The fifteen minute novel writing experiment is a attempt to write a complete (and very rough) draft of a novel by writing for fifteen minutes each day. I have taken a timed writing from one of the daily prompts done in 2021, cleaned it up a little and used it as my jumping off point into a story. Each day I will take the last line of the story written the day before and use it as my sentence starter and write for fifteen minutes, growing the story as the year progresses.
Day 29: Anya did her best to try and memorize the turns.
Anya did her best to try and memorize the turns. She didn’t want to become lost while trying to find the laundry. Anya envisioned a laundry much the same as the large laundry in the center of Tyrin and in this she was not disappointed. It felt strange to pass her clothing over for someone else to wash and to not know any of the women working. In Tyrin nearly all of the women not born to the wealthier houses spent some time working in the laundry. Here she knew no one.
Anya showed her numbered tag and gave her room number and was assured that the garments would be cared for. Anya then followed her guide back to the seating area and while she looked over the efforts of the younger woman, Anya returned to her lace making. Although her strip of lace grew steadily throughout the day, Anya worried over turning her garments over to the laundry.
That they needed to be cleaned was not in doubt. However the garments were somewhat different from those she was given to wear in their place. It was not a vast difference, but Anya suspected the details would be noticed. As she worked and offered the occasional casual comment to her companions, Anya looked around the room. The garments she wore now were virtually identical to those worn by the other women in the room. Since some of them might have had a hand in making them, she wasn’t terribly surprised.
However no one she saw had garments exactly like those worn in Tyrin. Anya tried not to frown as she worked. While her travel was not extensive and encompassed only the few villages around Tyrin and one memorable visit to the city of Frastovan, the women there all dressed as they did in Tyrin.
‘How far did I travel,’ Anya wondered. While the older woman did not say where she was from, the younger one claimed Grenton as her home. ‘And that it was two hours from here.’
Anya had never heard of Grenton before. ‘But if it is close enough that she can come every year and none remark on it then I don’t know if I should ask.’ She wondered if there was the possibility of finding a map. She knew such things were often carried by travelers so there was the possibility that there might be one. She also remembered that there was one large map showing the entirety of the Kingdom of Dovish placed on the wall of her classroom. While she wasn’t given as extensive an education as the boys in the village, she knew her letters and numbers and the basic geographical layout of the kingdom.
Anya tried to think of a way to ask about locations without sounding suspicious. “You know,” she finally said. “I think I might have gotten slightly lost on my way here,” Anya finally decided. “I think that is why it took me longer to get here than I thought it would. Do you know if there is a map I could check, to be sure?” The older woman looked thoughtful for a moment and then nodded.
“I believe the matron has several maps in the library,” she said. “Perhaps she will let you look, we can ask her after supper.”
Ten til Midnight 