Play of Shadows

01.1 Words and Stones

Morning dawned bright and cheerful. Birds sang in trees lush with the first blooms of spring, the scent of flowers sweet in the air. The happy cries of kids at play echoed far and wide amid the clucking of chickens and bleating of goats waiting to be taken out to pasture.

Ann bounced the basket she was holding a little higher up her hip. Her day had begun at dawn, when she was startled awake by a woman rushing into her room, calling her name. Ann had nearly flung her pillow at the unfortunate NPC. Thankfully, her mind came back online quickly, saving the woman from a rather rude morning greeting.

She regretted a bit when the unknown woman pulled her into a hug. "Child, do not scare me like this! Answer mother when I call you!"

Ann, who had gained a second mother without rhyme or reason, could only offer a confused, "Sorry."

The woman pulled away with a sigh. "As long as you are well. Mother is also in the wrong for scaring you early in the morning. The night of the full moon is heavy on all of us."

Ann's ears perked up. Before she could open her mouth to dig for information, the older woman patted her hand and stood up.

"Come and get ready, so we may finish the washing before the midday heat."

A half-hour later found Ann treading a worn path down to the river, a basket of laundry under one arm. Her NPC-mother chatted as they walked, sharing whatever gossip she'd come to recently. Every time they passed a courtyard, they paused to exchange greetings with the womenfolk bustling inside. There were fewer men still at home during that time of the day, mostly the older generation who could no longer till the fields or do other hard work. Ann mostly played at a light pole while her "mother" socialized.

No wonder the woman wanted to set off early in the morning. At this pace, they wouldn't reach the river by noon, let alone finish the washing!

Just as Ann was thinking of a way to urge her NPC mother along, a woman rushed over from who knows where, shouting as she came.

"Aunty Liu, aunty Liu! Kaya is gone!"

The woman nearly bowled Ann over in her haste. She glanced at Ann, did a double-take, then quickly looked away. Ann frowned behind her mask but said nothing.

The woman who had been chatting happily with Ann's "mother" paled. She hurriedly untied the apron around her waist and called for someone inside that she was going out.

Ann's "mother" reacted just as swiftly. She pulled Ann back the way they came, gait unsteady and face pale.

"Quickly now – oh, that poor child!" the woman lamented.

They reached the house in short order. The NPC had them both drop off their burdens, then ushered Ann right out, in the opposite direction this time, toward the village center. A lot of people were going the same way, but they only spoke to their companions and ignored everyone else. The mood was downcast, at odds with the cheerful blue skies overhead.

Their destination was an open plaza that was likely used for more pleasant gatherings in normal times. Most of the village had assembled, save the very young and the very old. A raised stage was set on one side. It was crowded, but Ann's nominal mother was undaunted, slipping through the mass of people like a fish through reeds. Ann did her best to keep up. She was less nimble than her "mother" and stepped on quite a few toes in passing. From up above, the disturbance she caused could be clearly seen as people flinched and heads turned in a snaking line.

Several people stood on the stage. Only one was leisurely enough to notice the commotion. His lips tucked up at the edges as he tracked Ann's advance through the crowd.