This chapter was more difficult to write than I expected. I hope it still came out alright.

I was startled. He said nothing else, and went back to looking at the toy, turning it over and over in his grimy hands. That a mere glance could be so intense was something new to me. Barely in my life before had I been looked at with anything approaching interest. Abruptly, he dropped the monkey and moved over to the bars of his cage where I was standing. As he stood, by the light of the flickering candle I saw the extent of the damage Vrack's ill-treatment had caused him. His chest and arms were covered in purplish-green bruises, and one of his eyes was a deep chartreuse. He wore a short pair of filthy ragged trousers cut off above the knees, and he was so thin I could see every bone in his body. Tears sprang to my eyes as I took in the sight, and rolled silently down my cheeks.

Standing, he was considerably taller than me. Despite his torn and broken appearance, there was an air about him that suggested a certain self-possession. It was not until later that I knew what he was like when that control deserted him.

He saw my tears, and asked me, "Do I disgust you so much that you weep to look at me"

The bitterness in his voice was harsh to me.

"No, I want to help you"
"How can you help me? Can you get me out of here"
"I don't know"
"Then go away"
I turned and made to leave, but something stopped me. I thought, if I had been beaten all my life, I would hardly know compassion when I saw it. Why should Erik be any different?
"No, I will not go away. You will have my friendship whether you want it or not"
"Why do you care about me?" he asked, pushing his face as close to mine as the bars would allow. "You have an easy life! You don't know what it's like in here - look at you! A pretty face, a nice dress; your gypsy mother even brushes your hair for you doesn't she"
I stumbled backwards as if I had been hit. "My mother hated me enough to sell me, just as you were sold. No, I am not beaten and starved, but I am just as much of a sideshow as you! I am sorry for you, I am sorry that you are caged up like an animal, but do not attack the only person here who has been disposed to be kind to you"
With these last words I ran out of the tent as fast as I could, back to Elina's caravan. There I lay facedown on the bed and sobbed until morning, without even knowing why.

They say that gypsies are stubborn, and in me at least this was true. I had made up my mind to do good, and I refused to let such a rejection stop me. Now, so long after the event, I want to say that Destiny or Fate led me forwards - it makes my tale that much more poetic. I am sure you, dear unknown uncaring reading, will permit an old woman her fancies. I decided that if Erik would not accept my friendship, then at least I could save him from being starved and beaten to death. With a little cunning, I decided to play upon my gift. Often, Vrack would come to my tent to have his fortune told. Whether he believed in me or not I was unsure, but I thought if I was convincing enough then there was a chance. It was by no means certain that he would come; if there were many people wanting to see Erik then he would not be able to. I was sure, however, that if I was patient, the opportunity I needed would arise.

Sure enough, a mere handful of days later just before midnight, Vrack came to my tent. "Good evening, lovely Oracle, tell me what the Fates have in store for me!"

I forced myself to smile at him as I took his hand, this hand that was capable of such cruelty. To this day I do not know why Elina loved him. I gazed at his palm with as much attention as I could, then jumped back with a gasp as if it had suddenly scalded me.

Vrack was intrigued. "What did you see, little Sibyl"
"Ruin!" I shrieked in horror.

Vrack's face immediately turned white. "Ruin? My ruin?"

I met his gaze with my eyes wide and rolling.

"The boy…the boy will die…no more coins thrown, no more coins, nothing ever again!"

I slumped down in my chair as if a possessing entity had suddenly departed. Slyly, I looked up at Vrack to see if my 'prophesy' had had the desired effect. Vrack was shaking his head.
"I always doubted you, little Sibyl, but now I wonder…"

He got up slowly and carefully, like an old man.

"Thank you very much. Goodnight."

He left unceremoniously, without so much as a lecherous glance. Good, I thought, perhaps I have succeeded, perhaps now he will do all he can to keep Erik alive. With this happy thought, I made my way to bed.