The Woods

Part 3

    As Quintin left the mailroom, he was surprised to see a King's servant, dressed in the traditional clothes of the Royal Messengers standing atop Lighthill's only fountain. Lighthill was a very small village in the middle of nowhere, and it was by the edge of Marahue, closer to the city of Heraal, in Isthu. Never before had the King sent a Messenger. He never had to. His curiosity kept him in the town square instead of running off to meet Lucia. People were starting to gather around the stone fountain, so the loud calls the messenger kept making were not really affecting anything besides Quintin's exceptional hearing, which was progressively growing much worse each time he shouted "Hear ye, Hear ye!" at the top of his lungs.

    Finally, when the Messenger seemed pleased he had enough of the village gathered, he began a speech, that, similarly to his "Hear ye" calls, was extremely loud.

    "I was sent to this small village of Lighthill by His Majesty himself, the mighty King Copres to convey a strongly important message to you citizens! Many of you have surely heard of the famed Witch of the Woods! We now tell you that this story is NOT a myth! Being Winter, and the current projects that require wood, she has become angered from our needs, and we wish that you stay away from the woods, for she may act rashly and commit crimes that many of you see below criminals!" Quinn rolled his eyes. They got a similar message in the mail every year, and he always paid it no heed. The Witch, or Sorceress, or Girl, or whatever anyone called the supposed inhibitor of the woods did not actually exist. He turned to walk away. "You there! You, boy!" Quinn turned around slowly to face the messenger. "You doubt my message? You doubt the King? You may not believe in Her, but she does exist! I warn you, DO NOT stray into the woods! She is angered and awake!" Quintin left without a word. Although he knew it was not a threat, he stayed away from the woods anyway, just to be safe. He did not see Lucia the entire time, however. When he finally opened the old, rickety front door of his home, his mother was sitting at the table, dinner ready for the three of them.

    "You're late," she snapped.

    "There was a special announcement." She sat up straighter in her chair.

     "What about?"

    "The Girl of the Woods."

    "Oh? What did they say?" Quintin rolled his eyes.

    "You want to hear what they said? It's a myth, for goodness sake, mother!" She looked at him sternly and he recited the message.

    "Hmmm... Well, you took the Far Path today? Away from the woods?"

    "Yes, mother, but do you really believe in that myth?" She didn't reply. "Well," he said as he took a small chunk of her raspberry and blueberry bread and told of his luck at the mailroom. The woods and the announcement were soon forgotten.

    "Medicine? For Bridget? That's the best you could do? Why not get some money instead?" Quinn sighed.

    "I got money too, mother. I told you that."

    "Well, you could have gotten more. Medicine is just a waste," he ignored her. Bridget needed that remedy.

    "Where's Bri?" His mother looked up from her small meal as if surprised by the question.

    "Huh? Oh, I think she's in the attic. Probably playing with that ludicrous doll you wasted your coins on."

    "Thank you," he said, ignoring the insult as he rushed to the thin ladder that led to the attic and clambered up it to give Bri her medicine.

    "Quintin?" Her small voice whispered. He could just make out a small shadow crouched in the corner of the room, shivering as she held the battered doll that she treasured. He crawled over to her in the confined space and wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm. Only, she was sweating as she shook. He quickly reached into his pocket, grabbed the medicine bottle, and pushed it into her lips.

    "Sip this." She did. And then she said something that he ended up thinking about for the rest of the night.

    "You didn't buy this, did you?" She paused, her delicate voice filled with worry that a young child's should never contain. "And even though you stole it... Mother still didn't want you to give it to me. Why does she hate me so?"