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Another story. ^_^
Sophie was a simple girl with extraordinary gifts. She was unaware of all her blessings except for her talent with the animals of the forest and the meadow. As if it were second nature, she knew what they felt and understood them far better than any other person of her village. Sophie felt like she belonged with them in their world, and wondered from time to time weather she was placed in the wrong body when she was born.
With her chestnut hair in one single braid, she would venture out into the woods each evening in search of any animal to play with. While the other children ran in the street, she would run with wolves, deer, and birds. When her mother would call for her to return, she would be covered in dirt and grass.
Her mother, Jennifer, was a proper woman. Jennifer was raised as the mayor’s daughter, and even after the death of her father, she continued to host the political parties of the town. The woman was an aging beauty, the town’s pride, and the sole parent of Sophie. There was hardly anything that Jennifer wasn’t expected to know about. The one topic that was seldom spoken of around her was the father of her child and how to raise a proper young lady.
The whereabouts of the father was quite a bit of gossip back when Jennifer had found herself pregnant. It was the first scar of gossip that stained Jennifer’s name, and it wasn’t the last. Sophie had created plenty for the whole family name as she grew as an unusual child. However, Jennifer acted as any mother should towards her child, with love and compassion. There were moments, in the quiet of the house in the evenings, when a tired and disappointed look would cross Jennifer’s face as she watched Sophie play.
The father was of great interest, as it was said before. The topic became even more so as the years progressed and Sophie looked less and less like her beautiful mother. Sophie had chestnut hair, hazel eyes and dark, olive skin. She was also tall and lanky for her age. Jennifer was a brilliant blond with blue eyes and fair pale skin. Her body was proportioned with itself, and of average height. Clearly, Sophie had taken after her father, whoever he was.
And that was the greatest mystery and rumor of all. All those in the town were fair skinned, and blond. Only those in the south mountains were of olive skin. The hazel eyes were only found in the west swamp lands. Furthermore, chestnut hair was in the northern plains. There was no clear understanding of where the father had come from.
By the time that Sophie was eighteen, she had lost her tall, lanky body and had a tall, slender one. She had taken a job as a dairy maid at her neighbor’s farm, to the protest of her mother. She enjoyed her work, and received the best yield from the cows, since she knew how to work the utters to the cow’s comfort. No one knew of her gift, so her coworkers thought of her as lucky.
One evening, as the last cow was being milked, Sophie found herself staring at the sky. There had been a severe drought and the crops were dying. The cows were unhappy, as all the other animals in the area were, since food was becoming more and more scarce. She sighed, watching a clear sky take on the shade of pink.
“Red skies at night, tomorrow’s delight,” a voice said behind her. It was Jimmy, the farmer’s son. He was speaking to his young wife, gazing past Sophie to the sky. “What we really need is a storm,” his wife replied. She walked past Sophie and out into the yard to the house. Jimmy followed, turning to Sophie to nod a goodnight to her. She curtsied to him and watched as he walked away.
When everything was cleaned and tidy, Sophie and the two other girls closed the barn door and parted ways. Slowly, Sophie walked to the woods to her short cut home. She stopped once before reaching the birch boughs of the trees to watch an ant hill. The hill was small and she frowned. When the hills were tall and big, it indicated that rain was coming.
Entering into the woods, she sighed. She was the most comfortable in the woods and felt completely at home. She listened as she thought the birds were welcoming her back home, if only for a small visit. Everything was so peaceful that she knew little could irritate and aggravate her while on her walk home. Then, she saw it.
Crouched on the path in front of her was a creature carefully inspecting a little flower that miraculously grew on the path, under the thick canopy and amidst the close growing birch trees. The creature could have been thought of a human, and in fact Sophie had thought that it was human at first. However, the ears were long and pointed, and instead of pointing up, they pointed out to the sides. It’s skin was brown, almost like copper and it seemed to shimmer as such in the dying light. It’s eyes were large, round copper dishes and it’s nose was small and came to a very sharp point.
Sophie didn’t know weather to be scared or curious about the little creature. But when it stood up and faced her, she knew that it wasn’t a little as she had thought. The creature was tall, far taller than anyone that she had ever seen before. It looked at her and she gazed at it.
