Chapter One:
"Are you lost?" Audra approached a young girl under a weeping willow.
The girl did not answer, but continued to stare blankly ahead. Occasionally her eyes would dart back and forth quickly. Audra noticed the girl's jittery hands.
"All right," Audra said, crouching down near the girl. "I am unknown to you, but, please tell, are you ill?" She held out her hand out to feel the girl's head, searching for a fever. When Audra's hand touched the child's head, the girl seemed to have snapped back to life. She looked at Audra with fearful eyes, then glanced behind the woman.
"Witch!" A man yelled from behind Audra. Within seconds, the girl was running away.
Audra turned around and stood up. "Sir, you are mistaken, I am no witch, but only a concerned woman about that child's health. I was only feeling her head for a fever. I believe I may have startled her from her thoughts."
"Not you, stupid wench. The girl.
She is the witch." The man said, sending his group to go after the small girl, now nowhere to be seen.
The insult hurt Audra, but calling the innocent child a witch hurt more. "I'm sorry, I don't understand. She is but a child. How could she use witchcraft?"
"Look, woman, we have seen her before. She is constantly talking nonsense and rubbing her hands together like she's casting spells . We tried to help her once, too, but she only fled." The man said with a slight edge in his voice. "Just let me do my business, and I'll leave you to yours."
"All right, I suppose." Audra said, still not sure they were right in their actions. "But, please, do not harm her any before complete truth is brought forth."
The man didn't answer, but followed after his small party, now nearly out of sight, too.
Audra watched the man for a few seconds, then went on her own way. She walked for a while, through well-known grasses and paths, then decided to head to the market. For she was in need of more cloth and thread.
When she arrived, Audra found many children giddily playing with wooden toys and eating sugary candies. "Well, it seems you children have found a treasure." Audra said teasingly.
"Yes, a wanderer came with a wagon full of toys he carved and candies he bought!" A young boy exclaimed before running off with his friends again.
Audra couldn't help but smile and remember the excitement when someone said a wanderer had come. Most of the time, they weren't wanderers, but tradesmen who would take anything they could get. It was always better when they had candy.
"Hello, Etna." Audra said approaching the fragile old woman's stand.
"Why, hello, dear." Etna replied. "Have you come for more thread? I told you that little spool wasn't going to be enough for a whole dress."
"No, no, Etna. I finished that dress and sent it to my dear sister." Audra said, picking up spools of thread in colors that were new to her. "Now I'm going to make a new summer dress for myself. I hope to be done before the Summer Dance Festival."
"Oh, well you will be far done by then." Etna said, waving her hand through to air as to brush the thought away. "I have some beautiful pink thread that goes well with this pale green fabric. You look pretty in green, you know?"
"Why, thank you." Audra replied. She couldn't help but blush a little at the compliment.
"Ah, don't be shy, girl. Here, take the fabric and thread, only twelve coins." Etna said, shoving the materials in Audra's hands. "You'll have all the fellas at your side!"
"Twelve coins, for all this? You better stop giving your supplies away nearly free." Audra handed the joking woman the money and added, "What are we ever going to do with you, Etna? Practically giving things away!"
"Nah, only for the nice ones," Etna said, winking. "Now, you make sure to show me that dress when you're done, all right?"
"Sure thing. I'll be back if I need anything else." Audra replied, walking away. Before leaving the market, she stopped at the wanderer's wagon.
"What can I do ya for?" The man asked. He had beady eyes and was missing a few teeth, but it was a common sight with wanderers.
"A little birdy told me you have some fine sugar candies, and I haven't tasted one for years. Could I have two sugar sticks, please?" Audra looked around the cart at the labels. "And a handful of those mint candies there." She said pointing to the basket.
"That it?" The man asked, handing her the candy.
"Yes, how much?" Audra asked, slipping the candies into a small pocket on her dress and pulling out some coins.
"Eh, ten coins." The man said. Audra thought it was a bit high for a few pieces of candy, but she also felt a bit sorry for the man. So she handed him the coins with a smile and turned to leave. She popped a mint candy in her mouth and enjoyed the minty sweetness as she started her journey home.
As Audra walked, she thought about the little girl.
She can't possibly be a witch, how could they go after a child like that? She stopped her thoughts for a minute, then questioned herself.
Maybe I am the one judging wrongly. Maybe she is a witch and I haven't seen the first of it. There was a rustle in the bushes by the path, and Audra stopped to look. She thought she saw part of a dress, but decided it was her imagination. She continued on the path until she arrived at her house.
"Mother, I am home." Audra announced, closing the door behind her.
