Diary Entry                                                                   

                                                                                                                  December 12, 1328

This morning I woke up with a better feeling than yesterday. I was confident that today I would find an ermine, mink or even a sable, not a dreary old rabbit or deer. I was determined to find the best fur Kiev had ever seen. 

As soon as I got out of bed I put on my fur coat and leather boots and quickly ate some porridge. I rushed out of my door to notice the giant pile of snow spread across the whole town. Every step I took I could hear the crunch of the snow, pressing against my leather boots. I made my way to the blacksmith and as soon as I got there I asked: “Is it ready?”  He smiled and handed me my brand new sharpened quarrels and crossbow. I presented him with 6 rubles, but he didn’t accept my offer. “Higher,” he said. I pulled out my purse and scratched around until I found another 2 rubles. He reluctantly agreed and I headed off to the woods. 

As soon as I got there I  loaded my crossbow and started walking deeper into the woods. On my way there I heard a quiet noise coming from behind a bush. I prowled slowly towards it, making sure it wouldn’t run away. I had one last step until I was close enough to get a clear shot of the animal. I reached over and shot it. I started walking around the bush to get a better look at what I caught.  

My smile slowly turned into a frown when I saw what I caught. Behind the bush I found a tiny albino white rabbit lying dead on the snow. I picked it up and put it in my satchel, just in case I didn’t find anything else. It was disappointing, but no matter. I still had a good feeling about today. I kept walking and walking, making sure I made no noise, but after a while of searching, I gave up and headed back home. 

While I was on my way back to town I heard the faintest noise coming from a short distance. I proceeded to walk closer to the noise and got my crossbow ready. I got closer and closer to the noise until I stepped on the tiniest branch. The animal immediately darted past me. I took one shot and hit the animal on the side of its stomach. 

From a faraway glance, I could tell I hit something rather small. I came closer to it and my eyes almost popped out of my head. What lay right below me was a sable. I took a deep breath, carefully laid the precious animal into the satchel with the rabbit and headed back home. 

When I got home I set out all the materials I needed to skin the sable, which was just my knife and a bone tool. I then got to work. I started with skinning the animal from its lower lip all the way down. After I did that I took the end of my bone tool and scraped the excess fat and flesh off. When I was finished I gathered up all the fur I collected for the past month and placed them into my satchel, ready to take it to the merchant the next morning. 

                                                                                           December 13, 1328    

It was the next morning and I traveled to the market to give Merek (the merchant) the furs. When I got there I found Merek standing next to a bakery. I handed the satchel of furs to him but before I could move any further Merek pointed to the bakery which smelt of freshly made bread and sweet kasha. I smiled and agreed to get something since I had nothing for breakfast. 

We were finally first in line and the baker asked, “What may I get you today?”  Merek smiled and asked for two kashas. The baker then walked around a noble who was using the oven and came back with the kashas. We both thanked him and went back to the business we needed to finish. 

I gave Merek the satchel of furs and in return, he gave 12 rubles and a piece of information. Merek told me that the fur that I had collected over the past month would be used in a 366 pelt coat, presented to King John of France. I was amazed and I took this piece of information home with me, writing it into my diary so the fantastic news that Merek the merchant told me would last forever.