“Hello,” she whispered, holding out her hand slowly and carefully, treating the creature as one of the animals in the forest. The creature stood still and stared intently at her hand that she held out. “Don’t be afraid, I’m not going to harm you. Just don’t worry.”
The creature lifted his own hand and grasped on to her wrist, but not with violent force. She jumped, but even her surprise hadn’t affected the creature. It’s long fingers felt her sleeve with curiosity, touching the cotton and the ribbon that decorated her dress. Sophie couldn’t help but smile while she watched it.
It pulled on her arm and she turned around. It crouched down, almost like a dog, and examined her dress. It pulled and lifted her apron, sticking its hands in the two large pockets. She giggled and untied the apron, watching the expression on the creature’s face as it came with it’s hands. It sniffed the cotton.
“You’re a funny one,” she whispered. It looked up at her and with the apron still on it’s hands, tested her dress. When it tried to lift it up, she gasped and pushed her dress back down. It fell backwards and then looked behind it down the trail. In an instant, it took off running, with the apron still on it’s hands.
“My apron!” she gasped as she watched the creature disappear among all the birch trees. She sighed, knowing that she was never going to get her apron back and thinking of an excuse to tell her mother. Certainly her mother wasn’t going to be too happy about her being late, much less losing the one good apron she had.
Sophie’s stomach turned, remembering her mother telling her not to wear the apron to the farm. She was in certain trouble and she knew exactly how her mother was going to handle it. She was going to tell Sophie that she needed to act her age and stop being so irresponsible. Sophie prepared her story and swallowed as she walked home.
Chapter Two
The next morning was Sunday, and even though cows needed to be milked everyday, she was not to work. When Sophie took the job, her mother allowed her to stay working on one condition; she must not work on Sunday. Every Sunday was used for the courting of Sophie, since no man would come to court her when they couldn’t find her. But still, no one would come on Sunday and she still managed to disappear into the forest.
This is where she was today. She sat in a clearing a good way off from the path, so if her mother did decide to search for her in the wood, which wasn’t likely, Sophie would be missing. The sun was bright and warm, perfect before the heat of the day arrived. She closed her eyes, it was morning yet.
The copper-dish eyes came to her minds’ eye as she relaxed. It was peculiar as to who or what it was. She looked up to the sky, blocking the sun from her eyes with a small, delicate hand. Sophie frowned at it, bringing it down to her face so she could look at it. It was the only thing of her mother’s that she had.
“It’s not natural for a woman to be in the woods,” a voice said from behind her. Her eyes grew wide as she lifted her back off the tree and turned to face the voice. A stranger stood off to the side of her, looking out into the clearing. He was tall, slender, but built for labor. His brown hair was long and tied back away from his face. His skin was pale, like every other person in the town.
“It’s the most natural place for woman. The people of the town came from the birch woods and this is where we should be. Where do you think we got the pale skin from? The birch trees, of course,” she answered back.
The man walked over and sat down next to her. Never once did the two look each other in the eye and even though they were sitting next to each other, they seemed miles away. “Where did you come from then?” he asked coolly. “You certainly are not a fair, blond vixen unlike your neighbors.”
“I would prefer to leave my personal life out of our little conversation. And what of you? Where do you hail from?”
“I would also prefer to leave my personal life out of conversation. It doesn’t matter where I’m from. Besides,” he rose to his feet, “I have an appointment. I shouldn’t dally on nonsense.”
Sophie glared at his back as he walked into the woods towards town. She sighed angrily and stared at the meadow ahead of her. She knew that the meadow would have been filled with beautiful wild flowers and tall, itchy green grass if it weren’t for the drought. But all that consisted of the meadow was dried up, yellow and light green grass. After a time, she stood up and walked back home.
Jennifer was frantically moving about the house when Sophie arrived home. The house was completely clean and smelled of fresh baked bread. The company tea set was out on the kitchen table, ready to be used. On the stove, a chocolate-honey sauce was being boiled and prepared for the cinnamon bread. Sophie stood in the doorway, unsure of what was going on.
“Quick, hurry upstairs and wash your face and hands! Use the lilac perfume that I have and climb into your lavender satin dress. I want you to use my light blue apron - don’t lose it and stand up straight! - that’s hanging in the closet. Brush your hair out of that silly braid and put it on top of your head like a lady! Hurry, now, it’s almost three.”
