Berrick hunched over a worn, tattered tunic, its fabric stained and frayed from years of use. With practiced hands, he threaded a needle and thread, working in rhythmic motions, stitching the fabric together and slowly repairing the clothing. Meanwhile, Jennah's son, Luvelye, ran around in the room in front of him, bare-chested, playing with a dull wooden sword.

“You’re much better at that than I’ll ever be,” Jennah said, watching him work. “Terrenen used to tell me you would be, but I never believed him. I’d never seen a man working the needle before.”

Berrick smiled. “It’s all about patience,” he said, without looking up. “And being gentle ... I’m afraid my grandson will be unlikely to inherit these traits.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that. It’s probably my fault. Though, Pella … she would have been good at it.”

“Yes, she would have…”

Just ahead of Berrick, something smashed and loudly shattered. A moment later, Luvelye quickly scuttled away from that direction.

“Luvelye!” Jennah shouted. “Don’t play like that inside the house! What did you break? Stop running – slow down this instant! Sorry, Berrick.”

“It’s quite alright,” Berrick said, shook his head, and focused again on the cloth in his hands.

In a little while, he managed to fix up the tunic quite nicely – certainly well enough for a mischievous little boy who would be ruining it again in a week’s time. Finally, after a long while, he leaned back, allowing himself a deep breath and a moment of peace.

Then, just after a few moments, he noticed he was tapping his foot, and he felt himself growing anxious again. The numerous problems that the village was facing were coming back into his mind.

“Dwindling reserves, bandits looking to kill us all, a screecher…” he mumbled to himself. “And my granddaughter is dead.”

He shook his head before he could shed a tear. He so missed the simple days when he could just lie down next to Vephena’s old heart tree and forget all his problems ... Even stitching and knitting didn’t relax him like they used to anymore.

Behind him, he heard someone knock on the front door of his house.

He rose from his chair, stretching his tired, old limbs, and walked over to the door.

“Teven,” he said, seeing a young man as he gently pushed it open. “It’s nice of you to visit. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“May I come in?” the youth asked.

“Of course,” Berrick said, stepping out of the way. Teven mouthed a silent thank-you and walked past him into the house.

“Want anything? Water? Bread?”

“No, thanks. Look, I’m here because of that … thing … that you asked me.”

Berrick looked around outside, spotted Jennah and Luvelye playing there, and closed the door. “Yes?” he asked. “What did you find out?”

“You were right. The merchant is gone.”

“Damn it. By the god Vifafey, I was hoping I was wrong … what do we do now…?”

“We were all hoping that you would have a plan,” Teven said. “You said you’d get the dryads to help us ... but after that last meeting with the one a few days ago … we’ve got nothing, have we? Those bandits are going to slaughter us.”

“No. I won’t let that happen. What did that boy we questioned say – that the rest of the crew are two days away? Then we might still have three days – one more until that second ‘merchant’ meets up with them, then another two until they all get here to kill us.”

Berrick looked upwards and thought for a moment. “Unless, of course, we got lucky, and the merchant is missing because the screecher ate him, and not because he’s part of a murderous group of bandits and slavers.”

Teven shook his head. “I’m not feeling very lucky,” he said.

“Neither am I. We need to act.”

“We should find a way to kill them before they kill us.”

“Ha! If that’s what you want, perhaps you should start praying to Chi’orat,” Berrick replied. “Ask if he has any more screechers to send our way.”

“You’re joking.”

“Of course I am,” Berrick said. “The god of monsters won’t be of any help to good humans. That said, it doesn’t look like the dryads will be, either, and you youngsters are no soldiers, no matter how motivated you might be. We can’t fight those bandits – if that poisoner is to be believed, there are far too many of them, and they’re well-armed. If I could only convince Vephena to … I’ll have to try again.”

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“We already did—”

“We have no other options.” He shook his head. “Or … maybe we do. Go and spread the word. Everyone should start packing. Food and warm clothing, nothing else. Maybe we can find someplace to hide.”

“Hide? Everyone? Three hundred people?” Teven anxiously bit his lip, then shook his head. “Pfft. Fine. We’re used to living like rats, anyway. I’ll tell everyone, and I’ll get Mikken to ride out on his horse and start looking for a spot we could use. A cave, maybe – though I’m not sure we’ll have much food to bring with us. Also, perhaps we can leave a trail to the edge of the forest, make the bandits think the dryads took us in, even if they don’t.”

Berrick froze. “I’m … I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Vephena won’t like it.”

“So? Is now the time to be thinking about the dryads? We’ve got our own skin to worry about. If they don’t care about us, why should we worry about them?”

Berrick noticed he was tapping his foot again. “Hold off on that today. I’m going to go talk to Vephena.”

“Why?” Teven asked.

“Just do it,” Berrick said, then moved towards the door as quickly as his old legs could carry him.

Outside, the village was unusually busy, and the atmosphere tense. Men and women who usually would have stopped to greet him and make small talk stepped right past him on their way to their various errands, and there were more children at work carrying things around than there were playing.

