Chapter I, Reading 3

A mile walk took them to a broad clearing hidden amidst the trees.  A woodsman and his family lived off the bounty of the forest, essentially harvesting the animals and plants that nature provided.  They weren't farmers so they needed no large piece of ground.  This quiet, little clearing was enough space for their needs.  What the forest couldn't provide, they obtained through trade.  Eghero had been a skilled hunter so the family always had what they needed.

There was a cozy, two-story cabin on the west side of the clearing with a smaller cottage on the opposite end of the space.  When Leudh had married, he and his father had built this smaller home to provide some privacy for Leudh and his new bride.  They had planned to add a second story when the needs of a growing family demanded the extra space.

There was a shared barn on the north side of the clearing and a large vegetable garden filled the space between the two homes.  All shared in the work of the garden, but this was really Dakra's space.  She and Eghero had planted this garden when they first started their home in this clearing and she loved spending most of her time growing food for her loved ones. 

Most of the vegetables in the garden had already been harvested but some of the leafy plants and herbs had survived the first frosts of the season.  It was a homey sight and Flindra's eyes filled with tears when it came into view.  Her Papa would not be with them to enjoy the bounty of the harvest this year.

There was smoke rising from the chimney of the big house and both Flindra and Leudh knew the rest of the family was awaiting their return in there.

"I'll get the horse and cart ready," Leudh said.  He headed for the barn while Flindra continued towards the house.

As she approached the house, Flindra could hear a sob coming from her mother's room for the window was slightly ajar.  She recognized her mother's voice and felt tears of sympathy well up in her own.

Flindra walked inside and followed the sound of the sobs to the bedroom her parents had shared.  There she found her mother, Leudh's wife, Brehwan, and the twin boys, Alek and Arek.  They were kneeling around the coffin, which was set up on two benches next to the bed.  All their faces were stained with tears.

"Leudh's hitching up the cart," Flindra said in a low voice.  She was relieved the lid to the coffin was already closed.  She wanted to remember her father as he was in life and not as he looked embraced by death.  She joined her mother on the floor and waited in tearful silence.

Chapter III, Reading 1

As usual, Dakra was the first one in the house to awaken. She had always liked to greet her family in the morning with a hot breakfast. Today it was even more important to her for this would be the last hot meal Flindra would have for many days. It was also the last meal the family would share together for Leudh and his family would be coming over for breakfast to see Flindra on her way.

The little cottage soon was filled with the rich aromas of fried ham and eggs, bread warming by the fire, and hot spiced cider. Dakra wanted Flindra to have a filling meal so she cooked half again as much as she usually did. It would be much easier for her to spend a long day in the saddle if she started off with a full belly.

Flindra awoke with the delicious aromas seeping up from below. She got up and splashed cold water on her face to finish the process of waking up. After drying off, she started the mundane job of getting dressed. Her movements were slow and unenthusiastic for she wanted to delay the moment of her departure for as long as she could.

After she was dressed, she sat on her bed for a while and watched the morning stars slowly fade as the sun neared the horizon. It would be a cool day but the chill would help her stay alert. Her journeys into the crystal made her feel uneasy and she knew that there was danger approaching her. She would have to keep her wits intact if she wanted to reach Kewero safely. That meant she couldn't allow herself to dull her focus with grief. She would have to watch herself closely.

She left the bed when she heard Brehwan arrive downstairs and looked once more around the room. The things she was taking were packed and ready to be stowed behind her saddle. There was nothing to bring her back here once she went below. She turned around slowly and tried to memorize every feature of the room so she would never forget her life here. It was important to her to remember. Her memories were her anchors, which would always stabilize her in the storms of her future.

When she was finished, she walked through her brother's old room and down the narrow staircase.

Chapter II, Reading 11

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The cottage consisted of two rooms on the main floor with a loft across half the space above. The main room was the living area of the family and included the kitchen space. A small room off to the side of the kitchen had been Eghero and Dakra's bedroom. Flindra's sleeping space was above, in the loft.

The first room in the loft had originally been Leudh's. Now Dakra used this space to dry her herbs and Flindra always enjoyed smelling the aromatic herbs on her way to her room. She walked through the crowded coziness of the drying racks and smiled at her mother's handiwork. Pushing aside the curtain, which hung in the doorway, she entered the room she had always thought of as being her own. It saddened her to know that tonight would be the last night she would spend here.

The bed was situated so she could look out the small, unglazed window and watch the stars until she fell asleep. The bed was covered with a cozy and colorful quilt, which she and Dakra had made together so many years before. With her quilt pulled up under her chin, she could curl up in comfort in her bed and still feel connected to the magic of the outdoors beyond the window.

Her clothes were hung along pegs lining the inside wall, which kept them in tidy order. She ignored her clothes; most of them she would leave behind for she would be traveling light and only taking the necessary. For the moment, she had some personal things to draw her attention.

Kneeling beside the bed, she pulled out a small wooden box from beneath it. Carefully opening the lid, she looked at the small treasures she had collected through her life. Here were her first samples of weaving and needlework, her favorite childhood toys, pressed leaves and flowers, and other small and simple mementos of happy times.

She lifted out a rag doll, which Dakra had given her for her sixth birthday. She smoothed out her dress and pressed back the auburn colored yarn hair. Her body was made from simple homespun and her dress and apron were made from pieces of scrap fabric. The apron had red gingham apples and blue bows sewn along the bottom. The face had only been painted on and was now starting to fade with age, but the smile was still cheerful and the blush of rose hiding beneath the freckles on her cheeks always gave the doll the look of a dear friend.

Suddenly, Flindra was overcome with tears and she held the doll closely as she wept. She'd always figured that she would only be leaving this house to marry and start a family of her own - the natural course of events. Her beloved doll would then become her daughter's.

Now she was going and leaving her past behind. Ahead of her was nothing but a gray and lonely unknown. It would be impossible to take the mementos of the past with her. Her only choice was to leave everything behind in the care of her family and hope there would come a time when she could reclaim her past.

Flindra heard someone coming up the stairs. She quickly tried to hide her tears for she'd vowed not to let her sorrow be seen.

"Flindra," her mother said as she brushed aside the curtain. Her hands were still dusted with flour and she wiped them on her apron. "Little one, I heard you crying."

"I'm all right, Momma," she answered from the floor. She still clutched the rag doll to her breast. The rebellious tears returned.

Dakra walked to the bed and sank to the floor beside her daughter. "Oh, little one," she whispered as she gathered Flindra into an embrace. "I'm so sorry, my little one. I'm so sorry." She slowly rocked her back and forth as if she were a tiny babe.

Flindra said nothing for a while as she relaxed in the loving embrace. "Will you take care of her?" she asked in a whisper, referring to the doll.

"Of course, dear one. I'll see to everything."

"Thank you, Momma." She closed her eyes and allowed herself to be comforted.

Dakra began to hum a lullaby she had sung to both her children when they were young. It was soft and soothing and awoke worlds of comfort in its notes.

"I love you, Momma."

"I love you, too, Flindra."

Both of them drew comfort from the closeness and lingered in the embrace. They were stealing a moment from the future when they would be apart.