6.

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I wake up to a loud bang. It sounds like the huge metallic pot Edith uses to cook fell over on rocks.

What the hell? I think to myself as I get out of my tent to see what's going on.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it's not what I'm seeing: Edith in between me and someone wearing a red scarf over their head and a matching red dress. The pot is indeed flipped upside down behind the intruder and Edith has one of my arrows, stored right outside my tent, in her left hand, pointing at this intruder.

They both look at me as I crawl out of my tent, barefoot and wearing only a loose, green dress. I look at Edith, the arrow, a random yellow butterfly on a flower in the woods and then the red-dressed intruder as I step on Edith's right side.

The intruder looks at me in the eyes for a few seconds and then says something to Edith in a language I can't understand, but it sound incredibly familiar – maybe the one the salesmen from the east speak. Their voice is quite high, and sounds confused and angry, possibly scared.

Edith answers her in the same language, clearly annoyed about the whole situation.

Then she looks at me for a split second and tells me to go back to sleep and that she'll take care of her. Knowing myself, I refuse and instead I grab my bow and quiver.

When I pick up said quiver this mystery woman's eyes open wide like two plates and she takes a step closer. This makes Edith turn her right hand in front of me protectively.

This makes me feel loved and I almost want to smile, but I control myself. I don't even know why I'm reacting to a small thing like this with so strong emotions, maybe it's because I know nobody in my biological family would ever have protected me in a situation like this.

I get back from these thoughts when the red-dressed woman starts speaking to me in almost perfect English "Where did you get that... thing, with the arrows in it?"

"Stole it from some guard that lived in the mansion I grew up in, why?"

"My father made it, but it was stolen from him before he could sell it."

"Oh,uhm... I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say to that." I look at her and then atEdith, but she only shrug her shoulders, just as confused as I am. She still hasn't moved her hand away, and the arrow is still in her left hand.

"Hey, could you stop pointing the arrow at me, I'm not here to do anything to you" This woman says to Edith. She lowers the arrow and moves her hand away from me, still looking at the woman up and down, judging and not trusting her.

"Could someone please tell me what's going on?" I ask, as I still haven't gotten an answer to my main reason to get up yet. My feet are getting cold, and I really would like some breakfast as well.

"I was lost in the woods when I saw your camp and got curious, but then she came out of the tent and started threatening me with a spoon!" The woman explains, pointing at the wooden spoon on the grass only a few meters from my feet. How did I not notice it?

"Then I started getting away because I thought she's crazy or something, I don't want to get killed by a crazy Indian and her spoon in the woods" she continues.

Ilook at Edith and I have to ask her confirmation: "You're Indian?" Don't judgeme, she doesn't like talking about her past and I don't really care about thatstuff, so I never asked. 


"Yes, I am" She confirms.

"Chool"

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