The fifteen minute novel writing experiment is an 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 234: When she had all she needed, Anya tested the water by allowing as small portion to stream out of the tap.
When she had all she needed, Anya tested the water by allowing as small portion to stream out of the tap. The water was still a bit chilly so she added more wood to the fire and left it to heat some more. While she waited, Anya shifted the books that Marta laid out for the current lessons and the books Deran added to her lessons into a stack by her reading chair. By the time they were gathered a test of the water proved it was more than hot enough for her to bathe.
Anya set everything aside and allowed the hot water to fill the stone tub. Steam curled up from the surface. When she thought it was deep enough, Anya closed the spigot and, despite being alone, moved the screen in front of the tub before she began to undress.
The screen turned it into a an intimate space and Anya shed her clothing. Gingerly she dipped a toe into the water and felt the warmth sink into her bones. She eased herself into the hot water and lay back on the sloped back of the stone tub. The water covered her from her shoulders down. She ducked her head under to soak her hair and then sat up to scrub her hair down with the soap. She let the suds penetrate deep into her locks, letting her fingers massage her scalp as she washed every bit of dirt and dust from every single hair.
When she was rinsed clean, Anya was surprised by how gray the water had become. She stood up and shivered in the cooler air outside the water. She pulled the stopper and drained the wate, using the cloth she used to wash to wipe down any dirt from the surface. When the dirty water was drained, Anya then refilled the tub with fresh water. She sat back down, relieved to sink back into the warmth of the water.
Having only bathed in the lake or in small wash basins, Anya had not anticipated the water becoming dirty from her bathing.
‘Although I should have,’ she thought. ‘The dirt has to go somewhere.’
While logical, it was also pleasant to have evidence that all of the dust she accumulated while transferring her items to the new quarters was gone and she was clean. The hot water felt luxurious and she felt the warmth sink deep into her bones. It felt as though she was properly warm for the first time since her arrival in the mountain. Anya was certain she was probably cold on her journey here as well, she had been simply too terrified to notice something as simple discomfort.
Thinking back on her trip, most of what Anya could remember was the panic of running, the need to make her food last as long as possible and the need to get somewhere safe. She was fleeing the guard even though she knew someone had to be giving him orders and didn’t know enough to fear Lord Mathis. Everything other than the fear and need for safety blurred in her memory.
‘But the mountain was cold.’ She thought. No one else minded it and once she received he warmer garments worn by the others here, she minded it less as well.
‘But I am warm now,” Anya thought. ‘Warm and clean.’ Anya soaked in the bath until the water cooled and her skin was beginning to pucker. With a sigh of regret, she lifted herself back out of the water and let the now cooled water drain. Again she wiped down anything that looked like it might be dirt before stepping out of the tub and drying herself off.
The air was chilled outside of the tub, but not as cold as it had been. She was able to leave the fire in the room burning and the air warmed up to a comfortable temperature.
‘Well comfortable with clothes on,’ she thought a she reached for her clean underthings and began to dress.
Ten til Midnight 