I Am With You Here

by theburningearth

Aspen doesn't know where she is, or how she got there. After meeting a small man and a goblin-like creature, she decides to travel with him for safety and employment, until she can return home at least. Along the way she meets friends, enemies, and truly abominable people. Where will the journey take her? Will she be able to return home? Who knows, not Aspen.

1. Prologue

The phone rings. A woman dashes to pick it up.

"Hello?"

"Is this Mrs. Brooks?"

Slight disappointment. "Yes this is she. Who am I speaking to?"

A sigh. "This is Officer Gupta. I'm calling about your daughter, Aspen Brooks?"

Her tone changes immediately. "Yes, yes, please, my daughter, can you tell me anything about her? She's been lost for five days now!"

A pause. "I understand ma'am, but I'm sorry. We haven't been able to find anything. We've looked everywhere in a 50 mile radius of her last known location and we still have nothing. We've put up a notice across the state for any information. We'll keep searching there area, but unfortunately we can't promise to find her."

The woman swallows. "I understand. Thank you. Please, if there's anything I can do, anything you can do, please let me know."

"I will ma'am. Good night." The phone disconnects.

The woman crumples, her face buried in her hands as she tries to keep down her sobs. Where was her daughter? Where was her Aspen?