Even as Eulhwa came back with the water from the well at the shrine Wolhie was still fast asleep. The well at the shrine, deep and aged, was a good four hundred metres walk from her house and was sited next to the sacred tree dedicated to the guardian spirit of the village.
Eulhwa had made a habit of going to the well every morning before anyone else, and would fill her small earthenware jar to the brim and then would wash her face before returning home.
There was the exceptional taste of the deep water but this wasnt the only reason Eulhwa made the return journey of nearly one kilometre every morning. The main reason lay somewhere else, that, it was unthinkable for anyone to draw water from someone elses well before the owner himself did. As for washing oneself there, it would be an unspeakable breach of communal ethics.
Eulhwa put down the pail on the kitchen range and carefully poured out a small bowlful of water and placing it on a small black table which had been wiped meticulously clean, and carrying it with both hands, went into the room.
This sanctum Eulhwa called her home had a large wooden-floored room to the East, another smaller Ondol1 room next to it, and to the West was this spacious kitchen.
The very day she had moved into the house she had erected an altar in the large wooden-floored room, on which she kept the effigy of her guardian goddess, the tutelary bronze mirror and other sacred objects. Since then she had acquired numerous shamanistic paintings and they now cluttered all four walls. Apart from these, there were the sundry musical instruments for the rites, the ritual costume and equipment, all set neatly in their proper places.
However, soon after moving in, she found it too much of a nuisance for her to go to the East room, whether to perform the daily propitiation rituals or the even more frequent incantations, and so another, smaller altar was prepared in one corner of the stone-floored Ondol room where the sorceress and her daughter slept. To this altar, she was obliged to move the effigy of her guardian spirit and the bronze mirror.
When Eulhwa came into the room with the small bowl of water, Wolhie was still sleeping as if it was in the middle of the night. Despite the blackish swarm of flies on the nose and cheek of her snow-white face, she was thus sound asleep.
But as if she was not aware of her daughters presence, Eulhwa placed the bowl of water on the altar, lifted herself up slowly and began her incantation rubbing the palms of her hands together.
Oh Heavenly spirit, our spirit, great spirit, who gives us luck, who gives us a place to rest, who chases away misfortune, please look kindly upon this mother and daughter, keep from harm our lives as delicate as thread! And Heavenly spirit, great spirit, that goblin with the large horns which visited me last night in my dream, wherever it came from and however it came, it is still circling this area. Please chase it away with one reproof and never let it even set foot in this house! Oh Heavenly spirit, our spirit, to you I pray. Not to let the horned goblin ever to come near this house, never let it near this mother and her daughter. Chase it ten leagues away, a hundred leagues away,
It was a husky, one could almost say sticky voice. She lifted her hands above her head and buckled her well formed, handsome waist and made three deep bows. Through the long slender fingers of her hands as she lifted them for each bow, there glistened the dark flame of the black eyes.
Wolhie was still asleep and the light regular rhythm of her breathing could be heard. But as if she didnt mind at all, Eulhwa, wearing a warm smile on the bluish face of hers, chased the flies with one swish of her chima (long skirt) and left the room. It was Eulwhas policy never to rouse her from her until she woke of her own accord.
Coming out into the kitchen, Eulhwa laid the breakfast table. But laying the table was an easy job for it was the same dish of kimchi and a little soy sauce, together with three bowls of rice and two of water. This was all, and had been so, every
It was when the cooked rice was being scooped into the bowls that Wolhie woke up. The only time she would venture out of the room throughout the whole day was when she came out into the yard to wash. And equally regularly, she would visit the toilet before breakfast, almost having to plough her way through the dense growth of weeds. While Wolhie was thus away, Eulhwa would pour some water into the earthen wash basin and place it in the yard. Then Wolhie would come and wash her face and toss the water over the weeds. And invariably she would go into the room without a word of greeting. There were no greetings, even on their first meeting every morning.
When Eulhwa entered with the breakfast table, Wolhie was looking at herself in the small hand mirror in the middle of the room. Apart from painting, the only thing with which Wolhie occupied herself was this, almost childish game of seeing her own image in the hand mirror.
Eulhwa stood there still holding the table and simply stared down at her daughter without telling her to move. Her intoxicated gaze and the spellbound smile came whenever she looked at her daughter. To her, Wolhies face, neck, shoulders, waist, legs, in fact her appearance as a whole could not be more exquisitely beautiful. She even sensed something sacred and sublime.
As Wolhie put down the mirror and got herself out of the way, Eulhwa recovered her senses, and placed the table in the middle of the room. She now set the first bowl of rice on the altar. This rite was simple to the extreme. There were no incantations or prayers as with the serving of the bowl of water.
Todays breakfast will be very tasty, said Eulhwa. The truth was that this breakfast was no different from the others. After all, it was the product of the same water, same rice, the same firewood, and the same hand which cooked it. But Eulhwa would often say such things. Perhaps it was some strange intuition on her part or it was simply to whet the appetite of the listener.
