding in a carriage before. As they rode past the corner where she had met the circus group, Eva was reminded that she only had three more days to make up her mind. I'll see what this lady has to offer, she told herself. It was finally beginning to dawn on her that people were acting strangely towards her. Why does everyone want me to work for them? They are treating me as if I am valuable piece of luggage to be hauled around. I need to think about this. And she did all the way to the cousin's house.

When they arrived the cousin piled her with a nice lunch, much more than any one person could eat and then showed her a small, upstairs room where she could sleep. After a few days, Eva realized that there was hardly any work for her besides polishing the silver because of all the other maids and butlers. It was nice but boring. Eva still wanted to sing as she explained to the cousin and went up to pack her bag. The cousin offered to double her wage but Eva still had her dream to fulfill. So when the carriage driver left to pick up a delivery in town, Eva went with him. She jumped off the carriage at the corner where she was to meet the circus people.

There waiting for her was the same group of people she had met before. So Eva did join their circus but it wasn't quite like she thought it should be. It was hard work which Eva didn't mind but she was disappointed to learn that the crippled boy wasn't crippled and his little sister wasn't little but a short grown up. Eva tolerated this but she put her foot down and refused to pick people's pockets or cheat the crowds who gathered to hear her sing. One night she heard the key turn in the lock and only then realized that they had been locking her in every night. But why? Eva fingered her amulet and thought about this new predicament through the night and next day, all the while pretending that she wasn't aware of how much they wanted her to stay.

At sun set while she was singing and dancing a final act in front of a small crowd gathered at the edge of the city a young boy shouted out, "You look pretty enough to be a Caliph's daughter." Eva stopped singing and dancing and stood there on the stage dumbfounded for a moment. She touched her amulet and felt it tingle as if in agreement. "I believe you are right." She jumped down off the wooden planks that made up the stage, walked through the crowd and out of the city.

Eva was last seen singing as she walked up the mountain towards the Caliph’s gold and green palace. The raise in taxes that the people expected never came that year or any year after.