Demeter

Farewells

Diana was fairly used to seeing her husband every other month, mostly every two months. His passion was sailing across the seas on a cargo ship he called his home. The thought of it saddened her. She wished that he would think of her as his home instead of an old, creaky boat.

He left early, in the morning. A horse-drawn wagon appeared out front. Diana received a soft kiss on the hand before her husband tipped his hat to her and hopped on the wagon.

She could never tell if that thrilled expression in his eyes was because he'd soon be on another voyage, or because he'd be leaving her alone in their house once again.

Diana longed to travel with him, but the superstition placed upon female sailors made it impossible. She would be considered 'bad luck' the second she'd step on board.

So she waited patiently, alone in the quiet house. The silence did not bother her in the slightest, no matter how many of the gossiping ladies in town claimed otherwise.

Some days she'd walk the short hours to the shoreline only to sit in the grass atop the cliffs. She loved the smell of the ocean- the cool, salty breeze mixed with a bit of sea-life. She'd close her eyes and listen to the waves hit the rocks, the birds sing above, the wind shifting the grass. Though she knew she'd never catch a glimpse of the ship this far from port, every time she sat by the shore, she'd hope.

At night, she'd slip back into her home. It'd seem as though she'd never left.

Though, this particular night was different. A wagon hauling about four or five crates, one marked with a dragon emblem, had stopped in the middle of the street. The only living things in sight were the horses tied to the wagon. Diana picked up her dress and slid between two edifices. She waited for the owner of the wagon to return.

She couldn't have explained why she waited, though she believed it was a pang of curiosity.

It took only a few minutes for an older man who spoke a language foreign to Diana to appear from around a corner. With him, walked the head of law enforcement in town. She picked up words in English such as: 'trade' and 'alone'. Once they drew closer, it became apparent they were speaking of a bargain.

The older man threatened the safety of the town and the village above it if they did not hand over a citizen. The reasoning behind this seemed to be unknown to both the police and the woman hiding in the alleyway.

The old man speaking broken English tossed a bag of gold into the hands of the police. The words spoken after this sent an uneasy feeling through Diana.

"There is a woman. She lives above." The police pointed towards the village. "Up there, in the house most isolated from the rest. She is alone. Her husband left a few days ago to head to the port in Mangalia."

"He is not expecting her home when he is returned?"

"He is not expected to return."