They’re coming, the people’s worried expressions seemed to say. Those damned bandits that had poisoned their wells, trying to lure them and their coin pouches into the wilderness.

They were already on their way to rob, enslave, and kill us, and now they’ll even want vengeance for what we did to that boy of theirs. There is nothing we can do to stop them.

Berrick shook his head. He would find a way. He always had so far … though his odds of success this time were unmistakably terrible.

He hurried past the main cobbled street that ran through the village and made his way to his little wild orchard. He’d need a gift for Vephena if he was to have any hope of convincing her to extend her kindness and protection to any human other than him. With a little luck … perhaps he could at least get her to take in his daughter-in-law and grandson – Jennah and Luvelye. He hoped.

He entered the orchard and headed towards the nearest gooseberry bush. He plucked a handful of plump, emerald-green berries and carefully nestled them into the worn leather pouch that hung at his waist. Next, he stepped a little way away, knelt on the ground, and gathered a small collection of pinecones. After that came blueberries, and after those, a couple of acorns and elderberries. They were all things that harbored seeds that could grow in Vephena's forest.

Finally, he stood back up off the ground and left his orchard in the direction of the woods.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t move as quickly as he would have wanted to. He was growing old. As he rushed through the fields of tall grass outside the village, his mind buzzed with thoughts on how to persuade Vephena.

It was more challenging to convince her of anything now than it had been in their youth. Of course, it was inevitable, now that she was Oakmother to the grove, responsible for all of the dryads in it, but…

“Berrick!” a familiar voice suddenly called out from his left.

He stopped and turned to look, startled. There was no one there. Only tall grass. “Hello?” he asked.

“Berrick? Is that you, over there?” the voice said.

“Vephena? That’s my line – is that really you? Are my ears deceiving me? I can’t see you – where are you?”

“I’m right here. Give me a moment.”

Berrick looked around, confused, but he still couldn’t see anything but the tall grass, swaying slightly in the breeze.

“What … what are you doing here, Vephena?” he asked. “It’s been years since you left the forest! Where are you?”

The long blades of grass up ahead of Berrick suddenly parted, and Vephena stood up and greeted him. She smiled brightly, waving at him, covered scarcely with vines and ivy leaves, much like she had been during her youth. Berrick began to feel all tingly – she was beautiful.

“Vephena … you’re really here. I never would have guessed … I was just on my way to see you!”

She nodded and walked over to him, gazing into his eyes and smiling all the while. The tall grass seemed to bend and jump away from her feet, as if eager to get out of the way. She looked so happy to see him…

“I’m glad,” she said softly. “I’ve missed you, Berrick … And I’m so, so sorry. I know we didn’t leave on the best of terms.”

Berrick shook his head, suddenly feeling a little strange, but he made his way over to her, trying to avoid the smaller, more dried up, and fragile grass as he did so. She noticed, and she smiled at him warmly, stretching out her arms as he came closer.

With the distance between them gone, they embraced each other openly and tightly. It must have been the first time in years…

The strange tingling feeling in his head began getting stronger. All of a sudden, he felt light … weightless … and afraid, but … really good.

“Vephena, you’ve no idea how happy I am to see you,” he said. “But what’s the meaning of this? You said we couldn’t anymore … your people, mine, and the accord…”

Vephena simply closed her eyes, embraced him more tightly, and then leaned her forehead against his own. “None of that matters anymore,” she said, her lips inches away from his. “You and me, right now. It’s the only thing left that’s important.”

“How come? The village … Your grove … And the bandits…”

It was getting harder and harder to think straight for long enough to say a full sentence.

Strangely, Berrick began to feel as though he’d been lifted off the ground.

“They don’t matter, Berrick,” Vephena said. “Not anymore. Not to you.”

“Yes…”

Vephena gently drew her forehead back from his, a wide smile blossoming on her face. Her eyes sparkled, inviting him to close the distance between them. He began to feel nervous. Something strange and wet moved on top of his head.

“It’s just you and me now, Berrick,” Vephena said. “Stop denying yourself. Come closer and be with me, until it’s all over.”

For some reason, Berrick found that he was strangely constrained, but he was able to lean forward. For the first time in over a decade, he kissed her.

And it was amazing. It was better than anything he had ever felt before, with anyone else, or even with her. She was so clearly so very happy … and so was he. As their lips touched, he felt tears of joy fill his eyes.

Strange prickling and stabbing sensations began piercing his skull, but they were numb, and they didn’t bother him much. He focused instead on the kiss, losing himself in Vephena’s lips.

For a brief moment, they parted, just for long enough so that he could take a breath.

Vephena held him even more tightly. He felt his arms and ribs cracking under her grip, but he was numb to all of it.

“Chi’orat says hello,” Vephena whispered, then pulled him back into another kiss.

Soon, the whole world went away. The only thing left was bliss, and everything became white.