the cloning drell

we walked out of the door, a plastic grocery sack with two bottles of cider from my hand dangling. a woman with long hear has placed one of her feet against the tree, and i greet her. it is meredith. she has her sunglasses knotted into her hair and appears to be in a desparate situation. she says something but with the roar of jets, we have to come very near her. she said that her jack o' lantern was stolen. i tell her about my friday night dinner guests, bloated with sake, puffing up about a "man peeping in on us, that creep, a man who only stayed fifteen minutes and she lighted the jack o' lantern and put it out after he left, he can't have any sushi, that's what he wants, he has to be her dealer." i know people who are capable of stealing pumpkins, but it probably wasn't any of my guests. she said that it probably was that guy, who was capable of such things if he was drunk and lonely. she kept untangling.


The Laws of Aethelbert

9. If a freeman steal from a freeman, let him make threefold bot; and let the king have the wite and all the chattels.

10. If a man lie with the king's maiden, let him pay a bot of fifty shillings.

11. If she be a grinding slave, let him pay a bot of twenty-five shillings. The third (class) twelve shillings.

12. Let the king's fedesl be paid for with twenty shillings

13. If a man slay another in an eorl's tun, let him make bot with twelve shillings.

14. If a man lie with an eorl's birele, let him make bot with twelve shillings.

15. A ceorl's mundbyrd, seven shillings.

16. If a man lie with a ceorl's birele, let him make bot with six shillings; with a slave of the second (class), fifty scaetts; with one of the third, thirty scaetts.

17. If any one be the first to make an inroad into a man's tun, let him make bot with six shillings; let him who follows, with three shillings; after, each, a shilling.

18. If a man furnish weapons to another where there is strife, though no evil be done, let him make bot with six shillings.