"Five"
"Four"
"Five and I get to keep the box"
"Deal"
He hands me the little wooden box at the same time I give him the golden coins. I quickly check if the herbs are in the box before I carefully put the box in the bag that hangs on my shoulder. When I look up I see the man looking at me with a little grin on his face.
"What?" I ask him.
"Nothing, I just thought that by all these years you would trust me."
"Just because I buy herbs at your stand doesn't mean I trust you Edwin." I say but I can't help the smile that appears on my face. Ever since my mom and I lost our house in the city and moved to the country I visit Edwin's stand every week. I have know him since I was little and visited the market with my father.
"You hurt my feelings," Edwin says sarcastically while putting a hand on his chest.
"now go there are other costumers that want something from this beautiful stand." He continues while gesturing to the stand before him that is filled with all kinds of different herbs.
"Sure, see you next week." I laugh.
I leave the stand and look around the market. It's filled with stands that are surrounded by people from the city and the country. I search my way through the crowd with one hand on my bag to find an exit. After I leave the marketplace I follow an alley that takes me out of the city. Soon the walls of stone and the sounds of the city are behind me and are replaced by trees and the sound of the animals in the forest and the crisping of the path under my shoes.
I walk past a few houses but after a couple of minutes there is only me and the forest that surrounds me. I reach the edge of the forest and in the distance I see the little farm, I am supposed to call home.
As I walk closer and closer I can see the smoke coming from the fireplace, but also the little wooden fence that was placed a couple of years ago around the house and even the birds that have found another spot to build their nest. I want to yell at them. Tell them to get out of this place before you get stuck in here, like me. But I don't, instead I jump over the fence and walk at the wooden door to open it but I stop and look at the window next to the door. There is a hole in the glass. I open the door and walk in. I look around the room only just to see that nothing has changed. Great.
The farm has, because it is so small, only one room and the attic so we basically live in one room. In the middle of the room there is a table where we make food and eat it. In the left of the room there is a double bed for my mom and little brother and in the right of the room is the fireplace and one single chair in front of it. I look back at the bed. As usual the fragile body of my sick little brother is in it, covered in wool blankets.
With a loud bang I hear the door close behind me. I turn around and see my mother stand in front of it. She's wearing a dress covered in dirt and her dark brown hair is in a tight dot.
"Close the door when you enter, you're letting out the warmth." She says with no sign of emotion in her voice or on her face.
"I doesn't matter, I bet the half of the warmth has escaped from that hole in the window." I say gesturing at the hole. Sometimes my mother has those days that she just throws everything across the room, I don't know why. Maybe she's angry? Sad? Maybe because of my father? My brother? Me? She doesn't talk that much about it. And apparently today the target was the window.
"Shut your mouth. Give me the medicine." She holds her hand out. I take the little box out of my bag and put it in her dirty hands.
She turns her back at me and walks at my brother who hasn't made any sound since I walked through the door.
She kneels next to the bed and opens the box.
"Samael, Samael open your mouth." She strikes a strand of hair out of his face.
"It isn't a medicine mother. It just gives him a little bit of more time before he-"
"Don't you dare to say another word!" She yells at my and turns around quickly to face me. The emotionless expression has disappeared and her face is now just pure anger.
"Leave."
I turn around and walk again to the door. Before I leave I turn around to look at my brother. Mother has already turned to him again. I step outside, walk to the other side of the house and climb the hay bale that lays against the farm. I reach up and push on the loose wooden plank that gives access to the attic. I throw my bag through the opening and then I also climb to it. Once I have pulled myself through the small passage. I let myself fall on the pile of hay that I call my bed. As I lay down I can feel the metal of the daggers that are hidden under the hay. I hear my mother through the floor talking to my brother. He is again not answering, he must have a bad day.
I just lay there, in the hay, looking at the ceiling until the sky becomes dark. I dig one of my three daggers up from between the hay and put it on my chest holding it with me as I fall asleep.
