She sat outside the Cathedral most days selling souvenirs to pilgrims. Most avoided her eye. Some looked at her work and sneered. A few bought. She knew there was better stuff out there. But hers was cheap.
She carved wood. Mostly archbishops under rose bushes. She did a crucifixion or two and a few martyrdoms. Baby Jesuses went well with the children. The trouble was it took her too long to carve. An archbishop would take her a whole night, but she couldn't sell it for enough to feed herself.
She hadn't eaten in two days. She was walking in the forest looking for fallen branches she could use for her carving.
It was getting dark and she lay down in dead leaves to sleep. An Ancient One dropped out of a tree and walked toward her.
``What do you want?'' she asked.
``I brought you some food,'' he said.
Dark bread and cheese and apples. Her stomach was shrunken and she could eat little. He gave her warm thick beer in a wooden cup. She felt much better.
The Ancient One sat down and sighed a little.
``I see you work for the Fools,'' he said, ``the ones who abandoned the true gods.''
``I know no gods,'' she said.
He pulled a knife from his pocket and took a piece of her wood and in a flash carved something magic. She knew it was magic of the ancient kind. Any one would just by looking at it.
``Pay attention,'' said the Ancient One. She did.
By morning she was turning out four charms an hour.
She took them to the market place. They sold like hot cakes.
She became rich enough to build a warm new cottage for herself and she walked with pride in the town.
When the priests came to her and asked her help to pay for the chancel roof, she contributed most generously.