The light spilled through the window pane, casting liquid gold silhouettes
on the white sheet, softly in the distance a bird sang a sweet sorrowful
tune and the church bells rang like chimed thunder. The air was hot and
oppressive as it always was in Thana, land of the eternal sun. Carlotta's
lips turned up in a smile as she reached over into the bed next to her,
expecting to find the strong frame of her lover, Fox, but as she reached
out her arms met with nothing but sheet, she frowned and sat up, then as
she glanced next to her she saw the bed, although warm and creased from
where a body had previously lain, was now empty. She jumped out of bed
expecting to find him perhaps in the kitchen or bathroom, but as she
searched the house, her curiosity soon turned to fear, as she realised he
was not in the house. She returned to the bed where she searched for a note
or a clue to where he was, but the only reminder she could find of him was
a tiny pool of drying blood on the door handle and a shattered china cup
pushed hastily under the bed. Carlotta, looked franticly around the house
to find more tips to her lovers where abouts, but she again drew a blank,
he was no where to be seen.
She quickly dressed in a summer dress and pulled her shiny black hair into a loose ponytail, and hurried out of her house to her next door neighbours house.
" Rosanna, Rosanna!" she cried, " Have you seen Fox this morning?"
The elderly woman sat up from tending her flowers, " No, Why is something the matter?"
"I-I I don't know…" she replied shakily, "I woke up and he was gone….a-a- and there was b-blood on the door." She said breaking down in tears.
" Now, Don't be so silly Carlotta, he's probably just gone somewhere, he'll be back soon you'll see" the neighbour said kindly.
" b-b-but the b-b-blood" she sobbed.
" Im sure its nothing Carlotta, maybe he just cut himself and went to buy a bandage, why don't you go and check by the shop, maybe he's there and if not maybe Shakira has heard something" said Rosanna smiling.
" Thank you Rosanna, if he returns will you….."
"I'll tell him," she said smiling, as Carlotta ran out of the gate and in the direction of the small village shop.
Carlotta ran towards the small white washed stone building in which Shakira ran there local shop. She ran as fast as she could with her hair escaping from the ribbon in which it was tied.
She entered the shop and called to the pretty young girl behind the counter who was arranging various bottles.
"Shakira! Have you seen Fox this morning?"
As the girl turned towards Carlotta, she notcied a large red welt under the girls eye.
She couldn't help feeling dep inside of her that this was in someway connected.
"Shakira what happed!!"
" They took everything…." She said as her large brown eyes filled with tears, " they took my money, my potions…..and they took Fox…" she said sadly and winced as a slaty tear touched the mark underneath her eye, "they said if I resisted they would kill me…..Carlotta I'm so sorry"
"Who!!" demanded Carlotta, "what was Fox doing how was he, what was he doing with them?"
"I don't know them…" she sighed, " they arent from around here, they carried a letter with them, adressed to a place in Viola on, so I think they were heading towards there, and Fox……. He looked in a pretty bad state Carlotta, his face was all cut up and he could hardly stand"
"No!" shouted Carlotta, "I must find him!"
"Carlotta, please im sure he'll be ok…"
"no, I must find him and these men. I must go and help my love!" she cried as she ran out the shop and in the direction of her home.
As she left, Shakira, watched her leave with a sad look on her face and shok her head.
She quickly dressed in a summer dress and pulled her shiny black hair into a loose ponytail, and hurried out of her house to her next door neighbours house.
" Rosanna, Rosanna!" she cried, " Have you seen Fox this morning?"
The elderly woman sat up from tending her flowers, " No, Why is something the matter?"
"I-I I don't know…" she replied shakily, "I woke up and he was gone….a-a- and there was b-blood on the door." She said breaking down in tears.
" Now, Don't be so silly Carlotta, he's probably just gone somewhere, he'll be back soon you'll see" the neighbour said kindly.
" b-b-but the b-b-blood" she sobbed.
" Im sure its nothing Carlotta, maybe he just cut himself and went to buy a bandage, why don't you go and check by the shop, maybe he's there and if not maybe Shakira has heard something" said Rosanna smiling.
" Thank you Rosanna, if he returns will you….."
"I'll tell him," she said smiling, as Carlotta ran out of the gate and in the direction of the small village shop.
Carlotta ran towards the small white washed stone building in which Shakira ran there local shop. She ran as fast as she could with her hair escaping from the ribbon in which it was tied.
She entered the shop and called to the pretty young girl behind the counter who was arranging various bottles.
"Shakira! Have you seen Fox this morning?"
As the girl turned towards Carlotta, she notcied a large red welt under the girls eye.
She couldn't help feeling dep inside of her that this was in someway connected.
"Shakira what happed!!"
" They took everything…." She said as her large brown eyes filled with tears, " they took my money, my potions…..and they took Fox…" she said sadly and winced as a slaty tear touched the mark underneath her eye, "they said if I resisted they would kill me…..Carlotta I'm so sorry"
"Who!!" demanded Carlotta, "what was Fox doing how was he, what was he doing with them?"
"I don't know them…" she sighed, " they arent from around here, they carried a letter with them, adressed to a place in Viola on, so I think they were heading towards there, and Fox……. He looked in a pretty bad state Carlotta, his face was all cut up and he could hardly stand"
"No!" shouted Carlotta, "I must find him!"
"Carlotta, please im sure he'll be ok…"
"no, I must find him and these men. I must go and help my love!" she cried as she ran out the shop and in the direction of her home.
As she left, Shakira, watched her leave with a sad look on her face and shok her head.
