Audrey Wilde
Name Given at Birth: Audrey Wilde
Nicknames: My friends will call me Dree from time to time, but usually I go by my full name.
Hometown or where you were born: I was born in Scarborough, in York.
Current Residence: Canterbury, where we have lived ever since my mother died.
Age: This will be my sixteenth Harvest Festival.
Class: Lower Middle Class by some, a peasant by others.
What do you do, your main function in life/society: I am the village laundresses, a task gotten for me by my uncle.
Have you ever gone skinny-dipping / do you know how to swim: I do think I know how to perform the act of swimming, for I lived in Scarborough until I was six years of age and i watched many of the sailors swim, but I have never tried it personally. And only when I bathe or dressing am I ever naked.
Do you make fun of people: No, not unless you are a close friend of mine. And even then. I am just teasing you, for I truly do not believe in letting my tongue go wild.
Favorite Color: My favorite color is red, because it is the color of roses, and symbolizes love and passion.
Have you ever committed or been convicted of a crime: No, I have not! That is an appalling thing to accuse me of! I am innocent.
Closest friends/How did you meet:
I am friends with the beggars, both Dustbin and Myron, for they are kind people. I get along with them quite well, and I am probably one of the only people who manages to understand what Myron says. Dustbin’s, on the contrary, is still a mystery to me. However, if you could avoid speaking of this, my befriending the village beggars, around my aunt or uncle’s ears, that would be quite lovely…they do not approve of my befriending the oddest of people. I do not know if they count as friends, but I did meet a group of Vulgarians as the last Harvest Festival! Because I am the laundress of our great village, I was asked to launder a bit of their clothing. It was very brightly colored, and, do not tell my Aunt this, I kind of liked it. The Vulgarians were very nice people, just with ways different than our own. One Pillow or two: One, unless I manage to wrangle another from my younger cousins. They do believe that they deserve more than I.
Pets: Well, Myron’s hat. But that’s his. Personally, I do not have a pet…I am not allowed. I do like the cats that wander around the village, though.
Favorite Type of Music: I like the different types of music we hear at the Harvest festivals, but I do enjoy the gypsy revels more. They are very enchanting.
Hobbies/Pastimes: Whatever keeps me outside. It is very crowded in our house, with my aunt, uncle, and two younger cousins. Well, it may not seem like a lot, but Aunt and uncle have very large presences! Usually I take walks and sing, but alas, I am not a very good singer, so I only sing when I know no one is around..
Personal Hygiene: I bathe when I am told to, and try to take good care of myself. However, with my duties, I am usually clean anyways.
Favorite Food: I do enjoy apples, but sometimes they hurt my mouth.
Are your parents alive, do you get along with them: No, neither of my parents are alive.
If your parents are dead, when and how did they die: My mother died when I was six, being killed after she fell off of a boat father had been showing her (he worked on it). She fell off and drowned. Father has blamed himself ever since. I had an elder sister, Andvari, who was two years elder than I, but she died from an illness a year or so ago. Father died a while ago due to an unfortunate incident with a watermelon cart. The driver of the car was a little hard of hearing and seeing. I miss my family a lot, but I manage to get through the day. I have my Aunt and Uncle and cousins, but still…I do not quite belong.
Favorite place to relax: Under a big tree after working all day, or in my bed at the day’s end.
Favorite Holy Day / Why: I like the Harvest festival the most. It is when everybody seems to be the happiest. Of course, Yule is also a fun time.
Favorite Drink: Water, everything else usually smells funny.
What's your bedtime: Whenever everything quiets down in the village.
What, if anything, do you usually wear on your feet: Shoes that were my aunt’s before mine. They are usually too big.
Are you married or single: Single, though my aunt wishes to change that. If she could, she would have me married and out of her house tomorrow.
Do you have a family / who are they:
There is my Aunt Margery, who dislikes me to an extent. She does not accept me as her own, and I am not, but she takes care of me, which I am grateful for. She is the blood sister to my father. Then there is her husband, my uncle, Richard. He’s quieter than she is, and is very dedicated to his work (he is a blacksmith). He admires the simple things in life, and I do get along with him more than my aunt. My eldest cousin, William, is fourteen. He’s a bit of a bumbling oaf, and is easily bossed around. Already he is taller than I, but tis to be expected. He is my Uncle’s pride and joy, sadly enough. Lastly is my younger cousin, Catherine. She is twelve, and does not like me at all. She does treat me as a servant, even though I am older than she, and not as unfortunate looking as she. Favorite Entertainment: Watching William or Catherine get scolded by Aunt Margery. Or the gypsies dancing, for they do it well.
