"Ring around the rosie. A pocket full of posie. Ashes ashes, we all fall down."
"Good morning, little one," Kipper said to his daughter Lydia. "We need to get moving if we are going to reach the next village by nightfall. Today we are walking through the desert. It is going to be a long journey."
Lydia slowly arose. Her feet felt sore and they were swollen. They had been traveling for three days. Father said it would be many more days before they reached the village of his kin. Lydia wished they didn't have to leave her home, but the plague had struck her village.
They had prepared to leave, but mother had fallen ill. Mother told father he must leave without her. During the night Lydia had heard mother and father arguing, "I don't want my only daughter to die from the plague," shouted mother. "There are people who recover from the plague," pleaded father. Mother stubbornly refused, "not enough, just last year all the citizens of Penarth perished from the plague." Father relented, "I will take Lydia to my distant cousin's village in the morning. It is a long journey and we must hope the plague has not reached his village."
The next day Lydia had begged mother to let her stay. She promised her she wouldn't catch the disease, but mother had insisted no one ever recovered from the plague. While father packed their belongings, she had cried bitterly in the corner. Mother just wouldn't see reason! Then father had dragged her away from their home as mother blew kisses from the doorway. "I will always love you," mother shouted.
Before the plague had come, Lydia had lived any ideal life. Father had a small farm and crafted furniture. She helped mother feed the chickens and gather the eggs, and at night mother would read stories to her. Her favorite story was of an evil witch with many children. They lived in the middle of a vast desert, and the witches children were always up to mischief. Lydia delighted in these mischievous children, and their magical powers.
As they traveled, Lydia had begged father to go back to their village, but father had made a promise to mother, and he would not go back. Now she had to make a very long hot journey through the desert. She didn't believe she was going to enjoy the journey.
YOU ARE READING
The House in the Desert
FantasyThe Black Plague has ravaged the country. No town is safe. Lydia and her father must abandon her mother and the town. They flee in search of refuge from the devastation of a crippling disease. Along the way they encounter an enchanting house in the...
