Chapter 7: Gyp-sys, Tramps and Thieves

Note: "I'm Wishing On a Star" Lyrics by Jay-Z, not me.

We continued into the forest, the trees blocking out more and more of the sunlight. A mist was covering the forest floor, giving the whole place an eerie feel.

"Guys?" I said, pulling on their sleeves. "I don't like this… I'm getting a bad feeling…"

"Oh, hush your whining li'l missy, I've been through this forest loads o' times. 'tis nothing but a signal o' nightfall. And look! There be lights through the trees!" She pointed to an area where a faint, orange glow was emanating from.

"But… who would be camping here?" Lena inquired, peering at the glow. Skae looked at the fire a while longer, and then decided,

"They must be Gypsies. I haven't heard of any in these woods for nigh on sixteen years, though. Do yea want to make camp with them? There's safety in numbers, especially in these woods." Lena considered the matter for a moment, weighing the options. After a moment, she nodded.

"Alright, we'll camp with them. However, Melody, heed my advice; Gypsies are cunning, and indiscriminate in who they trick. They're also easily offended, so accept whatever they give you and do whatever they ask." Before she could say any more, a pair of men, clad in patched-together clothes, appeared through the trees. They were obviously gypsies, given their long hair and hunting knives.

"Come, you must be weary. Spend the night with us, it is not safe to be alone in these woods at night, especially for young maidens like you." The shorter, stockier one gripped Skae and Lena's arms, and the taller one took mine in his grasp. I looked at my companions anxiously, not feeling at all good about this turn of events.

As we exited the trees and entered the camp, the group of gypsies around the fire stopped talking and looked at us. They seemed to be sizing us up... In a moment, their talking resumed, although they slipped glances at us now and again. Around the tiny clearing were wagons, tents, and lines of washing strung out between trees.

We sat on a log near the fire, staying close together. One of the gypsies handed us a roasted rabbit, which we slowly ate as the gypsies danced in the firelight. One of them even played the violin. A festive air surrounded the campsite, until one of the gypsies turned to us, and said,

"Come, now it your turn to sing us a song." My blood ran cold. I looked to Lena and Skae, but they seemed equally mortified. Apparently neither of them could sing either. "Ah… er… um… We don't sing." Lena replied, looking at the gypsies nervously. I watched anxiously as the gypsies exchanged glances. Hunting knives were omnipresent.

"Melody… Skae… Please tell me one of you knows a song!" Lena whispered to us. Skae shrugged, pointing at me.

"She's the one named after music, have her give it a go!" She pushed me off the log, toward the center of the group of logs. Everyone's eyes were expectantly on me now. It was too late to sit down and get one of the others up; I would have to do this myself. But I didn't know any songs! Or at least, none that would fit here. Suddenly, I heard the faint bars of a melody in my head. I didn't know where it came from, but it was the best I had. Slowly, I started singing the lines, growing more confident as I went on.

"I'm wishing on a star,

To follow where you are
I'm wishing on a dream,

To follow what it means
And I wish on all the rainbows

That I see
I wish on all the people,

Who really dream
And I'm wishing on tomorrow,

Praying it will come
And I'm wishing on all the loving,

We've ever done."

I repeated the song a couple more times, stopping after the third and sitting back down. The gypsies were exchanging glances, and my two companions were staring at me.

"Blimey! 'Tis no wonder they named yea Melody, you're by far the best singer I ever knew!" I shrugged, not wanting to draw any more attention to myself. I heard a door creak, and looked up. One of the wagons had opened up, and an old gypsy woman was standing in the doorway. She looked at us for a moment, her eyes settling on me.

"Bring a table." She said to the two men who had escorted us into the camp. They nodded, entering another wagon and pulling one out. The old woman laid some bits and bobs on the table, and called the three of us over. The rest of the gypsies dispersed, going about their business. Gesturing to Skae, the woman said,

"I will read the red haired one first." Skae walked over to her, sitting in the empty chair next to the table. I couldn't tell what they were saying, although the woman was using some cards. Apparently, Skae didn't like what she heard, because she left the table abruptly. The woman's eyes followed her for a moment, then fell on Lena.

"You, tall one. I will see you now." Lena walked over to the table, and the fortuneteller pulled out a crystal ball. A real crystal ball! I leaned closer, trying to hear what was being said, but couldn't make anything out. Lena left the table after a little bit, looking happy, but somewhat confused. Her gaze locked on me, and the gypsy woman said,

"You, singer girl. I will read you now." I walked over to the table, settling myself on the chair. "Hold out your hand, palm up." I did as I was asked. She grasped it, following the contours that went along it.

"You have lost much, that much is obvious. However, you come from a noble line, and you will do wonderful things. Great trials await you… You will be tested many times. In the end, you will have to give up that which you cherish most." I stared at her, very unsettled. She continued, saying,

"You are very much like your mother, and yet her complete opposite. You must avoid making the errors she did, for it will cost you more than you know." I pulled my hand away, now quite freaked out.

"Lady, I'm just a kid. I don't know about this talk of great deeds or whatever. The greatest deed I've ever done was stomaching left-over KFC." With that, I got up and hurriedly walked over to where Lena and Skae were waiting. They looked at me curiously.

"I don't wanna talk about it." I said, before they could ask. I moved between them, resting my head on Lena's shoulder. Quickly, I fell asleep, and they soon followed.

I awoke the next day, the ache in my tailbone rousing me. I groaned, wishing I had stayed asleep longer. It seemed like this new body of mine needed more rest then my old one. I slowly opened my eyes, and a horrifying sight greeted me.

Where the wagons had been last night, there were just rotting ruins, with barely any wood left on them. The tents were gone as well. These things weren't what was so horrifying, however. The part that made the scene truly gruesome was the skeletons scattered throughout the campsite.

"Lena? LENA?!" I yelled hysterically, shaking her awake. "Mmm… Melody, what is i- OH MY GOD!" She jumped up, staring frantically around the clearing. Now Skae was stirring as well.

"What're you two loonies yellin' about? Can't yea see there's people trying to sleep?" She stopped talking once she saw the bones all around us. "What in the name o' Snow White happened to 'em?" Lena bent over, examining the skeleton closest to us.

"These are old… very old. At least sixteen years, at my best guess. I'd say last night we had ghosts for hosts." I looked at her, not sure I had heard right. "Ghosts? You're kidding, right?" The look in her eyes told me she was quite serious. Walking over to the tree most of the bodies were clustered around, I noticed something.

"Hey guys, come check this out." They strode over, careful not to step on someone's bones. "Hmm… Melody, this arrow looks just about as old as these bodies. I think that I know who killed them now… It was the Huntsman." Skae looked at her blankly, as did I. She sighed, exasperated.

"The Huntsman used to control this whole forest. He would kill anyone he found squatting in it, going under the assumption that they were poaching. In this case, he was probably right. Still, though…" She gazed sadly at the skulls of the victims. I looked at the arrow, deciding I would take it. Any weapon was better than none. Putting my foot against the tree, I grabbed the arrow and pulled. After a second, it started to come out a bit. I pulled harder, and it suddenly shot out into my hand. I fell backwards, landing on my already sore tailbone. I winced, rubbing my rear. Lena turned to me.

"Melody, what are you doing? Get off your backside, we're leaving this place. We should just make it to the village by dusk." She and Skae started walking away through the trees. I hurriedly pulled myself up and ran after them, depositing the arrow in Lena's haversack and taking one last glance at the gypsy camp. Somehow, I felt that I had been touched by something, something bigger than myself. Turning away from the rapidly fading campsite, I hurried along to see about getting some breakfast from Lena.