Soldier

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I saw the boy look at me from his mothers side as I played with the coin in my hand. Phee was quick with her feet to run and watch the puppets again once we arrived. I had watched with fascinated eyes as Phee's mother negotiated prices with the customers. I have to learn that, I thought. The crowd had eased and I leaned against the wall to play with my coin. Yes, this was my first-earned coin. Phee's mother thought I actually was a very much needed help and that I had done so well, she gave me a coin. I felt really proud at that moment. I felt like a kid again, helping my parents in the garden and earned a pound for it. I continued to roll the coin between my fingers as the boy watched me with big eyes. He let go of his mothers hand and carefully made his way towards me. “Do you like it?” I asked him and bent down to his hight. He nodded and tried to hide his face from me. “Look” I made the coin disappear between my fingers and then reappear. The boy gasped in surprise. I did it once more and now he started laughing. Once more I made the coin disappear. “What's behind your ear?” I said and took my hand behind his ear and made the coin appear again. “Have you special ears? With coins spitting out?” I smiled at him.

“How did you do that?” He asked with a big smile. “It's magic” I said and tucked my coin in my pocket. The boy turned around and ran to his mother. “Mother, that girl can do magic” He started to shout. People suddenly fell very quiet and looked nervously at the boy. The boy kept shouting and pointed at me. I felt myself shrink to the size of a mouse. I've never liked attention and this was not attention I seeked. People started to draw back from me and soon a perfectly shaped circle surrounded me. Phee's mother looked at me with fright in her eyes. “What did you do?”

I couldn't answer her, because not even myself knew that. All of sudden my hands were tied behind my back and two men carried me through the crowd. I cried at the top of my voice. “Phee!”

* * *

Once my feet touched the ground I looked at my surroundings. I was in a big room with benches on the sides. Much similar to a church, but without the holiness. Before me stood a man, with large beard and his hair in a tail. He looked old enough to be my grandfather. “What's the occasion, gentlemen?” His voice was deep and powerful. The two men went forward to his seat.

“This girl can do magic, sir” They pointed at me. It felt like they used needles instead. The old man raised his eyebrows. “Magic? Are you sure?” “A boy told the whole square”

“Sir, I wasn't doing anything” I shouted from my spot. I had to defend myself. One of the men went over to me. “You have no right to speak” “So what? What your telling is bullshit. It's not even true!”

“She's innocent!” I heard Phee scream as she rushed through the door. Her mother soon came after and pulled her away. “Phee, I will be fine” I said. “No, you won't. You don't know how they judge you here” “Silence!”

The judges voice echoed through the hall and we fell silent. He stood up from his chair and walked over to us. “You are all acting like a bunch of babbling baboons. First we ask the accused one” He walked over to me and inspected me carefully. “Were you or were you not doing magic?”

“No, sir” “Are you sure? Nothing with sparks flying?”

I took my coin out of my pocket. “It was only dexterity in front of a young boy” I showed him what I did and he looked amused. “Ah, something that could trick every child. You're free to go”

The two men started to argue. “What if she is a wizard? Or something even more frightful but you refuse to see it because of dexterity?”

The judge silent them with his hand. “I am sure she is not one of those things. Shouldn't big men like you know that stories are simply stories?” He smiled at them amused and went to his seat. Quickly I joined Phee and her mother and walked out of the hall.