Читать книгу The Boy who Sang for the Angels - James Cantelon - Страница 10

One day Miriam’s life changed forever. Change is like that. It seems to come out of nowhere, and it tends to blindside us. Change for Miriam came in the form of a fine-looking young man who moved one day to Weige. He had come from a faraway village to do some work on the cathedral. One of the walls of the cathedral was in need of repair, and because it was made of stone it required the expert craftsmanship of a stonemason. Orphaned at 10 and now only 20, Carl Weiland was that expert. He had worked in stone for over 10 years and was regarded throughout the region as not only the best stonemason but also a young man of sterling character.

Carl first caught a glimpse of Miriam on his very first day of work. He had just begun splitting some rocks when Miriam walked by on her way to the market. Their eyes met, and that was it. Even in those days there was such a thing as love at first sight. Nothing was said as Miriam passed by, but her heart was aflutter, and Carl found his hand to be shaking. This meeting had had a huge emotional impact. Neither of them would ever be the same.

Miriam sometimes passed by the building site two or three times a day. There were no supermarkets in the 1700s, so you would walk down to the market as many times a day as you needed something for cooking or mending. Miriam was an outgoing person, whereas Carl was shy. He really wanted to talk to her, but he did nothing. His heart would race uncontrollably and his hands would sweat while Miriam demurely glanced and smiled at him as she walked by. She could see his discomfort and was secretly pleased. She knew that he liked her. And she enjoyed the discomfort she brought him, not because she wanted to hurt him but because it gave her a warm sense of desirability.

After a week or so of these silent but powerful glances and smiles, Miriam decided to take action. This time when she walked by the building site she stopped, looked straight at Carl and said, “Hi, my name is Miriam. You’re new here. What is your name?”