Chapter Five

(This is from Realms Beyond, a project I'm working on presently)

Pushing past a clump of bushes Carla broke out into an opening. She spotted a small stream that was flowing by. Being parched, the clear cool water drew her. She barely noticed the dirt road that ran both ways along the bank. It looked, at best to her, little better than a pair of wagon ruts running through the trees and therefore was unimportant.

Kneeling at the shore, she cupped her hands together and dipped them in. Scooping some up, she drank hungrily and got the front of her shirt soaked when some dribbled through her fingers. The coolness was feeling great on her skin as she let her cares melt away.

Having partially slaked her thirst she took off her shoes and socks and placed them in a neat pile. Then she pulled the legs of her Capri pants up as far as she could. Placing her feet in the water she breathed a sigh of relief as the coolness flooded through. Digging her toes in the sand felt good. This was something she would do every day if she had the chance. Then, the realization that she wasn’t at home anymore came back. Looking around, the only viable option seemed to be the decrepit looking road. Sighing, picked her feet up out of the water and let them dry in the slight breeze which only took a few minutes.

Putting her socks and shoes on, she got up and began walking down the road. As her eyes swept the adjoining forest, she thought how this must be the wildest place that she had ever seen in her life that she could remember. It was as if there was an almost complete absence of people. All day, she’d never seen anyone else. Rounding one more bend, she finally seen one individual.

He was wearing a long ankle length black hooded robe and sandals. A thick rope was tied around his middle like a belt. Gazing at her for a moment, recognition came to him. Pulling back his hood he stared at her unable to hide his wide-eyed shock. His mouth hung open as he calmly regarded her. She was equally shocked at how he appeared. His eyes were red, his hair was pure white and skin was pale.

He blinked at her for a few moments. Carefully choosing his words, he finally spoke. “Your majesty, you’re back. What are you doing out here on the road today?”

“What are you talking about? What do you mean by calling me majesty and that I’m back?”

“You really look like the princess. What pray tell is that strange raiment that you’re wearing?”

 In her confusion she tried to understand what he was saying. Some of the words were really odd to her ears. “I can tell you I’m no princess. I really don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m just wearing clothes.”

“You really do have quite the same likeness as our princess does.”

“Okay, I understand who you think I am. I’m pretty sure that I’m not her thought. So tell me please, what are you supposed to be?”

“Why I’m a monk milady.”

“You’re a monk?”

“Yes, I’ve dedicated my life to the service of the gods.”

She nodded as she tried to correlate it to what she knew. “That’s cool.”

“I’m sorry to bother you. I really did think you might be the princess, she’s been missing a while.” He frowned as he put his hood back up and continued walking in the direction that she had come from. Before he had made it very many paces, she called out him to stop him, “where does this road go to?”

Slowing his step a little, he called out over his shoulder. “If you keep going that way you’ll end up in Effingham milady.”

This guy must be crazy. Since when would I ever be a princess? She shook her head and started walking down the road again. Then again, maybe she was the crazy one and she was imagining all of this. There were no such things as dragons either; was there?