Boom!
The percussive impact of a mortar shell rattled the teacups.
Marta paused, then continued pouring. She bent her lithe body at the waist and was careful to keep a respectful distance from her mistress.
“Is that a fresh pot?”
Debra Wind's eyebrows arched as she asked the question.
“Of course, Madam.”
Marta raised the pot expertly so that the stream of tea entered the porcelain cups with flourish. Four cups. Three guests and Debra, all coiffed, perfumed and resplendent in floral-patterned dresses.
A puff of black smoke wafted over the defensive sea wall. Ever since the wall went up, they could hear the pounding surf, but could not see the beach. Stone barricades, with armed patrols, had become routine as conflict with the rebels escalated.
“And the croissants,” Debra continued.“ They're not those stale pastries we had at breakfast, are they?”
“Madam, I spoke to Cook about that. She made a fresh batch when she learned of your displeasure.”
Another percussive boom. The tsunami in one of the cups pushed tea onto its saucer. Marta immediately removed the soiled dish and replaced it with a clean one. She directed her gaze at no one as she performed her service. Her impassive expression assured Debra and guests that her ears were closed to their conversation.
Marta was the perfect servant.
Smoke blanketed the veranda. One of the guests coughed. Debra turned sharply toward her with a scowl that transmitted the unmistakable command, “Don't you dare!”
Another mortar blast. Closer this time. A tea cup cracked. Black smoke billowed over the wall and ballooned across the lawn.
One guest whispered, “Perhaps we should leave?”
Debra pulled her narrow shoulders high and pressed her manicured hands against the immaculate glass table top.
“Quisling,” she snarled, her lacquered lips creating a crooked gash in her powdered face. “Run from these upstarts? You're safer here than you would be anywhere else. We have trained staff, and armed security. Do you imagine those weaklings out there are a match for our defenses?”
A guest jumped from her seat, terror plain on her face.
“Look. Behind you, Debra! They're over the wall!”
Debra turned and saw dark forms rushing toward the veranda.
“Marta, quickly,” she called, as she pushed her classic Bonaldo chair from the table. She looked over her shoulder.
Marta. Tall, dark, solid. No apron! Swathed entirely in black. Except for the snake. That detested emerald green snake emblazoned on her chest. Symbol of The Resistance.
“Surprise, Debbie,” Marta murmured softly. Instead of a teapot, she held a pistol. “You should have let them leave, Debbie. Your guests. They might have had a chance to live.“
Debra searched the faces behind Marta. So many of them familiar. Cook. The laundress. Gatekeeper. Her security detail. Each one bore the Resistance symbol: a coiled snake.
“You...” Debra spit the word out contemptuously.
“Yes, Debbie, me. And the other invisibles. Here, in your household. You’ve been feeding us, nourishing the movement. While we watched, listened and planned.
Marta placed her hand on the shoulder of her enraged but speechless mistress.
“You come with me now, Debbie.”
Debra grabbed the edge of the glass table. Marta signaled to her cohorts.
“Get her.”
Cook and the laundress pulled at Debra's arms, but she held fast. She gripped with such force that, as they pulled her away, the table came tumbling to the ground. With it came the tea service, which, with a loud crash, shattered into a thousand pieces.
The story was written as a response to Ink Well prompt #19: Tea Time or Tee Time.
Elements used in pictures (which I modified to suit the story):
profile woman Pixabay clip art
coiled snake Pixabay Click free vector image
stone wall Pixabay geralt266
balcony Pixabay lauda2455
teacup Pixabay ds_30
Hive on!
This is a beautiful story, a classic example of turned tables😁
This is the reason we need to treat everyone with the respect each deserves, be they servant or master.
So they don't end up joining the rebellion 😊
Thank you for sharing @agmoore
Thank you very much for reading my story, @bruno-kema. Turned tables, indeed. The issue of 'invisibles' is something I've paid some attention to. It's not only that throughout history the privileged have often been surprised by rebellion because the oppressed were 'invisible'. It's also because every day we go about our business and all around us there are 'invisibles'. That's the serious side of the story. The other side: I had a lot of fun creating the scene and drawing a rather extreme image of Debra.
