Enar's Vacation - Open Beta

Chapter 7

4387 Words

This is a beta version of Enar's Vacation. Changes can - and probably will - be made as a result of reader feedback. I hope you'll enjoy it and I hope you'll take the time to give me some feedback. It will help me make this story the best it can be.

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Enar stepped out of the burrow and pulled the door shut behind him. The sun had disappeared below the hills now, but the sky in the west still burned red and yellow. Behind his back, from over beyond the hill, night came creeping. Soon, stars would come out to play.

Time to get some food.

He stepped off the smooth stone in front of the door and on to the path down to the main burrow. Twigs and little pebbles pricked his feet, but it didn't hurt, and soon he walked at a comfortable pace, almost without looking at the ground at all. He might even have swung his legs a little extra, just to feel the grass on the side of the path against his bare legs.

He passed by an old water pump at the side of the path, and moments later he saw the little colored lights dangling in the trees further down. As he drew closer, he made out more details; things he'd been too tired to notice when he first passed by on the way up.

A large wooden deck made up the front porch of the burrow, with a hand rail running all around it, and long crossbeams stretching across overhead. Green wines crept along the beams and the railing, and a lantern hung on a peg beside the door.

Children ran in and out of the burrow, preparing a big table for dinner. Enar recognized Elsie and Linus, but not the two bigger ones, though the boy was probably Erik. Off to the side, just next to the stairs leading up onto the porch, stood a round little woman in a red dress, surveying the preparations.

Curly black hair fell down her shoulders, and when Enar stepped up on the porch he realized she was nearly a head shorter than he was - and almost as much wider.

"Ssh, quiet." Whispering, she held up a finger across her lips and winked at him. "I'm Beired. Welcome to my burrow."

"Thank you," he whispered back. "I'm Enar. Enar Ryebloom."

"I know." She grinned and turned back to watch her children work. "Now be quiet, and we'll see if anyone notices you're here."

Enar frowned at her, but she paid him no mind. He shrugged, shifted his weight from one leg to the other, fidgeted, and tugged his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans to keep from fidgeting. If the matron of the burrow wanted him to wait, he'd wait, and that was that.

Over by the table, Elsie laid out knives and forks for everyone. Through the door, Linus appeared, carrying a large basket full of bread. Behind him came a boy in his late teens - probably Erik - with a big earthenware jug in each hand.

Elsie adjusted the last fork, turned to run back inside, and crashed into Linus. Bread rolls flew everywhere.

"Elsie!" screamed Linus and swung at her with the empty basket.

"Sorry!" Elsie dodged around her brother, ran headfirst into Erik, and fell flat on the ground.

Trying not to step on his sister, Erik fought to keep his balance. He swayed on one leg, and, arms flailing, emptied on of the jugs over Linus.

"Erik!" screamed Linus and dropped the basket.

Elsie rolled out of the way, got to her feet, and rushed for the door. Erik crashed to the ground, smashing the bread basket beneath him and shattering one of the jugs.

Linus started to cry.

Beside Enar, Beired shook her head, but otherwise made no move to interfere - no other reaction. As far as he could tell she hadn't even flinched. That could have gone really bad, and she'd just stood there, shaking her head.