Trapped ( Zarobljena prevedeno na engleski jezik )

11. Wrong choice

With the first rays of sunlight sneaking into the church through the dilapidated window, Evangelia realized she needed to continue her journey. She cautiously peeked behind the church doors. Before stepping outside, she had to be sure that every danger had passed. The sunbeams caressed her face. They had never seemed more beautiful and warmer than they did at that moment. The ominous and dark forest had transformed into a peace for all her senses. She could even hear the gentle chirping of birds. The scene around the girl did not reveal that a war raged nearby or that a specter had walked through this lovely forest during the night that had just passed.

People do not know what a blessing a ray of sunshine and a new day are. If they did, they would worship the sun that rises every morning. I cannot blame them. I once took all of this for granted, the girl thought as she walked through the church gate that had magically opened for her the night before. Before leaving the churchyard, she took a little life-saving holy water in a flask that she found there.

I will need it, that's for sure. He will come for me again tonight. Before he arrives, I need to see Vujadin. My mother wants me to talk to him for some reason. Although she was weak, the girl felt a flicker of hope that this strange old man would help her, at least to protect her from the apparition they desired.

After thoroughly examining the crime scene and ensuring that she was not in danger, Evangelia continued her way with light steps. She turned one last time towards the small church, which was already obscured by the trees. I will repay you somehow, someday, she thought as she walked again along the well-trodden path.

***

The trees of the forest thinned out, signaling the exit from it and the entrance to the small town. The girl wondered what she would find in the place where she had spent her entire life. She reached the edge of the forest, the sun was already high in the sky. Overcome by sadness, she leaned against a tree to avoid falling to her knees. Nothing remained of what she remembered. The place that stretched out before her did not resemble the small town where she had spent her childhood and the most beautiful moments. It looked like a wasteland.

Instead of beautiful little houses with wooden roofs, there were now blackened, collapsed buildings. Skeletons left behind after the fire had devoured everything. And here, once, people, my townsfolk, had built their lives. Now, there was nothing. There was no one left. They took everything from us that bloody day.

Evangelia was afraid to descend into the town for several reasons. The first was that it wasn't wise to return, as she didn't know who might be passing through it now. Perhaps the Turks were still walking those well-known paths of her childhood. The second reason was the fear of what she would find of her home, and the flood of memories that would overwhelm her more easily than a ghost.

The girl stood for a while, leaning against a tree, looking at her sad, ash-gray little town. A tear slid down her face, gathering all the pain for her home and childhood. Then she waved her hand and headed toward the hill on the other side of the town. Only then did the question arise in her mind, along with the fear of whether she would even find the herbalist and his house. What if they had vanished like everything else around me?

Evangelia was almost running towards the hill where there was a cemetery near which the herbalist lived. She reached his gate. With relief, she realized that Vujadin's house and its surroundings were the only ones that had withstood the Turkish attack. Then something on the other side of the gate caught her attention. The old man Vujadin, with his unkempt beard and tattered clothes, always looking frightening, opened the gate. He squinted at the girl in front of him, his sky-blue eyes barely visible beneath thick bristles.

- Good afternoon, Evangelia. I was expecting you - he finally said.

****

Now it was Evangelia's turn to be surprised: - How did you know I would come? - the girl asked, standing as if rooted to the spot.