Female 16-20. 395 words. Milkmaid: "Mother!" From Aesop's Fable.

By Paul Pasulka

MILKMAID (Carrying a pail of milk on her head)

What are you going to do with your milk, mother? I’m going to sell mine and buy food and I’m going to get so much money. And I’m going to go to Farmer Demetrius and I’m going to ask him to sell me some hens. Oh, we’ll haggle but I’ll drive a hard bargain, ‘cause that’s important isn’t it mother? And the hens will be so big and fat and they’ll even lay golden eggs – No they won’t. I mean I wish they would but we have to be realistic here – Isn’t that what you’re always telling me, mother? To be realistic. We’ll that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to be realistic about this. See, and you say I never listen, right mother? Well I do. I listen mother. So not golden eggs. But they will lay very big and beautiful eggs. I think I shall have them lay golden brown eggs. Not gold, but golden brown. They’ll be so pretty. I’ll hate to sell them but I will. I will sell them. And I’ll get ever so much money because they’ll be just the very best eggs in the whole world.

I will sell them to the minister’s wife because they deserve the best eggs, don’t you agree, mother? And they are very rich and want the best eggs and will pay ever so dearly for them and then you know what I’ll do, mother? Do you?  Well, of course you don’t because I haven’t told you. But I shall. As soon as I’ve put this pail of milk on my head. There. So, mother, with the money I get from the sale of the eggs I am going to go to town to that new store – not that old store – it smells so musty in there. But the new store. It’s so bright and shiny and, well… new. And I’ll buy that dotted Swiss dress – that blue one with the powder blue bonnet? And when I go to church won’t all the young men just gather around me. And Aretha will be so jealous, but I won’t care. I shall just look at her. I shall look directly at her right into her washed out hazel eyes like this (Beat.) and I’ll toss my head to show her, just like this. (Beat as milk spills). Mother!