“But Mother, I . . .”
“Now Sophie, we haven’t a moment to spare. If only you wouldn’t go venturing out into the wood,” Jennifer sighed. She stirred the chocolate-honey in the pot and began to slice the bread. Instinctively, she reached for the kettle and filled it with water to boil and make into tea.
Sophie watched her for a moment before going to the stairway on the side of the kitchen to do as her mother had asked. Upstairs in her room, she found everything laid out on the bed for her. With a roll in her eyes, she pulled off her cotton dress and her other clothing until she was standing in her under-gown.
She eyed herself in the vanity mirror and then reached for the bodice of her best dress. She pulled it over her head and tied it as tight as she could manage with her velvet white rope. The bodice strangled her body, fighting her every breath. She fingered the cotton skirt that was attached to the bodice and wished that she was wearing her cotton, peasant’s dress instead.
Next she washed her face and hands in a bowl of water her mother had set out. The water smelled heavily of lilac and pine, the scent that Jennifer had favored on her daughter. After which she pulled on her dress and then wrapped her mother’s satin apron around her waist.
A knock sounded at the door downstairs as Sophie reached for the brush on her vanity. Jennifer called up to Sophie to hurry before running to the door. Sophie knew at that instant without a doubt that some poor soul had actually come to call on her. Quickly, she pulled her hair up into a pony tail and tied it back. Then she wrapped her hair around and tied it with a long purple ribbon. Then, before walking downstairs and for final measure, she grimaced in the mirror and then glared.
“So you see, there really isn’t any hope for the poor boy. He just hasn’t learned how to properly court a lady and I hardly think that he will ever learn!” Sophie could hear Jennifer say. Jennifer could talk about anything and make perfect conversation. It was a gift of hers.
Sophie walked into the front room and stopped in the doorway. There on the couch and sitting next to her mother was the most beautiful man that she had ever encountered. He was tall, but well built. His hair was a strange reddish-brown and his eyes twinkled blue. His jaw was strong and pronounced.
“Sophie, there you are!” her mother cried, getting up from the couch and standing besides her. Jennifer grasped Sophie’s arm and pulled her into the room, in front of the man. “My I introduce my daughter Sophia. Sophia, my I present Mathew Giles of Capitol City.”
Mathew rose to his feet and reached for her hand. She scowled as quickly as she could once she realized that he had seen her surprise. Like a gentleman, he kissed her hand and smiled. “I am delighted to meet the young Sophia. You take after your father, I must assume.”
“A pity, as you must surely be thinking,” Sophie spat out. Jennifer pinched Sophie on the under arm before excusing herself into the kitchen. Sophie slouched down in the little wooden chair opposite the couch as best as she could. The bodice pinched her, but she refused to sit straight. She began to chew on her tongue and fiddle with her hair.
After a long while, Mathew leaned back on the couch and continued to watch her. Sophie refused to look him in the eye, but continued to play with her teeth. She opened her mouth at one point to rub her tongue on teeth, as if she had something stuck in between.
“You try too hard,” Mathew said after a while. Sophie looked at him surprised. He smiled at her and continued to watch her. “I wonder why you do so, since your mother seems so adamant about getting you a husband. You should help her along.”
“Men do nothing to compliment women, but rather hold them prisoner in a cage and refuse to allow them any freedom. All a wife does is help her husband by cooking, cleaning, and doing whatever work he would request of her.”
“A husband offers security.”
“So it is a gilded cage. It is my own opinion that a cage is a cage, no matter what it is made of or what it is furnished with.”
“A husband offers children.”
Sophie looked at him crossly and sat up straight, leaning a little ways towards him. He followed suit and leaned towards her, smiling devilishly. She wanted to hit him as hard as she could, but knew the wrath that Jennifer would bring upon her if she did. Instead, she looked as angry as she could and whispered harshly, “My mother was never married and I am here.”
“Is that so?” He replied coolly. Sophie opened her mouth to continue her bantering, but Jennifer came in carrying the tea tray. She poured the tea happily, handing Mathew a cup first. Then she handed a cup to Sophie, smiling her warning smile to her. Then she left to continue work in the kitchen.
