A Mess of a World: the Etched Stone

3.4) Alessida

Walking around inside, Alessida could nearly taste the misery that was thick in the air. People passed with solemn, blank, or even crying faces. No children played in the streets, nearly everyone wore black or mourning colors, and the purple flowers began to feel fitting to the dark mood.

An unshakable feeling of melancholy surrounded Alessida. One that she couldn't escape.

It shrouded and crowned her until she was the same. All she could think about were sad or scary moments in her life.

She looked over at Sama and saw that the child's face was twisted into an unfitting miserable expression.

Alessida's wish of not bringing her had never felt more fitting. The journey would have been hard enough on her own, but this was no place for someone with a seemingly indomitable spirit like Sama. Seeing her sad, made Alessida feel even more so.

"Right... well, you girls stay near the front." Damen was instructing them, his eyes flying around at all of the people. "This is especially one of those times where getting lost would be a very bad idea."

"We'll be back soon." Zaki'a told them, trying to sound reassuring, but with her expression Alessida just wasn't buying it.

And then they left, and Alessida and Sama were alone.

What a hopelessly depressing place. Alessida scowled with a shiver. Oh please don't let us stay here too long.

"Check out Dead's Ville here." Sama mumbled. "This is starting to make me think that Krerlon was better, and it was a bigger bad there. Ugh. Not like this though. Oh! Check it! What's that?"

She took off into the crowd having seen something.

"Sama!" Alessida gasped.

Right then she an unshakable feeling that she was being watched, but she shook it off and chased after her.

Sama had run to where people were gathering. A small stage was centered between a house and one of the walls around the city.

A grey curtain was gathering up as a performance started and Alessida had to push and elbow to get to Sama. "You can't run off like that! Don't you remember what Zaki'a and Damen told us?" She whispered angrily.

"Sorry!" The girl mumbled sheepishly. "But it's exciting, innit? Krerlon would have plays and stuff sometimes, but you'd've had to pay. This is open for all!"

"Well excitement is definitely a step up from depression." Alessida murmured.

"Yeah. It's weirdy, isn't it? Like Lorraine from the woods." Sama said, her eyes glued to the curtains as they pulled back. "The way we all felt like somethin' was off. I think it was magic."

Alessida processed her words in a new light and thought carefully as an idea formed. "Wait... do you think that all of this... is because of magic? That girl from the forest..." Her eyes widened. "She might have made it here."

Could she have cast a spell over the city?