The Wood

Part 2, Entry 9

Day Twenty-Five, Fourth Moon, Hunting Year Five Hundred and Four

Mags enrolled me in school. It's nothing fancy, but I'm excited to be learning again. I sit next to Mason, and he helps me take notes since I don't write very quickly. The books in the Haven tell a different history than the books in the Village -- and there's no book that's off limits to anyone. Back home, the books -- and the teachers -- spend a lot of time talking about the curses and the signs that warned plague or misfortune was coming. In the Haven, though, people say that the misfortunes aren't the result of curses or witchcraft. It's hard to believe that after spending my whole life surrounded by the threat of the Curse. Everyone seems so content here, and they aren't any different than they were when the Village called them Cursed. The only change is, now they live among people who aren't afraid of them or disgusted by them. Mags says those things are their own kind of Curse -- fear and disgust. I think Mags might be right, but I don't know if I'm ready to believe them.

I went to my first distribution day this week, as well. Haven-dwellers are remarkably generous. Sasha and Maya gave me a ride on a spare sled so I could go to the Common and pick out items for myself. By the end of the visit, I had new clothes, blankets, linens, and even a few books, all made by other people in the Haven. We made a special stop by Leo's stall. At first, I thought it was just because Sasha wanted to look at the pretty figurines and bangles he makes  he makes out of inlaid wood -- she's got a hoard of them stuffed in the gap between her mattress and the box spring -- but I was wrong.

We arrived in late afternoon and found Leo sitting on the grass and sanding the handle of a crutch with careful precision. Carvings of all shapes and sizes surrounded him. When he saw me, Leo's face lit up as he explained that Mags had told him I would be visiting him today. He reached behind him and pulled out the most beautiful prosthetic leg I had ever seen.

"This isn't for you," he said, "seeing as you aren't missing my limbs, but I want you to see an example of what I can do. That way, you can give me your specifications."

He had to wait a long time for me to stop gaping and answer him. I couldn't get over the beauty of it. Carved in the shape of a tree trunk, vines wove up the sides in twists and braids and ended in a smooth opening at the top. Finally, I answered, "I almost wish it was mine!"

Leo laughed and promised that he would design braces just for me. He questioned me on my disability, and the way I used braces in the past, the activities I liked to do and what I needed from my splints to do those things. I thought the interview would stop there, but he continued with questions about what I thought was beautiful, the kind of jewelry I liked to wear -- I told him I didn't have any, but that I liked to make crowns and necklaces out of wildflowers in the summer months and that I like it when butterflies land in my hair. And, despite the bees that stung me, I like blackberry bushes.

I left the Haven Common feeling safe and welcome in a way that I can't remember ever feeling in the Village, even though I was born there. Although I'm Cursed, I can't help wishing I had been here all along.