The tea was the best tea that they had in the house. The smell of cinnamon and pears rose up into Sophie’s nostrils as she sipped at it. Over her cup, she eyed Mathew carefully and suspiciously. She wasn’t going to let him have the last word and she knew that she had to get him out of the house as fast as she could.
“Why are you here?” she asked calmly.
“I am courting you. I would think it is obvious, since your mother set aside this one day of the week for this.”
“I’m not the only available woman. There are others.”
“None with your power.”
“Mary Collins is the heir to a coal mine!” Sophie protested.
“That’s not the power that I am talking about,” he spoke carefully. He set down his cup and glanced at the kitchen door before directing his attention at her. He smiled. “You have a gift, Sophia.”
“Sophie.” Se corrected him gladly, hoping he would stop talking about her.
“Fine, Sophie. You have a phenomenal gift, and perhaps you have more. I know that you ran into a very interesting thing last night.”
Sophie looked at him, setting her cup down. She tried to keep a straight face as she remembered the copper-dish eyes. Her mind whirled as she tried to think of how he knew that she came across it, but she was not prepared to ask. She refused to let on that he was right.
“That’s quite an accusation that you have of me, Mathew Giles.”
“Please, Dancer.”
“Excuse me? Dancer?”
“It’s just a nickname. Besides, I have proof.” With that remark, he pulled a piece of fabric out of his pocket and handed it to her. She hesitantly reached for the light lavender fabric, but took it from his hands. The satin lining edged the wool expertly and she knew in an instant from the dirt stains that it was her apron. She unfolded it and looked at it carefully, knowing that she would be able to clean it to the way it was.
“How do you know this was mine? It could be anyone’s, really.”
“I asked around,” he laughed. “You’re the only one that goes into the wood regularly. Also, he gave me a description of the pretty youth that he came across on the path.”
She set the apron beside her on the chair’s arm and looked at him coolly. Her mind raced as she thought about his words. He said that he had spoken with the creature that she had met. He said that the creature had talked with him and gave him a complete description of her. She wondered how. Then anger surged into her.
“How dare you!?” she cried. “I am not gullible, Mr. Giles and I do not appreciate being thought as such. It will do you well to take this as a lesson and remember that not all girls believe in fairy tales! Get out of here, right this instant!” Sophie pointed to the door.
Dancer slowly rose to his feet and looked at her. Her face had turned red and he knew exactly what she thought. She was under the illusion that he had pretended to be the creature and was now playing with her. He made to leave, stopped by Jennifer.
“Oh please don’t leave, Mr. Giles. I slaved over a hot stove, so the least that you can do before you leave is eat. Please, sir, just stay a few moments more.” Dance nodded and sat down again. “Sophie, will you please help me in the kitchen?”
Sophie rolled her eyes and picked up her apron and walked into the kitchen. As soon as she was out of sight from Dancer, Jennifer grabbed her and pinned her up against the wall. Sophie knew that she was in trouble, and she dropped her apron to the floor.
Jennifer was breathing heavily, and she tried to control herself as best she could. Slowly, she tried to steady herself, and was slowly reaching her goal. However, Jennifer knew that she was going to just get angry again when Sophie would try to justify her actions towards Mr. Giles.
“What are you doing?” Jennifer asked through clenched teeth. “He is the first man to come to our door and you are acting like a little girl! What hope do you have for yourself if you can not marry? It is the only thing that we have for ourselves. The only reason I was able to survive comfortably with you as a child was because of my father’s legacy. The town will not be as lenient with you if you remain a spinster. And Heaven help you if you conceive out of wedlock.”
“Yes Mother,” Sophie replied. Jennifer sighed in relief, realizing that Sophie had little strength to fight against her right now. Jennifer turned around, releasing Sophie and holding on to the table. Sophie picked up the apron after a while and placed it on the table. Glancing at it, and remaining silent, Jennifer handed Sophie the plate of bread and a bowl of the sauce and sent her into the other room. With a sigh, Jennifer sat in a chair.
Sophie walked back into the front room, half expecting Dancer to have left. He was still there, however, like he was meant to be there. She set the tray on the table next to the tea and then sat down in her chair, gladly thinking that he was going to leave after he ate and never come back.
