wasn’t the first time the stranger had spied on the children, but it was the first time the essence of something else was present in the area, something foreign but familiar at the same time. Like a delicate scent I once knew as a child and had since forgotten; a scent to bring back memories best left alone.
The stranger shivered, looking like a crooked, quaking willow against the blackness of night. The faint sound of snoring drew the figure’s attention back to the small grove of creek willows lining the shallow stream below. The children were at last asleep, the excitement of the night finally taking its toll. The onlooker grinned, for the show that had taken place on the lake earlier that night had been quite spectacular. If it hadn’t been for a keen sense of hearing and eyesight, the stranger would have thought the children’s lake monster was the real thing.
The peculiar being sighed, trying to focus on the task at hand. The detection of another creature wandering this part of Oescienne was disturbing, and the spy started to wonder if a closer watch should be kept on the young girl with the golden hair and blue eyes. Yes child, I will keep my eye on you, but I fear I am not the only one.
The onlooker quivered as an uncomfortable ripple of fear unfurled deep within in its heart. Was the other presence one of evil or one of good? It was impossible to tell. The mysterious figure closed its glittering eyes and slinked quietly down the opposite side of the dark hill and off into the rolling sand, the grey of an eastern dawn peeling back the darkness of night.
***
The final weeks of school were much easier to bear because of that eventful night on the lake. Everyone was looking forward to long warm days free from schoolwork and exams, daydreaming their lessons away as they imagined what they would be doing and where they would be going for the summer, receiving a sharp reprimand from Tarnik along the way. As distracting as the thought of the approaching summer was, it wasn’t nearly as interesting as the talk about the mysterious lake monster that had frightened Eydeth and Ellysian, and several others, half to death.
It seemed to Jahrra that with time her classmates had gradually drifted away from the twins, forming their own groups of friends or just growing tired of the same old harassment of the unfortunate Nesnan girl. But the incident on Lake Ossar suddenly turned Jahrra into a temporary super hero.
“Jahrra may have lied about the Witch of the Wreing, but she sure didn’t lie about that lake monster!” a younger girl whispered to her friends while Jahrra, Gieaun and Scede listened from their oak tree.
“I bet she didn’t lie about the witch either,” another girl added quietly. “I think it’s Eydeth who’s been lying all this time.”
Some of the children even ventured over to Jahrra’s side of the schoolyard with the sole purpose of making friends. Rhudedth and her brother Pahrdh were the first to do this. Ever since helping Jahrra after Eydeth’s attack in Kiniahn Kroi, the siblings had always made an effort to say hello or glare at anyone who gave her a hard time. One week after the success with the lake monster, they invited Jahrra, Gieaun and Scede to go camping in the hills with them. Jahrra, not knowing what to say, just stared in disbelief.
Before she could speak, Gieaun burst out cheerily, “We would love to!”
From that day on, Rhudedth and Pahrdh became good friends with the trio of outcasts.
Of course, none of the newcomers ever measured up to Gieaun and Scede. They had been Jahrra’s friends forever. But she was very happy to see that the twins’ overpowering reign seemed to be coming to an end.
Jahrra was also enjoying the looks of putrid rage on Eydeth’s and Ellysian’s faces when their jokes about her were suddenly no longer funny. On one particular occasion, Jahrra thought that Eydeth’s face might catch on fire it was so red with anger. When she asked some fellow
The stranger shivered, looking like a crooked, quaking willow against the blackness of night. The faint sound of snoring drew the figure’s attention back to the small grove of creek willows lining the shallow stream below. The children were at last asleep, the excitement of the night finally taking its toll. The onlooker grinned, for the show that had taken place on the lake earlier that night had been quite spectacular. If it hadn’t been for a keen sense of hearing and eyesight, the stranger would have thought the children’s lake monster was the real thing.
The peculiar being sighed, trying to focus on the task at hand. The detection of another creature wandering this part of Oescienne was disturbing, and the spy started to wonder if a closer watch should be kept on the young girl with the golden hair and blue eyes. Yes child, I will keep my eye on you, but I fear I am not the only one.
The onlooker quivered as an uncomfortable ripple of fear unfurled deep within in its heart. Was the other presence one of evil or one of good? It was impossible to tell. The mysterious figure closed its glittering eyes and slinked quietly down the opposite side of the dark hill and off into the rolling sand, the grey of an eastern dawn peeling back the darkness of night.
***
The final weeks of school were much easier to bear because of that eventful night on the lake. Everyone was looking forward to long warm days free from schoolwork and exams, daydreaming their lessons away as they imagined what they would be doing and where they would be going for the summer, receiving a sharp reprimand from Tarnik along the way. As distracting as the thought of the approaching summer was, it wasn’t nearly as interesting as the talk about the mysterious lake monster that had frightened Eydeth and Ellysian, and several others, half to death.
It seemed to Jahrra that with time her classmates had gradually drifted away from the twins, forming their own groups of friends or just growing tired of the same old harassment of the unfortunate Nesnan girl. But the incident on Lake Ossar suddenly turned Jahrra into a temporary super hero.
“Jahrra may have lied about the Witch of the Wreing, but she sure didn’t lie about that lake monster!” a younger girl whispered to her friends while Jahrra, Gieaun and Scede listened from their oak tree.
“I bet she didn’t lie about the witch either,” another girl added quietly. “I think it’s Eydeth who’s been lying all this time.”
Some of the children even ventured over to Jahrra’s side of the schoolyard with the sole purpose of making friends. Rhudedth and her brother Pahrdh were the first to do this. Ever since helping Jahrra after Eydeth’s attack in Kiniahn Kroi, the siblings had always made an effort to say hello or glare at anyone who gave her a hard time. One week after the success with the lake monster, they invited Jahrra, Gieaun and Scede to go camping in the hills with them. Jahrra, not knowing what to say, just stared in disbelief.
Before she could speak, Gieaun burst out cheerily, “We would love to!”
From that day on, Rhudedth and Pahrdh became good friends with the trio of outcasts.
Of course, none of the newcomers ever measured up to Gieaun and Scede. They had been Jahrra’s friends forever. But she was very happy to see that the twins’ overpowering reign seemed to be coming to an end.
Jahrra was also enjoying the looks of putrid rage on Eydeth’s and Ellysian’s faces when their jokes about her were suddenly no longer funny. On one particular occasion, Jahrra thought that Eydeth’s face might catch on fire it was so red with anger. When she asked some fellow
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