The Village

This is a very old story I did for a writing challenge probably in 2005. I found it using the "Wayback Machine" which is a website used to find the contents of old websites that are no longer active.

This story is a little creepy.

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Leia stretched languorously on the tiny woven sleep mat that occupied the far corner of the small Ewok hut. The rebel leader felt guilty about taking a nap during a combat mission, but after her and Wicket's long walk to his village she was so exhausted that even her sense of duty could not compel her eyes to remain open one moment longer.

She rose and walked over to a carved wooden washbasin where she took the time to cleanse her face and hands and unbraid her hair. Just as she finished a very excited Wicket entered the hut and grabbed her hand, urging her outside.

"What is it little fellow." Leia laughed good-naturedly as he dragged her to the door.

When she exited she realized the sun had dipped much closer to the horizon since the time she first laid down for her nap. I must have been asleep much longer than I thought, she realized sheepishly.

She looked around the village. The female ewoks and older children were busy preparing for dinner. In fact it looked like a feast was being arranged. Leia hoped they were not going to all this trouble just on her behalf. Some of the male ewoks were bringing rough-hewn wooden tables and chairs to the center of the hamlet. As the tables arrived the women placed small wooden plates and utensils on them.

Leia smiled as the smell of cooked meat wafted through the village. Leia's stomach rumbled reminding her that she hadn't had anything to eat that day other than a small nutrition bar she had shared earlier with her Ewok friend. She was about to offer to help with dinner when she noticed a gold metallic gleam at the edge of the village. Out of curiosity she moved toward the object. As she drew closer its familiar form became apparent.

"Threepio?" She exclaimed as she broke out in a dash. C3PO was lying deactivated under a tree. "Threepio?" Leia called frantically as she looked for the activation/deactivation switch on his back. Fumbling, she found it.

"Oh my!" C3PO exclaimed as he powered up. He turned and looked at Princess Leia. "Oh your Highness I tried to stop them. I begged and pleaded. I even floated around the village telling them I would be very angry, just like Master Luke instructed me, but nothing would dissuade them from their course of action!"

Leia shook her head in confusion. "What are you talking about Threepio?"

"The dinner in your honor, of course!" C3PO wailed. "I tried to stop them."

"I don't understand Threepio. Stop them from doing what?" Leia demanded.

"That!" C3PO said as he pointed toward the cooking pit. There tied to spits were three very cooked and braised carcasses. The female Ewoks were carefully basting them with oil as they slowly rotated over the fire. Leia was confused as to what she was seeing until she noticed something about the smaller carcass. Its right limb was blackened and appeared different from the rest of the body. Leia stepped closer to get a better look. To her horror she realized that what she was seeing was the scorched remains of a cybernetic prosthetic hand.

She stepped back in terror. He hands flew up to her mouth to suppress a scream that never came.

Something tugged at the side of her tunic. Leia looked down, still in shock, and saw her friend Wicket.

The small Ewok smiled and said "Yub yub."

"Wh...what?" Leia sputtered.

"Mistress Leia," C3PO said quietly, "I believe he said Dinner is served."