Enar's Vacation - Open Beta

Chapter 13

1249 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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The afternoon drifted by at a slow comfortable pace, like summer afternoons tend to do when you let them. Nothing of any real importance happened in Hyardum - or anywhere else in the hills for that matter.

The lands were quiet.

Hasse and Rosalove had stopped by the side of a road somewhere, with no plans to go any further any time soon. All over the hills anfylk rested, napped, or took it their own favorite kind of easy. In Ballyroed, Brunolf slept by the lake, and in Grums, Jorg gazed towards the horizon, dreaming of what lay beyond - whatever that could be.

The wind sprites on Lookout Hill had long since left, and the breeze that sailed through the old tree sang only to the birds. Down in the field, the flute and the dance slowed to match the pace of growing oaks, and high among the branches, Anna carried a sleeping little girl to safety.

Behind the cider-house, on a crate on the loading bay, sat the woman in green. She still wore her broad-brimmed hat and perhaps she slept - you couldn't really tell.

The sun moved on, as she always did, without rush, towards evening.

Time passed.

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Enar woke up. He still felt the warmth of Jolene's body where it had pressed against him, and his arm still ached where her head had rested. In his mind he saw her lying next to him, but he knew that when he opened his eyes she would not be there.

He lay still for a moment longer, wishing for reality to go away and for his Jolene to still be with him. He wanted to go back in time. He would have turned over and spooned her, put his arm around her, and taken her hand in his. He could have buried his nose in the nook of her neck and smelled her hair.

Reality, of course, would have none of it. None of those things had happened, and now they never would. It was something he'd just have to accept. Grunting to himself he stretched and sat up.

Sure enough, Jolene was gone and nowhere to be seen, but someone else had joined him on the blanket. On his other side, curled up into a little ball and just out of reach, lay Elsie, still sleeping.

Her mother would have a fit. The girl looked like she'd tried to wrestled the tree rather than climbed it. A big bruise bloomed on her arm. She'd ripped the shoulder strap on her dress, and her braids had come undone into a tangled mess full of twigs and bark. If his mom had seen him in a state like that he'd have been in for it.

He plucked at a leaf that hung from a strand of her hair, but it made no difference. No way he'd be able to tidy her up before Beired noticed. Poor girl. She'd get yelled at again. Enar sighed. Then again, she'd have to learn not to make a mess of herself somehow. It wasn't easy being little.

"You had a good nap my friend?"

Enar twisted round, looked up at Rolf and nodded. "Yes... I think I did."

Rolf laughed one of those big heartfelt laughs of his. "I bet - and in good company too I dare say."

Blushing, Enar looked out over the field. He must have slept for at least a couple of hours, but could probably sleep for another few yet. It had been a long day - wind sprites, walking, lots of food, arguments and, last but not least, there had been Jolene.

"Yes," he said. "Yes indeed."

"I see you've got different company now though." Rolf nodded at the sleeping girl. "Little mess been bothering you? She can be quite the handful with all her questions sometimes."

"No, not at all. I didn't even notice her until I woke up just now."

They both looked at Elsie for a moment. The girl lay almost completely still - only her chest rose and fell with her breathing - without a care in the world.

"She really is a little bit of a mess, isn't she?" Enar couldn't help but smile. "Is she in trouble? With the way she's ripped her dress and all, I mean?"

"Nah... you mean if Beired's going to yell at her?

Enar nodded.

"No, my friend, I don't think so, she's not really done anything bad. She's just a bit dirty - and she can mend the dress herself."

"I see. She'll get to deal with the consequences of her actions and so on; that kind of thing?"

"Aye, you could say that. As long as she doesn't hurt herself too badly, or causes anyone else any trouble, we usually let her do as she wants." Rolf paused and thought for a moment. "Not what you're used to from the city my friend?"

"No... you could say that. My mother would have my hide if I came home like that. I'd get grounded for a week if I ripped my clothes."

"It's a different life, that's for sure. Good thing you're old enough to mend your own clothes now - or do you just take them to a taylor for fixing?"

Enar squirmed. "Yes... something like that." He'd probably just buy new shirt if he ripped a hole in one, but it didn't seem right to say.

The two of them fell silent, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

"Very well my friend, at least you're awake now." Rolf chuckled. "We'll be heading back home soon. Can you wake the little mess up and get her ready for the walk home?" Without waiting for an answer he turned around and walked back to where Beired waited with Linus and Loianna.

Enar spluttered a little; trying to protest. He didn't know anything about children. They couldn't let him take responsibility for a little girl just like that. It wasn't fair. What if he did something wrong?

Then again, he couldn't see Erik anywhere, and he'd not seen or heard anything of Linnea since breakfast. Rolf and Beired might have enough to do with the youngest two. They were used to it though. They'd brought up plenty of kids and they clearly knew what they were doing. He didn't.

With a sigh he turned to look at the little girl sleeping right next to him. How bad could it be? Her parents let her have lunch on her own. She'd climbed all the way up the tree and come back down to sleep on the blanket without bothering anyone. Surely she could take care of herself. He probably just needed to wake her up and tell her it was time to leave. She probably even knew some shortcut through the forest and would be home long before everyone else.

Maybe Jolene would see him walking home with Elsie. Maybe she'd think he was good with children. That couldn't be bad thing, could it?

He put a hand on the little girl's shoulder and gave it light shake. "Elsie, wake up, it's time to go home."

Elsie groaned, sat up, and rubbed at her eyes. Frowning, she looked around, and faced Enar with a grimace. "Why didn't you let me sleep in the tree? I could have climbed down myself."

Questions - Chapter 13

These questions are meant to be answered from memory, based on your first impressions of the chapter. Please do not check back or re-read the chapter before answering.

These questions aren't meant to test if you've paid attention, they're meant to test what kind of impression the story has made on you. As such, any answer is a good answer. If your answer doesn't match with my intention for the story, then it's the fault of my writing, not your fault for not picking up on everything.

Please also bear in mind that some questions may be referring to things mentioned in previous chapters.

Do you feel that this chapter furthered the story, or could it have been skipped, completely or in parts?

Was something in this chapter unclear? If so, was it in a negative or in a positive way?

Who's Anna?

Again, the introduction to this chapter is done in a slightly different style to the rest. Does this work for you?