Accessible Excerpts: A Gentleman's View
This is an excerpt from my novel, By Wingéd Chair, one in a series of posts in which I try to show how I use disabilities in my writing. Click here for my intro to the series. Whyn takes a moment to assess Merry and her place with him and his partners.
A stab of impatience shot through Whyn. He glared at the dark shape of the chair which was causing him so much misery. The thing was such a strange shape. The seat itself and the cushion looked like an arm chair that wouldn't be out of place in his mother's parlor or beside the fire in his father's study. But instead of legs, there was a pair of large wheels attached to an axle and a smaller pair of wheels in the front to keep the chair balanced. Merry’s feet would rest on a plate that stretched between the front wheels.
He heard blankets stirring and looked over to see Merry had finally woken up. After everyone else had already started the day. Patience, he told himself. It was only just now dawn, and she couldn't possibly be used to the hours he and his partners kept.
She pushed herself up to a sitting position and rearranged her legs so she could be comfortable. He studied her movements. It wasn’t just that she couldn’t walk. Even sitting on the ground looked hard, since she couldn't use her legs for balance, and she had to move them with her hands to get situated.
When she had propped herself up, she ran her fingers through her hair and uttered a cry of dismay. She pulled out the ribbon that held it and fumbled her brush out of her belongings. A smile tugged at Whyn’s lips. The curls tumbled around her face in complete disarray. His sisters had looked much the same after waking up in the morning. Toryn had never let anyone see her before she had fixed her hair.
The sudden memory caught him off guard, and he grimaced at the pain it caused.
Of course, that was when Merry turned around and realized he'd been watching her. She gasped in indignation and whirled away from him again.
He swallowed hard and had to look away. Her dark hair was shiny from her furious brushing, and the early morning sun picked out streaks of auburn in it. If she was just a little shorter, he could have been looking at Gisa and not Merry.
When he gathered his courage to face her again, she had tied her loose curls back in a braid and was pulling her chair closer. His brow furrowed and he wondered what she was doing as she grabbed the seat in one hand and the armrest with the other. With a tremendous heave, she pulled her torso up and across the seat, but he could see it was going to be hard to complete the maneuver.
“May I help you, Miss Janson?” The thought hadn’t even formed before the words left his mouth.
“No,” she said, gasping for breath. “I can do it myself.” She glared at him over her shoulder.
Humph, he thought. I was just trying to be nice. He scowled as he watched her. He didn't think it was possible, but after a lot of work, she did manage to pull herself all the way up until she could plop back into the seat. She was sweaty and panting, but when she looked at him, he saw her nose go higher in the air as if saying 'see, I told you I could do it'. He tipped his hat to her, giving her a sour grin, and left to find Vira-we and Lans.
This is the first time we've had the chance to see Merry from another character's point of view. I really like first person. I like the fact that the reader sits in Merry's head, hearing her thoughts, seeing what she's feeling, but I also wanted to compare how she sees herself with how her companions see her.
So Whyn takes a minute to watch her, study her movements, and I'm hoping that we get a better sense of him through his observations. His impatience comes from his own hurt, not revulsion or prejudice, and even in the midst of his pain, he is still a gentleman.
Unfortunately, the only thing Merry hates worse than having to ask for help, is having it offered when she really doesn't need it. Maybe something she needs to work on.
As always, comments and criticisms are appreciated. What did you think? What did you like, what did you dislike? Did I accomplish what I set out to do?