She was well aware and understood what her mother had said, but she didn’t want to marry and be stuck to a house for the rest of her life. She wanted to be able to explore the woods and talk to the animals. She wanted to be herself and not a man’s property, unlike some of the other women in the town. Sophie just wanted to live out her life, and if a child came her way then she would treat that child as a blessing.
“You’re rather feisty,” Dancer commented, biting into a piece of bread. Sophie looked at him, hoping that he would be silent for the rest of the visit. She prayed with every part of her being, but knew that it was fruitless when he opened his mouth again. “I believe that difficult women are the best. They’re determined, hardworking, . . .”
“You’re not going away, are you?” Sophie interrupted. A silence fell over them as they both looked at each other, daring the other to look away. Both were determined, though, and so the silence lasted much longer than ever anticipated. It lasted so long that the room went past uncomfortable all the way to unbearable. Still, the two stared at each other.
Then Dancer answered her. “No, I don’t think so,” he said slowly. Sophie groaned and leaned back in the chair again, frustrated that he was going to be there for a little while longer. While she watched the sun light on the ceiling, she knew that he was smiling at her.
In front of the house, there was a little puddle of water that never dried up. One may call the water a pond, but it was two small to be that. Around the pond, there was always an abundance of flowers and reeds. Even in the drought, the pond remained healthy and the plants remained green. What Sophie liked best about the pond was on a sunny evening, the sunlight was reflected through the window and danced on the ceiling.
The other most distinguishing characteristic about the house was it’s tall windows. The windows, where ever they were placed around the house, there long and much narrower than other windows. But they kept the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and thus they were the envy of the town. Unfortunately, no one knew how they were built or placed, and thus no one could copy the design.
“Do you cook as well as your mother?” Dancer asked her calmly.
“No, I’m horrible at it. I even burn water, if you can believe it.”
Silence fell over them once again, and Dancer frowned at her blatant lie. Jennifer was still in the kitchen, and her voice could be heard singing a song. The song was indistinct, but she was singing a pronounced tune that he couldn’t make out. He had to admit to himself, however, that he was growing impatient with her and her attitude.
“Master Giles,” a voice called from outside of the house before loud knocking could be heard on the door. Sophie looked surprised out the window and got to her feet instinctively. Jennifer called to her to answer the door and Sophie moved across the room. Dancer watched, unhurried by the calls.
“Dancer!” the voice called again. Sophie flattened down her dress and reached for the handle. She clicked the latch and when she pulled, she was surprised to find the door moving much quicker than she intended. Suddenly, the door hit her and she fell back on to the floor.
In the doorway, obviously pushing the door as she pulled, stood the same man that had came across her in the wood. Her hand rested on her forehead that was stinging with pain as she squinted up at him. Dancer stood up and stared angrily at the man in the door and Jennifer ran from the kitchen and stood quiet and still.
“What is the matter with you!?” she cried angrily, struggling to get up from her tangled skirts. She made it on to her feet and when she attempted to get up, she fell back down and began to pull at her skirts again. “You just don’t enter a house that you don’t live in!”
The man leaned over and held out his hand to her. She took the time to glare at him on the floor before she knocked the hand away and got to her feet. He frowned and looked at Dancer.
“I should of figured it was her you were looking for,” he said to Dancer. “Ran into her this morning in the wood, and she was in better spirits then.”
“What do you want?” Dancer asked quietly. The two had a conversation between them in one instant, and Sophie knew it from the way their eyes flashed. She dusted off her dress while keeping an eye on the two. The man would occasionally look at her before looking back at Dancer. She was surprised to find his eyes were hazel.
“There is a bit of trouble . . . Back home,” he said with emphasis on the last two words. Sophie squinted with suspicion and wondered about the two. They both acted so curious when they were around each other.
“I see,” Dancer whispered. He smiled and turned to Jennifer. “Allow me to introduce my dear friend Canon. Unfortunately, he brings me news of something that requires my attention immediately.”
“Oh, then you will be departing,” Jennifer spoke sadly. Dancer nodded and Canon followed suit. Sophie smiled, knowing that it was the best news she heard all day. Then she heard her mother. “Will you be returning, Mr. Giles?”
“Yes, I can say that I will return, hopefully next week if I can manage. But if not next week, then surely the week after. There is no way that I will not return to this fiery young lady, no matter how much she may try to appear to be unappealing. You would like that, Sophie?”
