She drove the teeth of the rounded gardening fork into the dirt after she had laboured away at the previous row of potatoes with a shovel. A fork was just a better tool to loosen up the dirt and bring the harvest to light.
Elowen had her sleeves rolled up with sweat running down her back and front as well as it discolouring the edges of her headscarf. But this work needed doing. No one else was going to bring in the season's vegetables.
But at least she wasn't alone.
The young apothecary leaned on the shaft of the fork and pushed it away from her, forcing the ground to break apart. It was funny how each arc she had forgotten what a tough job this was.
Then she heard
She looked over her shoulder and saw Ark with his ears pricked up and his body at attention but still lying on the ground. So she breathed out, swung the fork once more and left it stuck in the ground. There was no outright danger waiting for her. It was just a regular visitor which oddly enough she came to prefer these days even though it still made her extremely uncomfortable.
After a few more breaths, trying to work out the tension in her back from the work and the task of having to talk to someone, Elowen moved towards the front of the shack. Ark was standing already. Whoever was coming, got too close perhaps. Pea, on the other hand, was happily feasting still.
"Hello?" An uncertain voice came from around the corner.
A trill later, the young apothecary came into view, laying a hand on the pup. The visitor, a middle-aged woman who rarely needed Elowen's help, seemed to startle.
"Sorry. I didn't...expect you there..." The woman said with an uncertain smile flitting across her lips.
Elowen's face, always the mirror to most of her emotions, frowned as she looked just to the right of the woman. Odd...but then, there was nothing giving away where she had been and it was near impossible to see around the corner. So she brushed it off, laying no notice to the liquid shadow clinging to the corner of the shack. No one looked at it.
Then it was the woman's turn to frown since Elowen said nothing. She was the quiet sort and she also didn't need to ask people why they came. She knew it. So she stood there, waiting for the woman to speak, clearly not helping the overall strange atmosphere that had settled over them. The woman stole a few glances at Elowen.
"I need something for my nose. It's blocked."
The girl nodded, then looked down at Ark and stroked him a little. Just a cold then...
The shadow detached from its spot and moved closer to the girl.
"Can you...help?"
This time it was Elowen who seemed to startle. What was she waiting for?
"Yes. Of course, I can. Come," the girl said.
In the world that underlaid theirs, the thick shadow that no one saw, grabbed onto her ankle as Elowen crossed the short distance into the shack. It began climbing up her leg whilst the girl struggled to shake off that strange feeling of things not being quite right.
Elowen had her sleeves rolled up with sweat running down her back and front as well as it discolouring the edges of her headscarf. But this work needed doing. No one else was going to bring in the season's vegetables.
But at least she wasn't alone.
Pea
kept her company by going through the already disturbed earth, snapping up any unlucky earthworms or bits of root vegetables that Elowen accidentally snapped off with her harvesting methods. The bird, for once, had a varied diet.The young apothecary leaned on the shaft of the fork and pushed it away from her, forcing the ground to break apart. It was funny how each arc she had forgotten what a tough job this was.
Then she heard
Ark
barking. The pup had taken to laying down nearby to where the girl was, but always in the way of anyone's approach. As though he was positioning himself to be her guardian and the first for anyone to get past if they wanted to interact with the young apothecary. She appreciated it. It made her feels safer when she was alone.She looked over her shoulder and saw Ark with his ears pricked up and his body at attention but still lying on the ground. So she breathed out, swung the fork once more and left it stuck in the ground. There was no outright danger waiting for her. It was just a regular visitor which oddly enough she came to prefer these days even though it still made her extremely uncomfortable.
After a few more breaths, trying to work out the tension in her back from the work and the task of having to talk to someone, Elowen moved towards the front of the shack. Ark was standing already. Whoever was coming, got too close perhaps. Pea, on the other hand, was happily feasting still.
"Hello?" An uncertain voice came from around the corner.
A trill later, the young apothecary came into view, laying a hand on the pup. The visitor, a middle-aged woman who rarely needed Elowen's help, seemed to startle.
"Sorry. I didn't...expect you there..." The woman said with an uncertain smile flitting across her lips.
Elowen's face, always the mirror to most of her emotions, frowned as she looked just to the right of the woman. Odd...but then, there was nothing giving away where she had been and it was near impossible to see around the corner. So she brushed it off, laying no notice to the liquid shadow clinging to the corner of the shack. No one looked at it.
Then it was the woman's turn to frown since Elowen said nothing. She was the quiet sort and she also didn't need to ask people why they came. She knew it. So she stood there, waiting for the woman to speak, clearly not helping the overall strange atmosphere that had settled over them. The woman stole a few glances at Elowen.
"I need something for my nose. It's blocked."
The girl nodded, then looked down at Ark and stroked him a little. Just a cold then...
The shadow detached from its spot and moved closer to the girl.
"Can you...help?"
This time it was Elowen who seemed to startle. What was she waiting for?
"Yes. Of course, I can. Come," the girl said.
In the world that underlaid theirs, the thick shadow that no one saw, grabbed onto her ankle as Elowen crossed the short distance into the shack. It began climbing up her leg whilst the girl struggled to shake off that strange feeling of things not being quite right.