An Unexpected Gift
June 3rd 2011 15:13
He put everything back into the pouch and placed it into his pocket. For now he would hold on to it while he buried his family. He went outside and made a fire for cooking on. He noticed that he had built up quite an appetite in his fighting. Tomasz gathered some vegetables from his house and some meat. He roasted the vegetables over the fire and put the meat on a spit. Everything was cooking nicely now and the smells made his hunger insatiable. This is what he loved; good vegetables grown on his own farm and meat from a cow he had nourished since it was a calf.
He finished his meal and returned to his house. He decided that since it was late and he was extremely tired, he would set about digging graves in the morning. In the meantime, he would simply cover the bodies in cloth.
He went into his room and put the pouch under his pillow. He went back outside to bathe and stoke the fire. After he was finished, he looked into the sky, resigned. He dropped to his knees and said a prayer for the dead. Again, he mourned his family and his dead friends and neighbors. Finally, he returned to his room to go to sleep.
“My darling, wake up,” A voice said.
Tomasz opened his eyes and looked around his dark room. He saw a figure but couldn’t make out who it was. Likewise, the voice was unfamiliar to him. She stepped into the moonlight through the open window and Tomasz gasped. The maid who had visited him when he was a prisoner was standing in front of him. Tomasz’s blood ran cold with fear.
“Don’t take me back to that place, I will fight if you try to take me back,” He said.
“Shhhh, it’s okay, you are safe from them. They will not bother you anymore.”
“Abyzou, why are you here?” He asked.
“I am here because you have something of mine.”
“Is it the pouch, I wondered what it meant,” Tomasz said.
She smiled, clearly having knowledge of something that Tomasz didn’t.
“Did you notice the bodies of your children?” She asked.
“Well, yes, the life was gone from them. That monster murdered them!” He said, his anger flaring once more.
“Dear Tomasz, you did not look closer? You did not see that only Piotr was bloody?”
He paused, considering her question.
“Y-yes,” He hesitated.
Now that she had said it, he did notice something peculiar about Izabella and Janusz. They did not appear to have any wounds, as if the way they died was something natural. There was no blood, no trace of an injury. It was almost like they had gotten sick and died in a matter of minutes.
Abyzou could see thoughts crossing Tomasz’s face and finally, confusion.
“What happened? Did they get sick while I was away?”
Abyzou reached into her pocket and pulled something out. The darkness of the room shielded what was in her hand. She reached out to him and grabbed his hand. From her other hand she placed a silver ring into his. On the ring was a circle with two horizontal lines going through it, one through the top and one through the bottom.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” He asked.
“Wear it of course. The ring will guide you on your travels and lead you to the one who is truly worthy.”
“Worthy of what?”
She just shook her head and blew him another kiss as she walked out of the room.
Bewildered, Tomasz walked outside after her. She was gone and any trace of her left with her.
Fresh air was what he needed after this strange encounter with the beautiful maid. He went out and decided to go for a walk. He walked over to where his fire had been and noticed there were a few hot coals left. He gathered up some leaves and cloth and bound them together along with a piece of wood. He placed the wood into the coals and immediately had a torch.
Satisfied, he walked around his house and into the woods that were a few yards away. He listened to the sounds of the night; the crickets chirping and the frogs croaking. The nightingales were singing their nightly songs of sorrow. The wind blew through the trees and he heard the rustling of leaves. It was sublime to him, all these sounds of nature in perfect harmony with the night. Along the forest floor, mice scampered to and fro looking for shelter. An owl hooted somewhere in the distance.
Tomasz looked up at the moon, which was full and pregnant. The stars shimmered brightly and the light made the trees glow with silver light. Some sort of flying animal raced by, a bird or a bat perhaps. He continued walking until he reached a narrow stream. He sat down on the bank and put his feet in the water. He sighed contentedly. Finally he was able to relax after the terrible events of the past two days. With his feet in the water and the cool breeze touching his skin, he began to have a little hope for the future. Something was nagging him though. He couldn’t get the last words Abyzou spoke out of his head: “The ring will guide you on your travels and lead you to the one who is truly worthy.”
He finished his meal and returned to his house. He decided that since it was late and he was extremely tired, he would set about digging graves in the morning. In the meantime, he would simply cover the bodies in cloth.
He went into his room and put the pouch under his pillow. He went back outside to bathe and stoke the fire. After he was finished, he looked into the sky, resigned. He dropped to his knees and said a prayer for the dead. Again, he mourned his family and his dead friends and neighbors. Finally, he returned to his room to go to sleep.
“My darling, wake up,” A voice said.
Tomasz opened his eyes and looked around his dark room. He saw a figure but couldn’t make out who it was. Likewise, the voice was unfamiliar to him. She stepped into the moonlight through the open window and Tomasz gasped. The maid who had visited him when he was a prisoner was standing in front of him. Tomasz’s blood ran cold with fear.
“Don’t take me back to that place, I will fight if you try to take me back,” He said.
“Shhhh, it’s okay, you are safe from them. They will not bother you anymore.”
“Abyzou, why are you here?” He asked.
“I am here because you have something of mine.”
“Is it the pouch, I wondered what it meant,” Tomasz said.
She smiled, clearly having knowledge of something that Tomasz didn’t.
“Did you notice the bodies of your children?” She asked.
“Well, yes, the life was gone from them. That monster murdered them!” He said, his anger flaring once more.
“Dear Tomasz, you did not look closer? You did not see that only Piotr was bloody?”
He paused, considering her question.
“Y-yes,” He hesitated.
Now that she had said it, he did notice something peculiar about Izabella and Janusz. They did not appear to have any wounds, as if the way they died was something natural. There was no blood, no trace of an injury. It was almost like they had gotten sick and died in a matter of minutes.
Abyzou could see thoughts crossing Tomasz’s face and finally, confusion.
“What happened? Did they get sick while I was away?”
Abyzou reached into her pocket and pulled something out. The darkness of the room shielded what was in her hand. She reached out to him and grabbed his hand. From her other hand she placed a silver ring into his. On the ring was a circle with two horizontal lines going through it, one through the top and one through the bottom.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” He asked.
“Wear it of course. The ring will guide you on your travels and lead you to the one who is truly worthy.”
“Worthy of what?”
She just shook her head and blew him another kiss as she walked out of the room.
Bewildered, Tomasz walked outside after her. She was gone and any trace of her left with her.
Fresh air was what he needed after this strange encounter with the beautiful maid. He went out and decided to go for a walk. He walked over to where his fire had been and noticed there were a few hot coals left. He gathered up some leaves and cloth and bound them together along with a piece of wood. He placed the wood into the coals and immediately had a torch.
Satisfied, he walked around his house and into the woods that were a few yards away. He listened to the sounds of the night; the crickets chirping and the frogs croaking. The nightingales were singing their nightly songs of sorrow. The wind blew through the trees and he heard the rustling of leaves. It was sublime to him, all these sounds of nature in perfect harmony with the night. Along the forest floor, mice scampered to and fro looking for shelter. An owl hooted somewhere in the distance.
Tomasz looked up at the moon, which was full and pregnant. The stars shimmered brightly and the light made the trees glow with silver light. Some sort of flying animal raced by, a bird or a bat perhaps. He continued walking until he reached a narrow stream. He sat down on the bank and put his feet in the water. He sighed contentedly. Finally he was able to relax after the terrible events of the past two days. With his feet in the water and the cool breeze touching his skin, he began to have a little hope for the future. Something was nagging him though. He couldn’t get the last words Abyzou spoke out of his head: “The ring will guide you on your travels and lead you to the one who is truly worthy.”
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