“Oh yes, I will be waiting and counting ever minute until I can see you again. It will be real pain indeed until I see you again,” Sophie sneered. Dancer smiled at her, trying his hardest to get her angry as she was trying to get rid of him.
Quickly, Jennifer rushed over to the table and packed up the bread and the sauce. She carried the pack that she bundled up in a piece of cloth and handed it to Dancer. Dancer excepted the pack and smiled, thanking her. Sophie rolled her eyes and sighed at her mother’s attempts to ensure Dancer’s return.
When the two left, and Sophie was cleaning the kitchen for her mother, her thoughts meandered to the strange ways the two men appeared as. It seemed they were both from the same group of people, and it also seemed that she belonged there too. But Canon seemed to be related more closely to the people of the Eastern Birch Wood than Dancer. Canon was very interesting.
Chapter Three
One week had passed, then two, and then finally three without any sign of Dancer and Sophie couldn’t help but to rejoice at victory. Jennifer, who had prepared rich meals on both occasions and made sure to keep Sophie in the house, had become depressed, however. This was the first man to ever show interest in Sophie, and obviously he had feigned his sincerity at returning.
On the fourth Sunday, one month after Dancer’s appearance, Jennifer had given up hope. She went about her daily routine, allowing Sophie to leave the house for the wood. However, Sophie couldn’t help but feel responsible for her mother’s disappointment and she thought that she should at least consider the next man, if there was one, who would call on her.
The sun was pleasant, like it always is after a few days of rain. The whole town breathed sighs of relief at the return of the rain two weeks ago and it had been pleasant ever since. All the plant life was beginning to look healthy again, but there were still worries. The drought had struck a tremendous blow to the crops and the town couldn’t deny a trace of concern in their minds about the coming winter. Would there be enough food?
The winters of the East Birch Wood were never really harsh. But the repeated ice storms that frequently came in the winter always lead to problems. The previous winter had brought only five ice storms in all. No one truly knew how many were to come this year, and all were praying for a repeat.
September was just around the corner, and Sophie breathed in the fresh air as she strolled down the path in the wood. It was peaceful in the wood, and it seemed to her that the trees were growing weary of their leaves and were ready to shed them and ready for sleep. She gazed up at the boughs and thought of the stream a little ways off to the left of the path.
The day was comfortable, but she felt dirty from sweat. The stream flowed at a slow pace and the bottom was covered in soft sand, making it the perfect swimming hole. She smiled, knowing that she was the only one who knew of the exact spot she thought about and she turned off the path. The day was perfect for a swim, and she felt that she needed to wash away her sweat and the past four weeks from her body and mind.
She reached the stream and touched her finger in the water. The water wasn’t as cool as could be expected since the stream was shallow in most of the places along it. She backed up to a large rock that she used for sitting and she began to get undressed. She placed all of her clothing on the rock, and then finally she placed her under-gown. Under the sun and by the stream, she stood and enjoyed the breeze.
Step by step, she walked into the water. As she moved deeper and deeper into it, she reached behind her to tie her hair back on top of her head. Once it was out of the way, she submerged her body up until her head, where she knew to keep dry. The last thing that she needed was her mother scolding her, telling her that young ladies do not swim.
Sophie relaxed her body as she swam and thought of the past few days. The girls at the dairy farm had taken to a habit of talking about her behind her back. Sophie could hear them snicker by one of the cows while she milked and knew the topic of their jests from their occasional looks. Of what precisely they found humorous, she didn’t know.
Her mother drifted into her mind as she thought of her differences from the other girls. Girls gossiped about other women, whereas Sophie couldn’t bring herself see the purpose of it. Girls giggled and blushed at the attention of a guy. Sophie shuddered at remembering how her peers acted around a cute man. Girls hated the wood and anything to do with nature. To Sophie, that was simply weird.
A bird flew through the trees over her head and she stood up, placing her hand on her forehead. She was starting to get a headache from all of her thinking, but knew that this was all going to be behind her. The water reached up to her waist, numbing her feet and toes in a bizarre, but enjoyable fashion.
The leaves of the trees rustled as the wind blew through them. The breeze turned into a small gust which blew a green leaf from it’s branches. Sophie watched as the leaf came down to her and the water, sad to see the beginnings of winter. But she knew that winter was the only path to the warm days of summer in the year to come.
