The Sleeping Army Awakes

Part 11 An Uninvited Guest

Samuel was rudely awakened, from an inadequately brief and troubled sleep, by a small cold damp hand shaking his shoulder. He was still slumped where he had fallen asleep, hunched over, with the warm army blanket covering his back and shoulders. The burner beneath the pan was still burning, but only just, and the pan itself still sizzled, with only the last few drops remaining of brown water skittering across the stainless steel surface of its base.

"You've got food!" A small tremulous female voice accused. Samuel didn't need to open his eyes to know that she was shivering and probably nearing hypothermia.

"I have indeed!" Samuel replied, reluctantly opening bleary eyes, to squint up into the light and discover who that it was that was accosting him.

What he saw was the silhouette of a petite, malnourished young woman resembling some latter day Cinderella before her transformation. The dress that she wore was almost more tatters than it was fabric. Both the bodice and skirts left little to the imagination, which Samuel was not particularly short of, and what he couldn't see because of the tears in the fabric; he could clearly define due to the light behind her that was streaming through the rain laden material. It was clear that she was in her twenties despite her stature. She was barefoot, the same as Samuel, covered in mud nearly to her knees and she was soaked to the skin and shivering. Samuel felt instantly protective.

"I'm starving hungry. Are you willing to share some food with me with me?" She asked. Now that she had woken Samuel up, she retreated to a safer distance out of reach of his arms but remained crouched down to stay on his level. "I can trade!" She added uncertainly.

"Certainly!" Samuel laughed, wondering what it was that she wanted to trade and guessing that she had nothing that he wanted, including her emaciated body. "But if I am to feed you young lady then you could at least tell me your name."

"I'm Kateřena Kratka!" Katka announced, "But you can call me Katka."

Seeing the state that Samuel was in, Katka attempted to keep her body at a distance and moved forward enough, so that she could bend over to shake his hand, but as their fingers came close, sparks flew between the two of them and she had leaned too far over for comfort. Her legs buckled because they were weak from starvation, so as she held her tiny grubby hand out and ventured to shake his, she toppled forward onto Samuel. He managed to catch her mid flight, so that she didn't damage anything. Electricity continued to crackle between them. They were both embarrassed to be in such close proximity of one another but as he helped Katka up Samuel began to chuckle.

"Well it's a long time since a girl threw herself at me this early after I woke!" Samuel observed wryly.

"I'm not a girl!" Katka protested defiantly.

"Oh please don't be offended... Perhaps it's an affectation of my generation. Every woman is a girl when you get to my age," Samuel said, "and though I am not a medical doctor; I can state with absolutely certainty that you are not a boy!"

"Listen I know that I'm small, but I am a fully grown woman!" Katka announced haughtily.

"OK that's agreed!" Samuel admitted, though he doubted the veracity of the statement.

"I'm sorry that I fell over onto you." Katka said.

"Oh don't worry there's no damage done really." Samuel said, hoping that would be an end of that conversation but Katka seemed determined to explain.

"I didn't realise how weak I had become." She said, "and then you gave me an electric shock. Please if you have food share it with me. I haven't eaten for ages," and then she turned away unable to look him in the eye, "and I told you that I could trade."