“Why would priests of the Mother carry cauliflower?” asked the priest, sounding exasperated. “Well, you never know your luck. I mean, my mother carried it, so I thought maybe since the Mother is everyone’s mother—” The two men grimly made the ritual gesture again. “—maybe She knew you’d be here and She’d send you with cauliflower. But I don’t expect that!” Halla raised her free hand in front of her. “I’m certainly not important enough to merit the Mother’s attention! Or Her vegetables.”
