Through a Masked Maiden's Eyes

Chapter 3 - Bittersweet

I closed the door softly and turned toward the yard. My eyes scanned and landed on a small girl that was standing underneath the tree watching the others in the yard.

I smiled gently as I came up to Neta from behind and swept her up in the air in my arms.

She shrieked and broke into a fit of giggles when she saw it was me. She was a dwarf girl of four years. Her parents had died in a tragic carriage accident about a year ago.

“Z! I mished yoo! “She exclaimed with pudgy cheeks and solemn large brown eyes.

I set her on my hip and tweaked nose with one of her uneven braided pigtails. “I missed you too Neta. Have you been good?” I pursed my lips and raised my eyebrow in an exaggerated manor and she giggled again, then bit her lip and nodded her head quickly.

“Really?” I asked teasingly, “Cause I believe a little bird told me that you got James back for putting a toad in your spot on the pallet.” I wished I could give them their own beds, but they all slept together to conserve space, money and heat.

Neta’s eyes widened, “Wat burdie? N’ he dasavved it.”

“Really now, and what did he deserve?”

“He dasavved get booket dumped on ‘im.”

I held back a giggle and tried to make my voice somewhat stern, “A bucket you say? Hmm, and what was in this bucket?”

Neta twisted her little mouth to the side and with pride said, “Dity dish wata.”

I looked at her for a moment working to contain my amusement. Awa was going to love hearing this tale. “Now, Neta, what’s done is done but let’s try to play nice from now on, ok?”

A shy smile graced her face and she said, “Okee, but he statted it.”

I bit my lip to hold back yet another smile and said, “I don’t care who started it, it needs to stop, ok sweetie?”

Neta sighed but nodded. She gestured for me to let her down. I did so somewhat reluctantly. One day… I shook the thought from my head. I couldn’t afford to dwell on that.

She stomped over to a little boy, James, and held out her hand saying something that I couldn’t catch from all the chatter around the yard but understanding seemed to light James’s face. He nodded reluctantly and put his hand in hers. They shook and quickly released turning away from each other for a moment before turned back around and holding hands and walking off to play with the other children.

I smiled softly; they reminded me of myself and Dusty. I felt a pang in my heart when I thought his name, it was guilt. I let him think me dead but I wasn’t entirely sure someone didn’t want me dead and I wouldn’t endanger him, I couldn’t. I had run and this time he hadn’t caught me, because this time he didn’t know to chase me.