The Guard- Elders-Part 3

Untitled Part 5

3

The next day we all went down to the market. Cassie and Gen were looking for the man that sold them the apples. They could not find him.

"Momma. This is where he had his booth but he is not here today. As a matter of fact there is no one here selling apples."

"You are right Cassie. How strange? There is usually someone with a basket of apples." Gen said.

I walked with Paddy and Quinn around the market. No one was selling any apples. I went to one of the farmers. "Excuse me sir, but I am looking for some nice apples to make a pie with. Do you have some?"

"I am sorry Mum. No one is allowed to sell any apples until they find out why they are making people sick."

"A lot of people are sick from eating apples?"

"Yes Mum. Some have even died." The farmer told us.

"Are you sure it was the apples?"

"Yes Mum. Everyone who has been sick had a basket of apples in their homes. The healers have been conferring with each other."

"Good then they will find the cause of the illness."

"Yes Mum. That they will." Paddy took my hand and kissed it.

"Cassie and Gen were not the only ones who were ill?"

"No there have been others."

"Let us go find Mom and Dad."

We found Colleen and Shaun. They had discovered the same thing about the apples.

"When we patrol tonight, we will check out some of the apple orchards in the area." We nodded to Shaun.

Paddy and I finished picking up things for the day's meal.

"Papa what is it?" Quinn was standing in front of a booth with wooden games. "It is a chess board Quinn. It is a game."

"I would like to play."

"All right Quinn." Paddy bought it for him.

We went home afterwards.

Paddy taught Quinn how to play chess. He learned quickly. The two of them played for a few hours every day after our evening meal.

Cassie and I would make clothes for ourselves.

One day after our evening meal. Gillian came by to see Cassie. She wanted to know how she was doing after her apple incident.

They were talking in Cassie's room.

"How are you feeling now Cassie?"

"Much better. I do not think I was ever in so much pain. It was awful."

"Where did you buy the apples from?" Gillian asked Cassie.

"Oh it was local farmer. Grandpa went to all the local orchards but he found nothing amiss."

"That is too bad. I heard on the street that a lot of people have been ill because of those apples. Did you know the farmer?"

"No. Aunt Gen and I did not know him but we have seen him in the market before."

"What did he look like? I might know who he is?"

"Well let see: he was as tall as my dad. He had brown hair and eyes and beard. He was built like Uncle Athos and your dad."

"That could be most of the farmers around here." Gillian observed.

"Oh yes. He had something on his hand like someone drew on his hand with ink."