I appreciate your kind words very much.
Brilliant, @agmoore. All the details in this story are delightful, providing a contrast between calm and orderly civility and the sounds of revolution.
And the edited version of the image is so clever! You perfectly placed a rock wall between the green and the surf. I had no idea you had such excellent graphics skills!
My only wish is that I knew whether Debra is somehow to blame for the ills the Resistance is fighting against. Maybe it's human nature that we want our heroes distinctly separated from our villains! Well done. This story is readable, engaging and well-written.
You are kind, my friend. I guess I could have built the contrast between Debra and Marta more starkly. I tried to do it by contrasting the arrogance with the subservience. As a historian (technically) I think in terms of waves, social and political. Usually people in power are blind to the forces hidden from view, forces that eventually rise up and seize power (think every revolution that has ever happened).
Anyway, thanks so much for that kind assessment. Responding to the prompt was fun.
Wow! Smooth, intriguing and suspenseful! Now I feel sorry for Debra. Trying to be the perfect host not knowing her household staff are part of the Resistance. What she thought could not get to her was actually rooted in her house. What a twist! Now all that tea is wasted! 😀
I very much enjoyed your story, ma'am. BTW, I'm curious about the image of the Resistance. Did you design it?
Hi @kemmyb
You are so funny :))
Yeah, I did design the image. Just used a female profile and a generic snake image from Pixabay. The female was posed seductively, but that didn't seem like Marta so I neutralized the sexuality.
Thanks for you generous comments. And thank you very much for reading.
Very creative! 🙂
🌞🌞
Hello agmoore! How clearly and precisely you establish the differences between the possession of political power and the aspirants to the same power. Debra represents one sector and Marta the other. You have also got it right in your choice of symbolism for each of the parties: the snake (although it is so versatile!) and the fine teacups.
You have a great ability to pay attention to detail.
I loved this image:
I must say I felt the clatter of the tea cups and it hurts me that they broke. I believe that, in this scenario, the fine teacups represent the development in culture of the first bowl (the function of the human hand turned into material work to liberate us, as are all the beautiful bowls and artefacts to make life easier and more beautiful in all cultures).
Thank you @gracielaacevedo,
I love that you see the dynamic of power in this. Yes, symbols all over the place. If I want to be economical in my use of words (and I do!), then I have to let symbols work for me. It is delightful when someone sees that. But of course, with your training, no symbol will escape your attention :)
Thank you for your kind words. Sometimes I am a little mischievous when I write--and you saw that.
Hope you are well and that the weekend is peaceful for you.
An engaging story! Especially the way you narrate it, I was left wanting more. I guess Debbie had time to repent! 🤨
Thank you! I had fun drawing what is almost a caricature of Debra. In such a short story the challenge is to say a lot with a few words and keep the thing moving. Maybe I could have rounded out Debra's personality a little more, and maybe I could have given a clearer indication of what happened to her. But I really liked ending it with smashed teacups. Kind of symbolic :))
I appreciate that you stopped by and read the story. Hope you are well.
From the first read I was wondering why there was mortar, a explosion and then even the tea cup cracked and also that sand arrived on the table. I was confused, to tell you honestly I needed for me to finish reading it before I have an idea what's going on.
Intriguing and interesting. It's not easy for me to understand since you wrote it with just a surprise.
So most of the people there are like a snake huh. Debbie was being betrayed. lol, Nicely done.
Thank you so much for commenting @mrnightmare.net. It is a little confusing in the beginning, because the ladies are having a tea party and meanwhile there is rocket fire! In the story, I'm trying to show how unaware the ladies are of the danger, unaware because they refuse to see the obvious.
And yes, Debbie is betrayed :))The rebels are like snakes slithering around. You get it! I'm so happy you got the symbolism.
Ahhh, the shattering of the teapot signaled the implosion of Debra’s whole world. What an immensely satisfying narrative! As a complete working class peasant heathen myself, your story really resonated with my rebel heartstrings, but even beyond that it was just such a fantastic interlude!
I want more! All the story! Lol, it was awesome.:)