The night was chilly as the two figures met in the shadows of the high stone wall. Both cloaked well, they quickly hugged then separated.

“Oh, Elisa, we can finally be together!” Rolland said happily. “I’ll take you away from this dreadful sheep farm.”

For a moment Elisa looked very happy, then her smile disappeared. “Rolland… I don’t think I can go with you.”

“Why not?!” He demanded. “We’ve wanted to be together for years, but your family are sheep farmers, and mine raised wolves for lapdogs. They also said it would never work out, but we’ve always wanted to run away together. Now we finally can, why have you suddenly changed your mind?”

“Rolland…” Elisa’s voice was small. “My father… is ill!”

“Oh no! But… what does this mean?”

“I have to stay here, on the sheep farm, and run everything until he gets better.”

For a moment, both of them were silent, until Rolland said, “And then we can be together? Elisa, don’t scare me like that again! For a moment I thought I’d never see you again. Was that all?”

Elisa turned away, shaking her head sorrowfully. “It’s not all, Rolland… I just can’t be with you anymore. I… found a new love!”

Rolland nearly stumbled back, completely shocked like nothing before! He stared at Elisa, completely dumbfound before he found the strength to say, “Huh?!”

“It’s true! I’ve fallen in love… with wool!”

Now Rolland found he could only look at Elisa like she was crazy. “With wool? Elisa, you’re making no sense. Have you caught your father’s illness?”

Quickly, she shook her head. “No, I’m making perfect sense. Over these past day that I’ve taken over the farm for my father, I have come to see how he’s done it for so long. Wool is so… wonderful.” There were stars in her eyes, as if she was thinking about the most magnificent things.

“But wool…” Rolland began, not sure what to say to this. “Wool… it shrinks in water, Elisa. It attracts moths. And sometimes when you knit it, it stretches during wear.”

The look she gave him was one you’d give someone speaking blasphemy. “I won’t hear you bad talk wool! It’s very absorbent, flame and wrinkle resistant. It has good insulation, and it’s warm, unlike you!”

“What are you saying? That I’m cruel to you?”

“No.” Elisa said coolly. “Just right now you are. I have a dream now, Rolland. A dream to be the best person-that-makes-things-with-wool in the world!”

Now he crossed his arms, none too happy. “And what do plan to do?”

“I plan to make flannel with the wool from the sheep.” Elisa told him matter-of-factly. “And tweed, and melton. Jersey, gabardine, crepe, challis! I want to make it all, Rolland, and all with wool!”

“Wool from your dirty sheep?” He asked, nearly spitting the words on the ground.

“How dare you call my sheep dirty.” Elisa glared daggers at him. “They’re not so dirty for your mangy wolves to attack and eat!”

“Now, see here-” Rolland began, but she interrupted him.

“Also, not all wool comes from sheep! Angora wool, that comes from rabbits! Cashmere is considered wool, and it’s from goats! And there’s also wool from alpacas. I want to own a farm of my own, I’ve decided. With rabbits, and goats, and sheep, and alpacas. And I’ll make wool things from all of them! Would you support me in that dream?”

Rolland opened his mouth to answer, but Elisa raised her hand and placed it over his mouth to quiet him.

“No, you wouldn’t.” She answered for him. “I know you, Rolland. You want me as nothing more than a housewife. But I want to be a farmer, Rolland. I want to be my own woman. And there’s no room for the likes of you in my dreams…”

Without another word, Elisa turned away and quickly left, leaving Rolland dumbfounded in the dark, all alone…