A few months had passed since the shaman's visit. My curse of silence was now just a distressing memory. I had not heard what became of the quack though and after that incident, Aian and Vis were still missing.

The main thing that changed was that my mother remembered I was her pumpkin and was spending more time with me.

"Oh look who's there, Mr. Barker brought Fafi into the yard today."

"Fafi?" I asked, "that's a funny name!"

Mother held me up to look out the window.

Fafi was beautiful. She was a big, grey ball of fluff that seemed determined to become a mole as she kept on spearing her canine snout into the grass and soil only to wriggle around unsuccessfully.

"Can we go see?" I asked.

"Ivian told me about what happened with Sandy," mother told me, teasing me with my past traumas, which I had let my curiosity override. She picked me up to go downstairs. "Fafi's a lot more dangerous than Sandy. She's a meat eater. She hunts small beasts like you."

Mother pressed my nose with her finger.

"I'm not a beast," I retorted.

Fafi was not scary at all. She was cute and darling.

Well, other than the barking. She barked a lot at me as mother brought me closer, telling me that Fafi's wagging tail meant she was curious to meet me too.

"Can I touch?" I asked Mr. Barker who was watching us from a long board over which he was sliding a block of wood. It looked a bit boring, or else I would probably be distracted by his new activity.

"This young man's quite a brave one, isn't he m'lady. Just don't pull on her ears or tail."

I reached out and rubbed my hands and face in Fafi's fluffiness.

As mother held me, I took a few glances at Mr. Barker, who was still sliding that wood. The block in his hands actually seemed to be creating light coloured shavings as he moved it along the board. Maybe it was to relieve his stress. I should try it out when I get older and have more responsibilities in life.

A maw of incisors suddenly rushed up in front of my eyes and Fafi's slobber was all over my face.

What was with animals and licking? It was a bit gross and scary. Fafi wouldn't really eat me like mother said, would she?

I'd have to have another bath after this.

Fafi rolled and panted and barked and whined.

We frolicked in the clover as Mr Barker and mother watched on.

"You two look like you're having so much fun. Do you mind if I join you?"

I immediately held my hands out to Ivian who had joined us in the yard.

"I missed you so much, Ivian!"

But Ivian just tickled me and patted Fafi's head from time to time, and maybe saved me from an unintentional scratch or two as Fafi swiped her paws around in excitement on her back.

"Ivian, thank you for thinking of him. I know you are having a rough time, I'm sorry."

"Lady Cianna, please don't. It's me who should apologise that I won't be here to help or take care of Tilly."

The reason I hadn't seen Ivian this morning was apparently because mother had asked her to do something else. I wonder why Ivian was the only one around to help in the house.

"He is a part of our household as well, I just hope that you can make a difference and both of you will be back in the manor soon."

Ivian picked me up and I rested my head against the thin strip of embroidered flowers on Ivian's rough-spun dress.

Mother waved me goodbye and I didn't feel like playing with Fafi anymore after hearing this strange conversation.

"Fafi, geddown now. Don't bother the young master and the maid."

Fafi was still hopping up on her hind legs, only held back from pushing Ivian over by Mr. Barker's calls.

When would I grow big enough to defend my one and only maid?

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We strolled back towards the house to get a wash basin.

"We need to pretty you up, my niece and sister are coming soon," Ivian said, with her few-teeth-crooked smile. There was nothing in her expression to hint at what mother was talking about and the conversation faded away, replaced by the smile I loved.

Hmm, now that I looked at it closely though, I think it was her incisors that made it crooked. Somehow they jutted in front of the rest of her teeth. It was almost like...

"Are you a vampire?"

"What?"

"A vampire!" I told her enthusiastically, "mother told me after the Shaman left. They have sharp fangs that they use to hunt their prey and drink their blood."

"Aren't you excited to see Evrolina and my sister?"

I think she just talked completely through my question.

"Evrolina? Who's that?"

"Oh, you little troublemaker. You know exactly who I'm talking about, don't you."

I bore her onslaught of tickles with... that's not true, I didn't bear it, I caved in immediately, it was terribilightful.

"Sto-p," my shouts went ignored until she finally released me and I had a moment to catch my breath on her shoulder just before I was plunged into the wash basin.

"Looking at you and Fafi, I was thinking that you and Eve would get along great this afternoon."

Hmm, this afternoon. I still had mixed feelings about meeting Eve.

"Ivian, don't go," I panted towards her chin as I tried to look up from her shoulder. Maybe Ivian's sister would have her go back to the village when they saw how grown up I was...

"What are you talking about. I'm right here," my maid said with a smile, but there was something dark behind her tone.

