I'm not sure if the woman had any idea what I was talking about, but maybe she did catch on to what I was saying because she instantly dropped the subject when I said this and asked me "Is your family the ones who burned you?" I didn't know how she knew I was burned but I shook my head "Well then who burned you?" She asked me, I actually spoke words to her this time "A man came to my family's farm and attacked me, a firebender," I told her.
As these words came from mouth I could see the horrible look of realization cover this woman's face, she must have known exactly what had happened now "Do you know what the mans name was?" She asked, it appeared that she had so many things going through her mind at the moment, things that weren't there before, I nodded "Yes, but all I know is that his name is Lee," I told her. She asked me if I had a place to stay, I shook my head because I had no family anywhere, I was working on the farm with my father for most of my time, so I didn't have any friends to live with either. She looked at me, with a face full of compassion and asked me what I didn't in my wildest dreams expect to hear "Would you like to stay with me?" I looked up at her and nodded.
She said "That's great dear. Now, what is your name?" I told her what my name was and then she went on to tell me that she wanted a son before, but never had one, then she brought out a collection of masks and explained to me that she was a master mask crafter, the masks that she showed me were amazing.
After she went back and put the masks where they belonged she came back and sat across from me again, I had a question I was dying to ask her so I did "How did you know I was burned?" I asked her, She looked at me and sighed "Well... I'll be right back." She left the room and then came back with a small hand mirror and handed it to me, I took the mirror and looked into and at this moment I realized that the man not only took my family and my house, but he also took my face.
I looked at myself into the mirror with horror and I handed the mirror back to her, she took it, but she looked very upset, I could tell that we already had a connection in the small amount of time that I had been there "It's alright sweetie," she told me, and I wiped the look of horror of my face, for her sake. We sat in silence for a couple of minutes and then an idea came to me "Excuse me ma'am." I said and she replied with "Yes?" I continued "Do you think that you could make a mask for me?" She smiled and said "Yes Amon, I would love to make you a mask."
She walked away into a room, a room that you could clearly see was her workshop, it must have been where she made all of her masks. I had no idea what to expect, the other masks she showed me were magnificent, but I didn't expect her to make such a skillful peace of art for me, a boy she had just met who showed up on her doorstep.
While she worked I just sat there and waited, I wasn't sure what to do, I rarely had free time in my old life, I was always either in class, or doing work for class or helping on the farm, but here I had nothing to do, and honestly, it just felt wrong. I wanted to get up and find something to do, not only for myself but to help this kind woman out for everything she was and was going to do for me, but I didn't want to snoop around the house while she was busy, so I just sat and waited.
When the door opened, not too long after it shut to be perfectly honest, I saw the woman come out with a wooden board in her hands, and over the wooden board there was a wooden top covering it, I was sure the mask that she had made for me must be under it, I was excited, I hadn't even thought about or cared what the mask was going to look like. The mask was so important to me for two reasons, the first was obvious, it would cover all the scars that were left on me, but the second reason was that it was going to be a gift, from the kindest person I had ever met in my entire life, a person that actually made me look forward to what was going to happen in life, something I thought I wouldn't be able to feel again.
She placed the wooden board onto my lap and told me to removed the cover, I reached my hands out and placed them on each side of the wooden lid and slowly rose it off, despite my anticipation for what was under it. When the lid was completely off I sat it next to me then I stared at the newly created mask, my mask. The design wasn't complicated, but it was perfect, I couldn't imagine a better design for me.
"Well what are you waiting for?" She asked and then told me to put it on, she could probably tell how much I liked it, because the expression on my face surely was a dead giveaway. Without any hesitation I grabbed the mask and slowly put it onto my face, to my surprise, but I assume not hers, it was a perfect fit, the smile I had before was still glued to my face, however now hidden behind the mask. I know she knew I was still smiling even with the mask on, she had seen me smiling before I put it on, however, she was the last person to ever see me smile.