The Eyes Of 'Rah

The Woodcutter's Daughter

Young Seraphine jolted to consciousness as she woke up in sweat, sitting on the high makeshift bamboo bed. Her feet dangled in the air, the sun rays streaming in indicated she had overslept, jumping off the bed full of glee, she wrapped her thin shawl around her as she prepared to go to the village.

Seraphina's home is sitted on the outskirts of the village, the farthest place to other humans. She looked around the two rooms debating on where to start her clean up from, her father's bedroom or her room during the night which also served as their living room during the day.

She could hear father's grunts as he struck his axe on the woods, splinting them in small sizes, fit to be placed in the fire place. Ever since coal has been found to be a less stressful way of creating fire to cook, the demand for logs of wood had declined, making it impossible for her father to earn enough for the smooth running of their home. People rely more on using briquettes than logs.

Seraphine had forgotten the dream which jerked her awake, humming as she washed the plates right after cleaning the house, she enjoyed humming, not sure how she came about the particular song. She listened again when she didn't hear the sound of the axe hitting against the wood anymore. That could only mean her father was already arranging the chunks of wood into different sizes. If she wanted to follow him to the village as promised, she needed to complete her chores on time to avoid being left behind.

Seraphine jogged in excitement looking forward to accompanying her father to the big house he had described the day before. He had promised to take her if she did her chores on time, not that there was a time she didn't.

"Seraphine, are you ready?" Her father called out while loading the cart.

"Almost" her tiny voice rang through the empty field around the house, surrounded by forest which housed different animals, Seraphine quickly washed up, excited about going to the village for the first time, she skipped her breakfast since curiousity had already filled her stomach. Putting on her worn out sandals, she joined her father by the cart.

"Are you sure you will be all right?" Concern filled his face.

One of the things which had discourage Patrick from taking his daughter to the village was the lack of space in his cart for her to sit. He usually fill his cart to the brim so as to sell all as much woods in other to get more income even though he had few customers, with the rise in the sales of briquettes. Fortunately, one of the big houses in the village still use woods for other things so he had been their sole supplier.

"Yes, I will help you push the cart and when I'm tired, I will walk beside you" clapping her hands as she relayed their agreement as discussed the previous night.

The distance between their house to the village is not that far, but someone as young as his six year old daughter will see it as a long journey. Smiling as he watched the pleasing smile on his daughter's lips, his chest tightened as he stared as his daughter's eyes. He watched the white pigment covering her eyes, at first glance, one would think she used a white cloth to cover the dark part of her eyes, until after a close watch which will show it was how she had been created.

Seraphine had been birthed with her eyes, shrouded with a white pigment. Effort had been made for an explanation on the cause but none could be found. The villagers had treated them unfairly, even after one of the members of the elite family who seemed more educated and had travelled far and wide had told them that it is one of the eye defects which was quite common among some people in the other part of the world.

That had not stopped the villagers from talking behind their back or keeping their children away from Seraphine, labelling her a freak. This was the major reasons Patrick had decided to settle on the outskirts of the village, with nature surrounding them.

It broke his heart that his daughter had been without friends for a long time, he hope she would at least find someone who would look past her beautiful strange eyes and make friends with her.

"Let's go then" he got behind the handle of the cart, bracing his stomach and his arms for he pull , he glanced at his daughter's determined face to help push the cart.

Few minutes later, Patrick who had been looking over his shoulder to check on Seraphine caught the tired look on her face. He knew she would denied being tired so they can continue their journey in other to reach the village on time, he stopped suddenly and took a sip of cool fresh water from the satchel.

"I want to rest for a while" he announced, trying not to smile as he saw the smile of relief on her face, Seraphine took a small sip of her water from her own little satchel.

"Are we almost there?"

"Yes. If you listen carefully you will hear the sound of the engine used for mining"

Stretching her eyes, she listened carefully, flashing her spacious tiny white teeth, she jumped in excitement when she heard the sound. Patrick pointed at the smoke disappearing towards the cloud, "and that is a sign that Mrs. Montgomery is already baking her bread" she watched in awe, "is she the one who sells the bread you sometimes bring home?"

"Yes, she is" seeing the tired face gone, Patrick stood and they continued their journey.

Seraphine was awe-struck, seeing so many houses and people scattered around in the village. Her eyes widened in amazement at the charming scene unfolding before her. Cobblestone streets meandered between rustic cottages adorned with colorful flowers, creating a picturesque setting.

She stood in awe as villagers bustled about their daily activities. Farmers tended to their crops in nearby fields, while children played traditional games near a bubbling fountain. The sweet aroma of Mrs. Montgomery's freshly baked bread wafted from the small bakery afar, enticing her senses.

Mesmerised, she watched a group of artisans crafting intricate pottery, their hands skillfully molding the clay into beautiful shapes. A blacksmith nearby hammered rhythmically, shaping metal with precision.

The village square came alive with a lively market, where vendors displayed vibrant fruits and handmade crafts.  Her eyes went grew huge as she discovered a puppeteer entertaining a captivated audience, each marionette dancing to a whimsical tune.

"Outta my way, lass!" The boom voice of one of the villagers knocked her out of her trance. Patrick looked over his shoulder to see his daughter standing in the middle of the road.

"Seraphine, watch out!" He warned as the owner of the scary voice tried to push her of the road.

Frightened, Seraphine ran towards her father, who scolded her a little for being carried away. "You have to be careful when you're in a busy place. You might get lost" he warned.

"You don't need to push the cart anymore" worried she might get distracted if she was behind him, "stay in front where I can see you"

Seraphine ignored the hands pointing at her, she knew they were probably talking about her eyes, unbothered since her father already told her people have different colours of eyes. She had seen the reflection of her eyes in the stream near her home countless time to know her eyes were different from others.

If only she knew how significantly different her eyes were from others, something she was about to find out soon enough.