( So after first impressions... Ytte leaves The Waffelhus and goes even further down the wrong track as regards Hyle Troy) Ytte went to untie Siegfried, she stroked his neck and whispered greetings into his ear, apologising for being so long. It was just as she was pulling the girth strap back to the correct tightness, and being a consummate horsewoman, she noticed Siegfried was not putting the correct amount of his balance onto his left forefoot. She untied him and walked him up and down a few times, her suspicion was well founded, he seemed slightly lame. Ytte sighed, Her plan was to spend the night in New Flagstaff but now it was too late in the afternoon to walk there with Siegfried, his lame leg prevented her riding there. To be out on the road after dark, she judged, was far too dangerous for herself and of course for Siegfried. She would have to spend the night, maybe even a few days in Hope Springs. The horse needed box-rest so Ytte walked Siegfried out to the stable-cum-garage just outside of the town. After inspecting the stalls carefully and speaking to the stable staff thoroughly, telling them exactly what she expected them to do in regards to care for her horse, Ytte found the owner and deposited reasonable amount of chips, promising a much more generous sum of chips providing her horse got precisely the best treatment available. Convinced she she had done all she could for Siegfried. She figured she had better find somewhere too sleep herself. “Err, you can probably get a bed in the woman’s hostel, Miss.” One of the stable hands helpfully suggested. “Mind you, it gets a bit full sometimes. Miss Troy seems to stuff as many girls in there as she can. But you should be okay for a day or two I suppose. Poor girls, Some of thems has had a hard time y’know. Anyways, middle of town, just left after the Town Hall, yer can’t miss it” Ytte thanked the man and tipped him a few chips. She shouldered her bag and set off back into Hope on foot. It was dark by the time she approached the hostel. Ytte was feeling tired by now. Perhaps the beds in this hostel were at least reasonable and she could get a good night sleep. It looked like she was going to be here for a day or two, in all fairness she figured she owed herself a rest, she had been on the road too long. Ytte turned the last corner before the hostel. And stopped. Stunned. At one of the upper windows a girl was shouting into the street. Behind her some oriental was trying to pull the girl back inside away from the window. The girl was certainly bare breasted, probably fully naked. Beside the girl, the shadow of another person, too dark to see who, but Ytte was sure she saw the person holding a syringe. A number of other girls in various stages of undress were in the street, some shouting up at the window, some others crying. Across the street a number of men stood behind a low fence watching the events opposite. In the gloom Ytte could not make out what the men were doing but she could see a tall woman clad in black leather maintaining order with a rifle in her hands. “What in God’s glory is this place. A brothel?” Ytte gasped under her breath. The stable hand’s words came back to her ‘Miss Troy stuffs them in. Theys has had a hard time..’ It all added up. The Troy woman was keeping a whorehouse and Ytte had almost spent the night there. This was a disgrace! Ytte turned and trudged her way back to the stable on tired legs. Appalled at what she had seen, her disdain for the Danish ….. trollop.. slut.. madam even... grew with each step. Something must be done. But what? ******* “Hello Miss.” The night watchman at the stable, was a little surprised to see Yttte arrive, she looked all in. “No room at the Inn?” Ytte yawned “Erm no, they were full up. I’ll be OK sleeping in beside Siegfried.” The watchman nodded as Ytte opened the stall where Siegfried was and went inside. Siegfried looked up and nickered a welcome. Ytte put down her bag and not for the first time made herself comfortable alongside the resting horse. Her sleep was fitful, images of battle, images of the inhumanity war brings. In and out swam recollections of the day just passed. Eventually deep sleep came. In the pre-awakening, Ytte’s thoughts formed around what she should do about so-called ‘Mayor’ Hyle Troy. Every experience of that damned woman had jarred against Ytte, Ytte was an aristocrat, an officer, her breeding was impeccable, her sense of duty fully formed to guide her, her sense of right drilled into her by her father, the Feldmarschall who fought Napolelon alongside Blücher. Ytte felt she could not move on without finding some way to mend the injustices. Secondly her own honour had been insulted by Troy. Her heart demanded satisfaction. ******* “Good Morning Ma’am.” The stable girl peeked into the stall bringing Ytte into wakedness. Later, with Siegfried munching hay, Ytte was passing the stiff brush methodically along his flanks, she always enjoyed grooming Siegfried, it was therapeutic for them both. The beauty of horses, so graceful, fleet. Designed to use their speed to evade predators, domesticated by man to serve as swift transport. A horse can move fast, evolved to use speed to stay alive. In short. Easily spooked. So when the claw of a creeper poked through the hole in the back wall, and the creeper chirped loudly, seven hundred kilo’s of horse moved very quickly indeed. And far too quickly for Ytte to get out of the way. She almost made it but the horse connected with Ytte’s hip and sent her spinning. That was when Ytte’s head connected with the water trough and suddenly the stable filled with bright stars. Through the fog, Ytte was aware of the commotion, she felt herself being lifted into a pickup truck, being bounced around while the stable girl fretted above her. She felt being unloaded and lifted bodily into a place where the smell of disinfectant seemed overpowering. Another young woman peered into her eyes, pulled up a mask. Light shone in her eyes. ******* The fog cleared some time later, and thankfully came clarity of mind. A young woman, was she even twenty? studied a clipboard, then smiled as she realised Ytte was awake. “Hello !” The voice was girlish too, full of enthusiasm. “You had a bit of a bump, but I’ve had a good old rummage and I am sure there’s no lasting damage.” “Rummage?” Ytte blinked, the dull pain in her head instructed Ytte not to sit up so fast, as did the gentle hand of the girl at her bedside. “I’m a Doctor. Tukiko.” Tukiko gave Ytte a couple of pills. ”Take it easy, these will help you sleep and after a bit of rest you should be jumping around like a Cree… umm... a puppy!” Ytte acquiesced. Much later, Ytte was sitting up in bed, she fingered the cricket ball of a bump on her head through the bandage. She was impressed by the young doctor. Like herself, a woman pushing into the male dominated world, a professional. Perhaps they would have a lot in common. At last, someone like her, one of her kind. Ytte found herself actually looking forward to the next time Doctor Tukiko would look in on her.