The Breeze and the Butterfly: An Alois Trancy Fanfiction

Maggie Makes Her First Friends

 It was a long time ago when I met him in a little English village nestled deep into the countryside. I was confined to my own home, never allowed to set foot out of my own front door to the village beyond. This was for my own good, of course. My parents knew that if the superstitious townspeople caught one look at my mismatched blue and brown eyes, they would hang me immediately for being a witch. My mother and father constantly pounded this lesson into my mind along with instructions to do my chores and lessons and read my Bible daily and to stay away from windows. I was a hopelessly obedient child and heeded my parents' every warning and instruction. My only vice was my bedroom window.

 I desperately wanted to be a part of the outside world and the only way I could even have a little taste of it without being judged and punished for what was not under my control was to watch the villagers from the safety of my own home. I would wait patiently for the moments when my father would leave for work and my mother would go to the market, those precious minutes when I was alone, to longingly stare out of my bedroom window, wishing to be like the people who freely walked the streets, strolling carefree in the sunshine.

 My favorite form of entertainment came from watching two young boys, whose laughter would reach me like a sweet melody each time they ran past my house, joyful in their revelry. Each boy had sun-browned skin and light feet and fingers, perfect for stealing clothing from lines and watches from pockets. Their antics reminded me of Robin Hood and his faithful companion, Little John, stealing from the rich and creating a fair amount of mischief for those who could do without.

 I was already enamoured with my fair-haired Robin Hood. He was obviously the oldest with his brave stance and cocky grin. He was roughly my age, so I deemed it possible that we could unite. I spent much of my time away from that window caught in daydreams, frolicking with the roguish boys that had captured my heart.

 One day, my fascination had caused me to do something very naughty indeed. While my mother and father were out, I went to the kitchen and stole a pie that my mother had made the day before and set it on my windowsill, hoping to draw in a certain pair of thieves.

 I hid beneath my window, waiting for them for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, my efforts paid off. Children's voices approached and the pie was snatched from its previous placement.

 "Would you look at this, Luka? It looks like some bonnie maid left us a pie!" said one voice, presumably the one that belonged to the older boy.

 "Sure does look good, Your Highness," added the younger boy.

 This last comment was followed by a noise so disgusting that it could only be described as the sound of two hungry boys gorging themselves on a pie. I chose now to emerge from my hiding place, seeing as my prey was already hooked on the bait.

 They were both hunched over the pan, too busy shovelling handfuls of blueberry filling and crust into their mouths to notice me. I stood watching them for a moment before I finally plucked up the courage to speak. "H-Hello," I said timidly. My voice came out much quieter than I meant it to but the wild boys heard me nonetheless.

 The boy whom the youngest had called "Your Highness" jumped and stared at me with wide blue eyes. "Blimey, Luka! She's onto us! Run for it!" he cried, leaping to his feet as fast as lightening. His brother followed suit and before I could even blink, they were halfway to the road.

 "Wait! I have milk, too!" I called after them. That quick bit of thinking stopped those boys dead in their tracks.

 They exchanged looks before the eldest called out, "Bring it to us then!"

 "I can't! You'll have to come back!" I called in reply, praying that the boys wouldn't be frightened off so easily.

 Luckily, my boys were too proud to let themselves be spooked by a girl and cautiously made their way back to me. As they once approached the window, I instructed them, "Wait here and I'll get you some milk." They looked liable to stay put so I left them to return with what I had promised.

 When I came back, I found the two boys licking the last remains of my mother's pie from the bottom of the pan. I couldn't help but laugh at their piggish behaviour. "You boys eat as though your mum never feeds you," I teased.

 "We don't have no mum t'feed us," the older boy said, as though it should've been obvious. And now that I think back on it, it should've been, given the pathetic state of their clothing and the fact that they always ran free without the company of any adult as far as I could tell.

 "Oh. I'm sorry," was all I could think to say. My shoulders sank a bit. I felt like such a fool.

 "What're you sorry for? Aren't you gonna give us that milk instead of standing there like a ninny?" the older boy demanded.

 I passed the milk down to them and watched as they guzzled it as fast as the milk would leave the glass. Once the older boy had finished off his glass, he gazed back up at me. He asked me, "How come you couldn't have just brought us the milk?"

 "I'm not allowed to leave the house. Me mum and pa told me so," I said.

 "Well that's not a very good reason, cuz your mum and pa told you so. You live here, don't you? You should be allowed to come and go whenever it strikes your fancy, right Luka?" the boy said. Luka nodded in affirmation. And to my ten-year-old mind, his logic made perfect sense.

 Though I agreed with these strange boys, my loyalty to my parents still compelled me to defend their decisions. "They say that I can't go out cuz the villagers will hang me for being a witch on account of my eyes," I explained, though now, I wasn't so sure of this tired old tale.

 "Your eyes? What's wrong with 'em?" the boy questioned.

 I was shocked that he hadn't noticed. My eyes had made me an outcast, so naturally, I thought they were hideous. "They're all mismatched, can't you tell? One's blue an' one's brown," I said, feeling as though I were stating the obvious.

 The blond boy pulled himself up so that he was leaning with his arms on my windowsill so we were face-to-face, I guess to get a better look at my eyes. "Huh. I guess they are a little odd," he said. I blushed slightly, because of how close we were.

 Just then, I heard the front door creak open and my mother's voice call out, "Maggie! I'm home!"

 My heart leaped into my throat. If she saw me talking to villagers, she would surely put an end to it. "Quick! Hand up that pie tin and those glasses then make yourselves scarce!" I said in a frantic whisper.

 "Why?" the blond boy asked, surely out of pure orneriness.

 "Because if my mum catches you here, I'll never get to see you again," I said, nervously glancing over my shoulder as I heard my mum's footsteps approach. She was right outside my door. She called my name again. "Go!" I whispered fiercely, practically pushing the boy off of my windowsill.

 By the time my mother entered my little bedroom, the boys were nowhere to be found. I received a huge lecture and a good lashing from my pa when mum discovered the missing pie, but it was worth it. I had finally met my Robin Hood.