Favorite Subject in School or Chore growing up: Is it bad that I do not really have one? The things I like to do were never chores, for chores are tasks that drone on and on. I guess baking and cooking were interesting, in a way.
Least Favorite Subject in School or Chore growing up: I do not like having to sew. I am terribly bad at it, and I do end up pricking my finger to a point that blood does draw.
Favorite Sport: Watching Dustbin and Myron race (for it is quiet enjoyable).
Most Humiliating Moment: It was only just after the two harvest festivals past, when the days were turning shorter and the weather colder. I was resting against a tree on the outskirts of the village, spending some quiet time alone, a rare break away from my sister before she did past, when a cow walked by. It continued to walk by, but then turned around and laid down next to me. I watched it for a few seconds, before hearing my name off in the distance, no doubt my Aunt looking for me. However, when I went to leave, I found that my skirts were stuck under the cow, and the cow was not moving! I could not get them out without ripping them, so I stayed there until shortly after dusk, when the farmer’s eldest son finally came around and helped me get out from underneath.
Proudest Moment: My proudest moment….that would probably be whenever I do gain my Aunt and Uncle’s approval, or when Father used to give me a hint of his old smile, from when Mum was around. While it may not seem like I am very worrisome over what my Aunt and Uncle do think of me, I do wish to gain their approval, for they are the closest things I have had to parents, even when my father was still residing on this land.
Craziest Person or silliest you know: That would probably be the Vulgarians as a whole. I did see them last year, and well, I have never seen anything quite like them in Canterbury. But it wasn’t a bad crazy…
What do you look for in the opposite sex: Dark hair and bright eyes, but something more on the inside. A person who knows that life isn’t just the daily chores you must attend to, but how you live every moment, and treat everyone around you.
In our Hierarchical Society everybody has somebody "over" them, Who is your immediate "overlord": My immediate overlord would be my Aunt and Uncle, and then after them, after a chain of people, would be the Great King Henry.
Favorite Sport to watch: I do enjoy the gypsy revels, if you consider that a sport.
Do you remember your first kiss: Nay, for I have not had it yet. I will not waste it like others…
Do you keep in touch with your childhood friends: My closest childhood friend did in the same house as me, until my fifteenth year. But now she is somewhere that I may not keep in touch. The many other friends that I have had are either living in the same town as me and I see them every day, or have passed on.
Where is your favorite "Vacation" spot: I do enjoy lying under a big tree during dusk, when everyone is on their way back to their houses. It is a quiet, relaxing time in which I do wonder how our life in Canterbury does different from life in other places. I was just a young babe when we did live in Scarborough, so I do not remember much. Canterbury is my home.
Have you ever been overseas: I have lived by the sea, but nothing more than that. My feet have touched the waters, however, never have they touched onto a ship.
Do you have Dirt/Mud floors or Stone: Dirt floors, because our house is very simple.
What is your bed made of: Um, I’m not very sure…must I know these things? It is comfortable enough, but I do not know what is under the blankets that I do share with my sister.
How many people sleep in your bed: My cousins, Catherine and William, and myself.
10 Things Everybody Should Know About Me:
1. I am a dreamer, and while my Aunt and Uncle disapprove, I do tend to find myself caught up in my own mind frequently, which is why I may not notice something particularly important going on.
2. I do not like speaking of my family much…I, if not for my Aunt and nucle, would be considered an orphan, which is not a good thing.
3. I am very, very excited about this Harvest Festival, for their highness, the Royal Majesties of our fair Country, King Henry and Queen Anne, are traveling to our town to be wed. I do hope that nothing goes wrong and that everything is perfect for them. They deserve nothing but the best.
4. I am very shy and reserved since my sister’s death, however, I am trying to overcome that.
5. While my father’s death has occurred more recently than my mum’s, we are fine to talk about it…Father had never been quite all there. He was a very quiet man, and always seemed to be in his own little world. Wait….is that what people believe of me?
6. I do have the ability to meet the oddest of people. And while my Aunt does believe that this is quite a curse, I like the people that I befriend in our lovely town. They seem to have the most fun.
7. I do have a fondness for animals, as they are interesting. Who would believe that a horse could hold an entire man with armor? I do not, however, like those little black eight-legged things.
8. I like to walk, run, jump and generally cause ruckus, which my Aunt does not agree with. She believes that a lady of my age should act like the lady and woman she has grown and developed into, however, I do not believe that just because I am older now means that I can not run or such.
9. If you have not been able to tell, my Aunt and I do not agree on many things. However, I do wish for her to take pride in me, and I wish to be the daughter she never had. While we may not see eye to eye on many things, I do abide by what she says because she is the closest thing I have to a mother.
10. I miss my sister greatly, for she was my closest friend in Canterbury, and a good companion.