I have neglected my Friday Snippets long enough, but here is number fifty in all its literary splendor.

From Marie’s Journey, the fourth installment in The Ginecean Chronicles:

“Sit on the stool and give me your left arm.” The order was given with a tired tone. The old woman must have gone through myriads of branding. She turned to her right to open a big tome lying on a low table.

Marie sat as told, but before completing the task and raising her arm, she asked, “What’s your name?”

The older woman raised her eyes from the book and looked over the brazier. Surprise was soon replaced by interest in her wary gaze. “Why do you want to know? Nobody’s ever asked before.”

“So you won’t forget about me.” Marie kept her eyes on her.

The older woman tilted her head by the side, the orange-red coals illuminated the lower part of her face and her uneven teeth shone unexpectedly white when a grin spread through her face. “They call me Mala.”

“Marie.” She raised her arm then and watched as Mala chose between several branding tools neatly arranged on a low table on her left.