The summer breezes had set in in Mubble Territory and the air was as warm as ever. Michael was on his way to one of his jobs as usual. He was just nineteen but ever since his parents died he had had to work three jobs a day in order to take care of himself and his sister; Margaret; she was thirteen and very kind to all she came across. They lived in the slum parts of the Mubble Territory, it was tough but it was the only home they ever knew. They still had their old house, the one their deceased parents left them. It wasn’t much but it was all they had.
“I wonder if things would have been better if mom and dad hadn’t died.” Michael thought to himself as he walked to work. “It probably wouldn’t have made a difference; we would still be poor Mubbles living in the slums. But it sure would have been nice to have them around.”
“Michael!” a voice called him out of his thoughts. He spun around to see who it was; it was his friend Jess. They were neighbours and had been friends since they were little. When their parents died Jess’ mom took care of them for a while before Michael got over the grief.
“Jess!” he called back as he jogged up to her. “Where’re you headed.” He asked.
“Just heading to the local market, mom asked me to get her a few things.”
“I’m heading to the workshop. Mr. Chirley asked me to come in early today”
“Well then I shouldn’t hold you for too long besides I wouldn’t want to keep mom waiting.”
“You’re right, I know she gets cross when she’s kept waiting.”
“So does Mr. Chirley.” They both laughed and parted ways. Once again Michael was on his way to work and lost in thought. He stopped, turned to look at Jess. “Someday…” he thought to himself and continued on his way.
*****
Margaret was always a lovely person even to those kids who made fun of her because she was an orphan. She did have her strange behaviours like talking to animals like they were real people but it was all she had; the other kids had rejected her. Besides the animals Jess and her brother Michael were the only "real" people she talked to, but she never felt lonely. She couldn't understand the animals but she just pretended she knew what they were saying.
"Alright Mr. Hutchkins I've got to go prepare dinner before big brother gets home from his first job" she said to her pig. That pig had been in the family since she was a little girl, she had even been the one to name him Mr. Hutchkins although her brother thought it was stupid naming a pig. That was before their parents died and now the pig was like part of the family.
Margaret had wanted to cook a stew. She had always been the one buying goods from the market so she knew very well how to make the best stew from not so great ingredients. But lately the cost of ingredients at the local market had invreased, sure some of the local merchants she was familiar with gave her a discount she still barely had enough money to buy all the necessary ingredients. She feared she might one day have to put Mr. Hutchkins in one of her stews- she vowed she would never let it get to that. She had come up with a recent solution but she didn't know how long it would last. She would sometimes go into the Dark Woods and pick wild herbs and berries. It was a dangerous task but it was what kept them going. People were forbidden from going into the Dark Woods, scary stuff were rumoured to have happened in there but she was careful not so stray too deep into the woods.
She'd gotten ready for another day, she wore her tattered brown cotton cloak and counted the money her brother left her. She took a little out so she could buy meat at the local butcher for her stew- her brother loved meat- but she decided that would be on her way back home. She set of on her dangerous path to the Dark Woods.