“Ah,” a voice gasped after the sound of a breaking twig from behind her. Sophie ducked down into the water and hugged her shoulders, turning around to see who was there. She gazed at the tree line that was only a short distance away, trying to see who was there. The birds around her stopped singing and silence fell around her.
“Who’s there?” she demanded loudly. Everything stopped around her as she waited for a reply from whoever was in the wood. She half expected to see Sam, the woodsman. But she had a nagging feeling that it wasn’t him, since he would have called to her to let her know that he was there. “Sam, is that you?”
“Would it be better if I was?” a voice asked from the direction of the rock. She glared that way, trying to see who it was. He was obviously hiding behind a tree in that direction and she strove to know who the peeping tom was.
“Come out now or I swear I will scream so loud that Sam really will come.”
“Ha! That’s interesting of you to say. Aren’t you rather vulnerable right now, unable to be anything but a woman. This is rather interesting to see.”
Sophie ducked down even farther into the water and frowned angrily at the voice behind the tree. This was a position that made her into what she was; a woman. She couldn’t do anything but hope that he wasn’t a rapist and sit there in the water. Just knowing that the voice possessed power over her made her infuriated beyond all belief.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t see much.”
“But you did see! Admit it, you are a peeping tom! How dare you come into this town and at like a pervert. You better get out of here now before the rest of the town finds out your hobbies. I swear to you that everyone will know.”
“How could I not see? Here I was, walking in the woods and I come along Miss Sophie Greene swimming naked in the wood. Honestly, you make no sense at all, sometimes.”
“How do you know me? Who are you!?” Sophie demanded.
“Let’s not get stuck on details”
At that moment, it dawned on her who she was facing. The voice had seemed familiar, but she hadn’t thought of putting that face to it. Sadly, she frowned and looked away at the water, knowing that she had gotten premature in her celebration. The person that hid from her was none other than . . .
“Canon!” she cried out.
A hand waved to her from behind the rock, acknowledging her and her assumption. He called to her, telling her that he would stay on the ground and keep his eyes shut as she got dressed again. She warned him before climbing cautiously out of the water to her cloths, being careful not to see him. She knew that if she could see him, then he could very easily see her.
In record time, she had her under-gown on and her cotton bodice. She was just starting to put on her green cotton skirt and white blouse when she told him that he could come out. He rose to his feet from the depths of nowhere and turned to look at her.
“You said you were finished!” he moaned, quickly turning his back to her and she pulled her shirt over her head and tucked it in. She rolled her eyes.
“I’m clothed. Besides I rather know where you are than just trust you to keep your word. You’ve already proven yourself to be a pervert and I’ll not be trusting those types of people.”
“If I said that I’m sorry, it won’t do a thing for you, will it?”
Sophie scoffed and pulled on her boots. Canon turned around and bit his lip as she watched her. He couldn’t help but notice that there was a little mole below her right ear. She stood up and glared at him, and he looked away as she let down her hair.
“I take it that Dancer is also in town.”
“He’s not as bad as you think he is. You should feel fortunate that he’s taken a liking to you. He doesn’t do that to just anyone.”
“Oh yes, I can see that. Honestly, I’m the luckiest girl in the world. Thank Heaven’s that I have a suitor who won’t leave me alone with a lackey that spies on women.”
“Oh, won’t you shut it!” he snapped, turning to her. He stood looking at her, holding the same intensity as she had given him. Without warning, he turned around and walked back down stream. Sophie stared after him, trying her apron, before walking after him.
He took long strides with his hands in his pockets, obviously annoyed at the turn of events. She followed, keeping the same distance between them but realizing that she was walking a faster pace than she usually did. However, her anger refused to let up as she walked along. He had told her to shut up.
At the end of the path, Canon had stopped to look down either side of the road. Sophie could see this was her chance at striking him a blow and so she sped up and walked past him, turning to the left. She smiled as she passed him, knowing that he was lost for a moment.
 The Flash Guild Contest! http://gaiaonline.com/forum/chatterbox/flash-guild-vanentine-s-day-flash-contest/t.35042429/  Cammiebar · Sun Dec 02, 2007 @ 12:33am · 1 Comments |
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