Chapter 3: "All Alone by Myself"
The kitchen knife with the wooden hilt threw through the air and missed the hanging scarecrow by a few yards. The knife landed among the crops of the field and bounced harmlessly on the dirt, landing on its side against a rock. Daphne sighed in frustration and narrowed her eyes at the target. The scarecrow smiled at her with its burlap face, taunting her. She growled in anger and stomped her way towards where the knife had landed. Bending over, Daphne picked the knife up into her left hand and stared at it for the longest time. "Judea, where have you gone too?" She said quietly to herself. "I need you to come back and teach me how to throw this knife." She smiled to herself and then looked at the knife once more. "I'm pretty terrible at this."
The day changed into the afternoon as Daphne continued to feverously throw the knife at the scarecrow and not having any luck in her progress. "The knife must be too dull." She had noted, then remembered how the young boy had earlier impaled a wooden pail on a well quite easily with another one of his blades. She took a short break and walked over to sit on the wooden fence that lined the border between her family's land and the outside world and swung her feet over the side. She was sitting minding her own business on her fence when she caught something in the corner of her eye.
The caravan from earlier was coming Daphne's way, having packed up and was leaving Daphne's village to travel to the next town. The caravan of gypsies and performers marched passed her, the mix-matched bunch ignoring her as they left. Daphne jumped up and down where she sat and desperately searched for her friend Judeau, but as the last remnants of the group left and vanished over the horizon, she had a feeling she would never see the young boy again.
Daphne sighed once more and rocked her body on the wooden fence. She placed the knife into its home made sheath and looked over at the hill that the caravan had just vanished behind. "I wonder where they are going now." She asked herself, not knowing the answer. "They probably are going to another city, full of adventure and happiness. I wish I could go too." She looked down at the dirt road, just as a pair of feet walked by her eyesight. Looking up, Daphne saw an elderly woman with a hunched back making her way slowly into the village, a small cart with a donkey behind her. The old woman wore a dark green cloak over her ancient form, and on the cart was an array of items and materials that few had ever seen. A sign hung low from the back of the cart and read "Madam Narius, Fortune Teller".
Daphne smiled as she saw the old fortuneteller walk away farther from her. "Maybe life in this village wont go back to normal just yet after all." Daphne did not know at that time what the intentions of the mysterious old woman were, but she did see one thing that caught her eye. Hanging from one of the racks of items on the back of the cart was a long corded pendant. At the end of this cord hung an egg shaped scarlet object that snapped back and forth against the wooden sign, making a drum like sound of impending doom.
The kitchen knife with the wooden hilt threw through the air and missed the hanging scarecrow by a few yards. The knife landed among the crops of the field and bounced harmlessly on the dirt, landing on its side against a rock. Daphne sighed in frustration and narrowed her eyes at the target. The scarecrow smiled at her with its burlap face, taunting her. She growled in anger and stomped her way towards where the knife had landed. Bending over, Daphne picked the knife up into her left hand and stared at it for the longest time. "Judea, where have you gone too?" She said quietly to herself. "I need you to come back and teach me how to throw this knife." She smiled to herself and then looked at the knife once more. "I'm pretty terrible at this."
The day changed into the afternoon as Daphne continued to feverously throw the knife at the scarecrow and not having any luck in her progress. "The knife must be too dull." She had noted, then remembered how the young boy had earlier impaled a wooden pail on a well quite easily with another one of his blades. She took a short break and walked over to sit on the wooden fence that lined the border between her family's land and the outside world and swung her feet over the side. She was sitting minding her own business on her fence when she caught something in the corner of her eye.
The caravan from earlier was coming Daphne's way, having packed up and was leaving Daphne's village to travel to the next town. The caravan of gypsies and performers marched passed her, the mix-matched bunch ignoring her as they left. Daphne jumped up and down where she sat and desperately searched for her friend Judeau, but as the last remnants of the group left and vanished over the horizon, she had a feeling she would never see the young boy again.
Daphne sighed once more and rocked her body on the wooden fence. She placed the knife into its home made sheath and looked over at the hill that the caravan had just vanished behind. "I wonder where they are going now." She asked herself, not knowing the answer. "They probably are going to another city, full of adventure and happiness. I wish I could go too." She looked down at the dirt road, just as a pair of feet walked by her eyesight. Looking up, Daphne saw an elderly woman with a hunched back making her way slowly into the village, a small cart with a donkey behind her. The old woman wore a dark green cloak over her ancient form, and on the cart was an array of items and materials that few had ever seen. A sign hung low from the back of the cart and read "Madam Narius, Fortune Teller".
Daphne smiled as she saw the old fortuneteller walk away farther from her. "Maybe life in this village wont go back to normal just yet after all." Daphne did not know at that time what the intentions of the mysterious old woman were, but she did see one thing that caught her eye. Hanging from one of the racks of items on the back of the cart was a long corded pendant. At the end of this cord hung an egg shaped scarlet object that snapped back and forth against the wooden sign, making a drum like sound of impending doom.