The Book Keeper
Diana heard the door slam as her father
entered the house. She quietly
hide a leather-bound book, the key to
her freedom. “Where’s the girl?” she
heard him ask. “How should I know? Probably up in the
attic sleeping, the lazy bum,” was her mother’s reply.
“Listen, Magnar, there’s something not right about her.”
Her mother’s voice grew so quiet that Diana had to lay on the
dusty floor to hear her.
“She’s thinking. Not normal thoughts either; man thoughts.”
Her father was silent for several seconds, while Diana’s heart raced.
Bum-bump. Bum-bump. Bum-bump.
“I’m sure she’s fine, Mariam. I’ll check on her
if it will make you feel better.”
Diana leapt silently to her feet. Magnar was coming up to the attic!
She quickly shoved the book
she had been reading, The Laws of the State as Concerns Women,
back into the chest she had taken it from.
Magnar’s heavy footsteps thundered up the stairs.
What to do, what to do? If he found out she was reading,
he would report her to the police. Diana would be hanged.
His footsteps grew closer; Diana had seconds before her father saw her.
She raced, quiet as a mouse, to the other side
of the small, musty attic. She lay across one of the many chests and
pretended to be asleep. “Diana,” Magnar said roughly. Diana sat up,
rubbing her eyes and forcing a yawn.
“Yes Father?”
“You have not been into my book chest have you.” He didn’t ask,
he dared her to tell him that she had.
“Of course not Father. I know the law,” Diana said innocently.
“And if you had been reading you would confess to me.” Again, Magnar
did not ask a question.
“Yes Father.” Diana looked down, at the dusty floor of the attic. Magnar
did not speak for a long while.
“Diana, can you recite the law for me?”
Diana took a deep breath.
“Any woman in possession of a book shall lose all rights
she has. Any woman who has gained knowledge from a book shall be subject to
capital punishment.”
“Good. And if you must stay up here,Diana, you could at least sweep.”
Her father turned and went back downstairs, his heavy footsteps growing
softer. Diana sighed, relieved.
That was the closest she had come to getting caught in four years.
Soon she would have to tell him. Now that Diana knew how
to read, she was convinced that reading could free women.
Diana crept over to her father’s chest and eased
open the lid. She picked up the book she had been reading.
It was a very old book; the binding was falling
apart and several pages were missing, but this
book was the key to her success.
The Laws of the State as Concerns Women. Hidden in this ancient copy
were laws that gave women rights. The men, however,
did not tell women of these rights. There was no way for a girl to
discover that she may chose her own path in life,
unless she broke the law and read.
Diana brushed the dust off the cover carefully and smiled to herself.
It was time for a change.
entered the house. She quietly
hide a leather-bound book, the key to
her freedom. “Where’s the girl?” she
heard him ask. “How should I know? Probably up in the
attic sleeping, the lazy bum,” was her mother’s reply.
“Listen, Magnar, there’s something not right about her.”
Her mother’s voice grew so quiet that Diana had to lay on the
dusty floor to hear her.
“She’s thinking. Not normal thoughts either; man thoughts.”
Her father was silent for several seconds, while Diana’s heart raced.
Bum-bump. Bum-bump. Bum-bump.
“I’m sure she’s fine, Mariam. I’ll check on her
if it will make you feel better.”
Diana leapt silently to her feet. Magnar was coming up to the attic!
She quickly shoved the book
she had been reading, The Laws of the State as Concerns Women,
back into the chest she had taken it from.
Magnar’s heavy footsteps thundered up the stairs.
What to do, what to do? If he found out she was reading,
he would report her to the police. Diana would be hanged.
His footsteps grew closer; Diana had seconds before her father saw her.
She raced, quiet as a mouse, to the other side
of the small, musty attic. She lay across one of the many chests and
pretended to be asleep. “Diana,” Magnar said roughly. Diana sat up,
rubbing her eyes and forcing a yawn.
“Yes Father?”
“You have not been into my book chest have you.” He didn’t ask,
he dared her to tell him that she had.
“Of course not Father. I know the law,” Diana said innocently.
“And if you had been reading you would confess to me.” Again, Magnar
did not ask a question.
“Yes Father.” Diana looked down, at the dusty floor of the attic. Magnar
did not speak for a long while.
“Diana, can you recite the law for me?”
Diana took a deep breath.
“Any woman in possession of a book shall lose all rights
she has. Any woman who has gained knowledge from a book shall be subject to
capital punishment.”
“Good. And if you must stay up here,Diana, you could at least sweep.”
Her father turned and went back downstairs, his heavy footsteps growing
softer. Diana sighed, relieved.
That was the closest she had come to getting caught in four years.
Soon she would have to tell him. Now that Diana knew how
to read, she was convinced that reading could free women.
Diana crept over to her father’s chest and eased
open the lid. She picked up the book she had been reading.
It was a very old book; the binding was falling
apart and several pages were missing, but this
book was the key to her success.
The Laws of the State as Concerns Women. Hidden in this ancient copy
were laws that gave women rights. The men, however,
did not tell women of these rights. There was no way for a girl to
discover that she may chose her own path in life,
unless she broke the law and read.
Diana brushed the dust off the cover carefully and smiled to herself.
It was time for a change.