"I live everyday to hear your beautiful voice say that, dear." Her mother said, emerging from the kitchen to give her daughter a kiss on the forehead. "If only your sister would come through that door again."
"Well, you know as well as I, Mother, she has a family now, and wishes to see us but can not because of the venture." Audra said, placing her fabrics by the fireplace and walking to the kitchen to help her mother finish dinner. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a mint candy.
Her mother's eyes widened. "Where did you get that? Did old Etna make more candy to sell?" The woman took the candy and put it in her mouth, then continued cooking.
"No, there was a man selling candy at the Market. He isn't staying long, so I took the chance to buy some." Audra said, getting out a bowl and preparing the salad with cabbage, lettuce, and spinach from their garden.
"Ah. I see you also bought some more fabrics. Going to make a summer dress, are you?" Her mother asked, drizzling oil and sprinkling pepper on the salad.
"Yes, I am, for the Dance Festival." Audra replied, stirring the salad and serving it onto two plates.
Her mother nodded at the mention of the Dance Festival. "Getting married this year?" She asked teasingly.
"Why are you in such a hurry to get rid of me when you always want Auva to visit?" Audra remarked back. "Speaking of," she said, sitting down across from her mother, "I was thinking about going to visit her. I would like to see my nephew, you know."
"Yes, yes, of course. I would go, too, if my legs weren't so bad. Maybe you can convince her to come back with you for a few days. Leif and little Rainer could come, too. We certainly have enough room."
"All right. How about I pack tonight and leave at noon tomorrow?" Audra suggested. "I would arrive at Navi's house around sunset, and I know she'd let me stay there. She always has." Audra remembered all the times she had randomly shown up at Navi's house after travelling a long while.
"Why, that's fine with me. About two days to get to Auva's, resting on the way. Stay the night there, then bring them back. About a week's journey, that gives me time to clean this place up." She said, smiling. Then, like any mother would no matter what age, she pointed her fork at Audra's plate and said, "Eat those carrots. I cooked them with sugar for you."
"Mother..." Audra sarcastically said. "You know I am old enough to know by now when to eat my vegetables." She remembered how stubborn she was about eating them when she was younger. "You know I like to eat them last," She mumbled, holding back a giggle.
"You always have." Her mother replied with a reminiscing twinkle in her eye.
~End of Chapter One~
The next morning, Audra grabbed her bag, checking everything was there, and headed out. It was a long journey, but worth the while to say the least. She walked through the town, stopping only to tell people where she was headed. She left through the town gate, nodding and smiling at the guards, then approached the edge of the forest.
Audra had always gone around the forest, no matter how much extra time it took. But, for some reason, today she felt like going through. Why, she did have a small dagger with her, lest there be any harm. There was a path straight to the other side, and Audra decided to follow it. She soon became glad of this decision. The sound of the trees, and birds, and any other living creature was a beautiful arrangement only nature could make.
But, closer to the middle of the woods, there was a different sound. Not of an animal, but a human, rather. Audra strayed off the path and came closer to the sound. There was screaming and yelling, but at who? As far as she could tell, there was only one person, and it sounded like a girl. Audra began to run towards the source, keeping her hand on her dagger just in case.
Keeping low and hiding behind trees, she soon found the girl. It was the same girl she had met the day before. The girl was standing on the bank of the creek, and she seemed to be struggling against herself. Audra moved to a bush right behind the girl. Suddenly, she stopped struggling and stood on her toes. She stretched out her arms and slowly began to tip forward. Then she fell, splashing into the rushing water. Audra went to the water's edge waiting for the girl to emerge again. But she didn't.
The girl held herself under the water. As soon as Audra caught sight of the yellow dress, she reached into the water and pulled the light young girl out. The girl once again started screaming and thrashed around, kicking and scratching in Audra's direction.
Audra grabbed the girl's arms and held them, then sat down with the girl on her lap. The girl continued to kick and scream, but she was tiring out. "Calm down, it's all right. I am not going to hurt you." Audra said lightly to the girl.
Finally the girl's screams faded, and her violent kicking became soft stomps on the ground. Audra let go of her The girl stood up to leave, but Audra grabbed her by the bottom of the skirt. The girl didn't try to struggle this time. "Where are your parents?" Audra asked.
The girl just shook her head.
"Do you have a name?" Audra needed at least some information to help this girl.
She looked at Audra, then her eyes darted around. Her hand shook, and she fell to the ground landing on her bottom. Audra let go of her skirt and waited to see what would happen. The girl's eyes locked on Audra's dagger, and she began to reach for it. Audra tucked it into her dress and lightly held the girl back.
~~To Be Continued~~
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