Horace looked anxious when he heard those words slip from Will's lips.
All thoughts went through him. Was it a man or a woman? big or small? did he have a weapon in his hand? Was he just staring at them? what did he do? what was that invisible thing that had missed them on a hair, but arrived so hard that it could easily have broken a bone?
He could not answer any of the questions.
He had to resist the enormous temptation to turn around.
In the meantime, Will was running at full speed. He could not see if it was a man or a woman, or what he was carrying. The only thing he noticed was that he was not tall. At most an inch or ten larger than himself.
Will didn't know what to do.
The trees that stood along the side of the path blocked most sunlight. The small mysterious figure was therefore in the shadow.
"Sorry" sounded a small voice. Horace's head immediately looked back. He could no longer resist the temptation ... Will also looked directly at the person in the shade. There was something strange about the stranger's voice. Will couldn't figure out what it was exactly.
Then he started moving. First his right foot and then his left. A little closer. Very carefully. Horace and Will remained stiff. Suddenly a branch was blown aside by the wind and a ray of sunlight could find a way through the leaves. It was a small beam, but it could still illuminate a large part of the path.
The ray of sunlight also came to the place of the figure and he was slowly illuminated as well. He heard Horace gasping next to him, but he no longer had any attention for that. Now he knew the strange thing about the voice. It was not a he ... but a SHE!
Slowly a beautiful girl came to stand in the sunlight. She was around their age, Will estimated. About twelve years old. As Will had already said, she was not very tall. Around the length of himself and slim. She had beautiful golden-blonde hair that fell to slightly above her breasts. The wind played happily with the golden locks. She had beautiful emerald green eyes to dream in and full pink lips with a healthy blush on her cheeks. She was wearing a sandy body warmer with a white, tight t-shirt underneath. The same color pants as her body warmer with black knee boots. It looked great on her.
He and Horace could not stop staring at the beautiful phenomenon.
I'm really, really sorry! I almost hit you ... I didn't hit you, did I?" said the girl, carefully observing the two boys.
Will was awakened by the girl's words
"Uhh ... no, we're fine" he said a little clumsily. "Right Horace?" he said, poking Horace in his side
"Oh ehh ... yeah we're alright!" Horace answered.
good!" she said relieved
Only now did Will see that she was holding some sort of slingshot in her hand. Only this one looked much stronger. He had no idea what it was. He glanced sideways at Horace, but he was still a bit shocked by what he saw.
She walked around them to the oak where she fished a lead ball from the leaves under the tree.
"So!" she said, putting the ball back in a bag she had on her belt.
"Horace!" Horace said out of nowhere. "I mean uhh ... my name is Horace"
"Nice to meet you Horace" said the girl with a sweet smile. She seemed very cute, thought Will. The girl and Horace kept looking at each other with a smile and Will felt a stab of jealousy! Horace was blonde, clear blue eyes, tall and muscular. He was what some girls said: a handsome boy. Horace had never cared much about it, but now that he was standing in front of this girl ... he found her interesting and he liked her attention! Will got angry with him inside ... he always got everything he wanted.
"And I am Will!" Will said now. The girl finally looked away from the big boy and turned to Will.
"Nice to meet you too, Will," she said in a very friendly manner, and she now smiled at him. From the corner of his eye he could see Horace's jealous glance. Will loved it!
Will was smaller and less muscular than Horace. He had brown hair and hazel eyes. As a result, he often came cute and reliable, but he had never heard the word "handsome."
Do you want a duck?" asked the girl?
"A duck?!" both boys said at the same time. The girl giggled for their reaction. Will was right, she was very cute indeed. Horace saw that too.
"Yes, I caught one earlier, but I don't need it."
The boys looked impressed by her hunting skills. A duck wasn't easy.
Horace and Will both loved duck! And so often they didn't get it at the orphanage. Only those dry pasties.
"Do you really not want him? Duck is great!" Horace said. He was rather concerned that she might get too little if they accepted that duck.
"No, let's just say ... I get enough to eat!" said the girl mysteriously with a grin. "It would be a waste of that delicious duck."
She took a bag that she had around her shoulder and took out a soft duck and handed it to Will.
"Here, fresher is not possible." she said with a wink.
Suddenly the bells of the church tower were ringing, which meant that it was almost 4 o'clock.
"Oh I have to go!" said the girl. "My father is waiting long enough. It was nice to meet you both." she said. She smiled very charmingly and made a graceful movement to turn around and go back. Her hair happily danced after her.
All of a sudden Will realized something...
"Hey! What's your name? You didn't tell us that." he called after her.
The girl stopped and stood like that for a moment. Then she looked over her shoulder. She had a perfect nose. Her emerald green eyes looked at them both.
"Cassandra. My name is Cassandra." Then she smiled for the last time and turned her head away.
Horace and Will looked after her. Will with the duck still in his hands. Horace sighed deeply when she was out of sight.
"You don't come across such a species every day."
"No," Will sighed, still seeing her.
"Well, now let's give Lady Maria that duck. As a sort of apology from this morning." Horace suggested
"Good idea," Will said in agreement.
And then they walked away. Back to the orphanage, but this girl ... Cassandra as she called herself, they wouldn't soon forget. And what would she have meant? With that she got enough food? And who was her father then?
They might never see her again...it made them sad.
Little did they know...