I looked up at her pleadingly, but she looked away, not meeting my eyes.

I pouted, she was resisting all my advances today. Were we just not meant to be?

Think positive Tilly! Maybe Eve takes after her aunt and it will be love at first sight. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Eve, did you know that horses eat babies?" I asked, curious.

Eve's eyes opened like two saucers and she looked at me as if I had told her there were monsters under her bed.

"But I'm the only one who knows and maybe I'm lying to you."

"Why?" She squeaked.

I couldn't get that weird idea out of my head. The memories were false, but the memories were what told me they were false. So what am I to believe?

"So what do you think, do horses eat babies?" I asked her back.

Maybe, just as I was the only one who knew the true nature of those carnivorous beasts, my inner self was the only one who realised the true nature of the world. This was all just a virtual reality made possible by the latest magics of the virsphere. Maybe.

Or, horses didn't eat babies and my strange memories were bunk.

Eve didn't understand my dilemma. She just pushed herself onto her legs with her two front hands and then started running away.

"Mama, mamaaaa!"

She was... well, a baby.

Not many images flicker around me when I think about babies. It seemed they were better to be avoided, even if they were kind of cute with their big eyes and chubby cheeks.

I had tried to be polite all morning, really.

I mean, Ivian helped me into a little vest and ribbon, just to look proper for the occasion, I put on a winning smile as Ivian's family entered the manor and we even brought out Semolina, that creepy horned rabbit and his little menagerie of plush friends. Then, Ivian put me down opposite the girl whose cryptic mumbling I sat trying to decipher the rest of the morning.

She wasn't much of a talker, this one. She made squeaking sounds while jumping up and down, which Ivian miraculously figured out meant she wanted semolina porridge. Then she sat and sulked when I stole the first spoonful.

Ivian is my maid, not yours!

No, Ivian! Don't look at me with those eyes!

I had to kowtow with all my might for my angel's forgiveness.

Fortunately, Eve was quiet during the rest of the snack breaks. However, I was a bit incensed when her eyes strayed to my semolina. She had her very own bowl of the stuff, the glutton.

"Tilly," Ivian's shadow encompassed me from behind. "We need to have a little talk."

I don't think Ivian was very impressed by my babysitting abilities.

Oh, the hardship, oh the toil. Trying to teach your friends the deeper questions in philosophy seems to be a thankless sacrifice.

Sorry, maybe I went a bit too far.

I didn't really expect an answer from Eve or anything. But that look of horror on her face when I told her horses eat babies (this is a fact by the way, it almost happened to me!) was priceless.

"I was not expecting this behaviour from you, Tilvrade."

My ears would have been drooping like Fafi's right now, if they could.

"Sorry Ivian."

Ivian let out a big sigh and lifted me onto her knee.

"Tilly, this isn't like you," Ivian told me. I was willing to disagree though. She just didn't understand what it was like having to sit with a little creature who couldn't talk or share and was putting my position as first place with Ivian at risk like this.

On second thought, all she did the past few years was babysit one of us followed by the other. Maybe I should try a harder...

"I'll try harder," I said.

"Will you? Then will you apologise to Eve? It's not me you should be saying sorry to."

Muh. I didn't have anything to apologise to Eve for. Give me a break. She was the one who took my food first. Wait, she did take my food first, right?

"Okaay..."

Eve was playing with the plushies again. The fox one turned out to be hers, actually. It had seemed unlikely that I would have gotten two new plushies overnight.

"Eve," I said, and her vapid eyes looked up at me again in fear. She kind of looked like Semolina, big upturned eyes, raised eyebrows and apprehensive, hunched shoulders. Maybe I should think of her as a little animal of the forest.

"Eve, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Horses don't eat-... horses are really nice animals that eat grass in the sunshine."

Maybe it's better not to talk about horses eating babies again, even if I was refuting it this time.

"Really?"

This time, her eyes opened wide again, but her whole back straightened out and she came alive again in a good way.

"Yeah! Maybe we can show you Sandy next time!"

It would be a win-win-win. Eve would be happy to see the horse, Sandy would have a tasty meal and I wouldn't have to see Eve again. Happy ending.

"Uh..." Eve seemed to be looking for something. "Then, auw we fwends?"

Aww, don't look at me like that.

I suddenly saw an image of a father telling his daughter that boys were like wolves.

I think I knew what he meant. Eve really shouldn't be so trusting. Who knows, she might find herself all eaten up very soon.

"Of course. Friends!"

The slightly crooked incisors in her smile were the same as Ivian's. Maybe other babies weren't all that bad after all...

Still, I feared for this gullible girl's future...