Black and White - Opening

B o o t s a n d a C a r o l

Almost tripping over, I scrambled for the woods while the stranger was forced to squeeze his eyes shut and bend over. I had barely managed to slip through the first row of trees when I heard an angry shout and steps that followed mine.

What looked like lean birches and thorned bushes kept making it hard to find a way. The ground was uneven, so I stumbled along and cursed the abnormally loud rustling sound the leaves and branches made under my weight.

Feeling sick to the stomach and lungs burning as if I had been running for hours already, my steps were clumsy. It was no wonder really when I tripped over a thick root, sticking out of the ground in plain sight. The air was knocked out of my body as, limbs flaying, I fell flat on my face. Heaving and groaning, I attempted to pull my body behind the trunk of a tree.

The steps had slowed down and a mocking chuckle echoed through my head. Any fear that had been left inside of me became repressed by anger. Anger at this place, at myself and at that stupid man, who probably had as much difficulty catching up with me as a racehorse with a three-legged bunny.

My eyes turned icy and, teeth gritted, I glared at my captor who was now leisurely strolling towards me. He didn't even bother to raise his sword. The audacity, I thought.

"While this was indeed hilarious, I think, in favour of both of us, it would be best you answered my questions. Now, who are..."

I cut him off with a quick "Who are you?" of my own. He paused, blinked, then, in a not very amused manner, answered.

"No, who are you?"

"I asked first," I told him matter-of-factly.

"That's not true. I did."

"Did not! You didn't even finish your question."

Doing my best not to grin at the profound comedy of the present situation and, no need to say, failing, my lips quirked upwards. For someone as tired-of-living as myself, it was quite the joy to tease the person with the sword in their hand. The very one which the stranger had, in his frustration probably, drawn and shoved in my very direction.

"Because you interrupted me!" he gritted out through clenched teeth.

Hands clasped over my mouth, I tried to stop the frantic laughter that now escaping my throat. The look of utter confusion on the man's sharp face only kept adding to my oh-so-great amusement.

"Are you insane?" he asked in a tone so serious I only laughed louder. Time passed.

At some point my frustrated companion let out an equally frustrated groan, then put the sword back into a leather scabbard, hanging at his side.

"Fine, you madwoman." He shook the hair out of his face, then smiled at me the same way I used to smile at Mister Brown. Charming at first sight but obviously in deep annoyance and hatred of the opposite. "My name is Filip. With an F." I wondered how he managed to make his introduction drip with sarcasm, the way it did. Also, I was impressed.

His reaction managed to make me get a hold of my crazy. Eyes wide and tear-filled from all my laughing, I stared up at him dumbfounded for a few seconds. Then, managing to prop myself up and shake off any last chuckles, I smiled, too – though genuinely.

"It's very nice to meet you, Filip with an F. I mean, besides the obvious fact that you've had your pointy thing in my face for most of the time we've known each other ..." I trailed off and cleared my throat. "I'm Carol. Alison Carol. Which you should know since you are a figment of my imagination."

"I'm a what?"

"A wizard. Anyway..." Deciding to cut back on the pop-culture references, I hauled myself up. "Gotta go. Have a nice day."

"Wait!" He grabbed my upper arm which, normally, I would have brushed off immediately. But seeing as I was more staggering than walking at this point, the slight support was very much appreciated.

"Okay, maybe I'll stay just for a few more minutes. I might vomit on your boots, though." As I was beginning to tip sideways, Filip steadied me back against the tree. The exasperation and confusion in his dark eyes had changed to something that vaguely resembled worry.

"Please don't. I really like those boots."

"Yeah, me too."

We had managed to make our way back to the small campfire in the clearing. I had finally come to the realisation that running away would do me no good. Besides, Filip with an F didn't appear to be particularly dangerous or overly eager to stab me. Not right now at least.

Apparently, I had caught a fever and had fallen into some sort of delirium. After getting me to lay down, which had been an act of its own, my new-found companion was now fishing little brown bags and vials out of his satchel. Meanwhile, I remained in a somewhat trance-like state, continuously humming and singing obliquely.

"These boots are made for walkin' and that's just what they'll do. One of these days, these boots are gonna walk all over you."

Filip threw me a glance.

"What?" I asked. "I'm not allowed to laugh? Not allowed to sing? You just want to take away my happiness, don't you?"

"I didn't say you weren't allowed to do anything," he began to argue.

"Nooo, but you had that look on your face. Like you're very eager to stab me."

The man snorted in a way that made me feel very offended.

"That's probably because I am. Drink this." He had moved towards me, now holding a cup of... something towards me. I wearily took it.

"Then why don't you? What on earth is this? Smells like horse manure..."

"And tastes like it, too. Just drink it... and shut up for a change, why don't you?" He turned his back and started working on restarting the fire. I propped myself up and downed the liquid in one gulp. It tasted even worse than it smelled but left a pleasant feeling in my stomach.

"You know... I'm starting to think you're not telling me something." At my statement, Filip stopped in his movement, then picked it up again a moment later.

"Fine, don't tell me. I'm not mad... just disappointed." I sighed theatrically to top off the perfect impression of my mother, whenever she wanted me to spill something. My eyes narrowed at the man who was currently pretending to stoke the fire. I lit up when I saw him make a decision. He let out an exasperated breath.

"You're name's Carol, right?" I didn't answer but nodded curtly. "I know someone named Carol. He's... not from around here."

My head tilted to the side as my delirious brain struggled to process this information.

"What about it? Why are you telling me this?" Filip turned towards me, though he wouldn't meet my gaze.

"I think you might know him, too."

"Maybe... What's his first name?" He met my gaze, dark eyes serious.

"Edmund."

Hello everyone, here's chapter 7 for you. It's taking me ages right now to continue the book, but please be patient. I'm planning on finishing BAW 'Beginning' this year 2023. Also, the next chapters are definitely going to be longer. I hope you enjoyed the read. If so, feel free to share my story, so more people will know about it and don't forget to vote. I very much appreciate it. Happy New Year!

MVG