Another lit clue, July 26

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 26 Jul 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

blackroseivy	26 Jul 2004
This is actually a complete story, but it's *very* short: ASHPUTTLE: OR, THE MOTHER'S GHOST by Angela Carter A burned child lived in the ashes. No, not really burned - more charred, a little bit charred, like a stick half-burned and picked off the fire; she looked like charcoal and ashes becuase she lived in the ashes since her mother died and the hot ashes burned her, so she was scabbed and scarred. The burned child lived on the hearth, covered in ashes, as if she was still mourning. After her mother died and was buried, her father forgot the mother and forgot the child and married the woman who used to rake the ashes, and that was why the child lived in the unraked ashes and there was nobody to brush her hair, so it stuck out like a mat, nor to wipe the dirt off her scabbed face and she had no heart to do it for herself, but she raked the ashes and slept beside the little cat and got the burned bits from the bottom of the pot to eat, scraping them out, squatting on the floor, by herself in front of the fire, not as if she were human, because she was still mourning. Her mother was dead and buried but still felt perfect, exquisite pain of love when she looked up through the earth and saw the burned child covered in ashes. "Milk the cow, burned child, and bring back all the milk," said the stepmother, who used to rake the ashes and milk the cow before, but now the burned child did all that. The ghost of the mother went into the cow. "Drink some milk and grow fat," said the mother's ghost. The burned child pulled on the udder and drank enough milk before she took the bucket back and nobody saw and time passed and she grew fat, she grew breasts, she grew up. Thre was a man the stepmother wanted and she asked him into the kitchen to give him his dinner, but she let the burned child cook it, although the stepmother did all the cooking before. After the burned child cooked the dinner the stepmother sent her off to milk the cow. "I want that man for myself," said the burned child to the cow. The cow let down more milk, and more, and more, enough for the girl to have a drink and wash her face and wash her hands. When she washed her face, she washed the scabs off and now she was not burned at all, but the cow was empty. "You must give your own milk, next time," said the ghost of the mother inside the cow. "You've milked me dry." The little cat came by. The ghost of the mother went into the cat. "Your hair wants doing," said the cat. "Lie down." The cat unpicked her raggey lugs with its clever paws until the burned child's hair hung down nicely, but it had been so snagged and tangled that the cat's claws were all pulled out before it was finished. "Comb your own hair, next time," said the cat. "You've taken my strength away. I can't do it again." The burned child was clean and comed but stark naked. There was a bird sitting in the apple tree. The ghost of the mother left the cat & went into the bird. The bird struck its own breast with its beak. Blood poured down onto the burned child under the tree. It ran over her sholders and cvered her front and covered her back. She shouted out when it ran down her legs. When the bird had no more blood, the burned child got a red silk dress. "Bleed your own dress, next time," said the bird. "I'm through with all that." The burned child went into the kitchen to show herself to the man. She was not burned any more, but lovely. The man left off looking at the stepmother and looked at the girl. "Come home with me and let your stepmother stay and rake the ashes," he said to her and off they went. He gave her a house and money. She did all right for herself. "Now I can go to sleep," said the ghost of the mother. "Now everything is all right." CLUE: This goes especially well to this particular card in the Enchanted Tarot.

blackroseivy	27 Jul 2004
I didn't see in the rules that you had to win first - sorry folks & ignore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Another lit clue, July 26 thread was originally posted on 26 Jul 2004 in the Tarot Games & Fun board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Games & Fun, or read more archived threads.