Chapter 19 Three blind mice

Rose had begged and pleaded not to go to Natasha’s hata and so instead of helping Grandmother with Nula whose contractions were not far enough apart. Elena took her down to the fields while she got some extra work done early before the heat. For a while Rose watched the beauty and grace of her mother’s swings and imitated them with a stick, until they became repetitive and she got bored. Finally Elena smiled and told her she could go play elsewhere. The condition being that every now and then Rose would let her mother know where she was. After she tossed up a handkerchief Rose waited for a scythe to rise into the air wrapped with its own cloth and then she went about her own business.

Though the cool trees of the wood beckoned her she bit her lip and behaved. Her Father’s outbursts this morning had shocked her and the loss of Sadko was sinking in. No longer could she go visit his geese or take rides by the river. Horseback lessons would end just as she was getting good at jumping too. Her father did not wish her to hurt herself or travel. No longer could she tease the miller and retrieve her cat. What would her days be like to come? She could not even continue to sneak out and protect the garden for that was what started the mess to begin with.

She continued to go around to the traps that she had placed all over the field and it no longer surprised her that they were empty. She collected as she went determined to figure out a way to improve them and yet nothing sprung to mind. Her traps were slightly less vicious than her father’s. Not made of the same heavy materials but to her mind they were efficient and still in some cases deadly. With each collection she grew angrier. She could note which ones had been used and emptied. Sometimes they were put back almost too perfectly. This signified it was not just the rabbit. She felt betrayed knowing some other villagers were taking advantage of her hard work. Besides she had tried to share everything she had caught so far. If they wanted anything, they need only ask. Probably figured she would just ruin it with her cooking.

By the last trap closest to the trees and her mother’s shrine Rose was fuming. It seemed all the world was set against her triumph. Then as if summoning him up with thought, the hare appeared. In all of his glowing white glory he weaved in and out of the wood. He seemed to deliberately be trying to get her attention. Had this been yesterday Rose would have found this amusement quite fascinating as it was she picked up a rock and let her sling fly. “I hate you!” She missed and ran quickly and picked up another stone. “You did this!” She shouted to the air. And air was all that rock struck.

Finally in the language her mother had taught her and aiming true she cried. “This is your end!” The rabbit busted with the impact between the stone and a tree.

White flew in all directions. Rose gasped only; she didn’t just gawk. Immediately she ran up to the tree and saw the white chunks sliding together of their own accord. There was no blood, bone, skin or fur. It was nothing except sparkling white growing dirty as it dragged around leaving wet trails behind it. Three round lumps formed and they changed.

Small creatures that looked like a mixture between mice and rabbit began to scurry about. They lined up and began to come toward her. They had no eyes. Rose was truly frightened when one reached her foot she stomped on it and felt it smash and crunch beneath her feet. The cold of it was disconcerting. She turned and ran.

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She tripped over her own pile of traps. Just after that a white dove dropped down not too far ahead. Rose looked behind her and saw no mice creatures. As she looked ahead the dove still stared at her hopping closer. How could a rabbit turn into mice, and then into a bird? This had to be a demon. Like the ones in the snow the old men whispered about.

Snow, the substance her mother had described to her. That was what had been beneath her feet. Rose moved slowly watching the creature; it tilted its head in curious ways as it coed.

Her hand cupped over another stone. She loaded her sling as she stood slowly not to alarm it. Still, the dove took flight. She had trained with her father to hit flying objects before. As she was about to release she was tackled. A hand closed over her mouth as Rose struggled and tried to scream. One bright pale blue eye, paired with a partially hazel and blue eye looked down at her. The figure was smudged with black and loose strands of blonde white hair hung down brushing Rose’s face.

“That is my pet you were going to hit.” In a grit white teeth flashed as he spoke then he breathed in deeply and made an effort to gentle his features. The filthy boy spoke very slowly as an adult addressing a child, though he was obviously her age, maybe younger.

“I do not wish to hurt you. I am the boy who has been stealing from your traps. I do not like the village or people. If you tell them I am here I will run and you will never figure out how to catch the old Jack. I am going to release you. Do not scream.” He released her mouth with furtive eyes. She breathed in slowly and then coughed and covered her mouth. “Were you on fire?” Her eyes watered.

Hansel thought to himself that next time he might want to lower the scent. It might alarm mortals to come investigate. “Demons smell like ashes.” He cleared his throat, “When you smell like ashes a demon does not smell you.” The first part of the statement sounded heavy with an accent. By the second half he had corrected his speech to sound like hers.

“Can you get off me? It is hard to breathe” Rose’s face was turning red.

“Alright,” Hansel quickly stood. Rose who was lying over some traps got up more slowly rubbing her back with a wince.

“Oh my slingshot.” Rose got up and pointed to where it was. The moment he looked she ran into the fields. Hansel cursed with a cut off snarl then took off after her.

“Mother Help!” Rose cried while putting up her hood to protect her eyes from the blades that were bound to strike her as she ran. She had a good distance on him and Rose was known to outrun some of the men in the village.

“Rose? Darling stay back we are cutting!” A distant yell came from Elena. “Throw up your cloth I will come find you!”

Rose was still running her fastest when from the side she was collided with once more.

The boy leapt upon her like a cat and they rolled once over before his hand came to clamp down over her mouth. This time she was biting it fiercely. He did not relent.

“Please,” He whispered heavily, eyes pensive, “Do not tell anyone I am here.” She stopped biting after this plea. It was not helping; it did not even break his skin. And he tasted terrible. He winced when he heard Elena calling very close.

“Where are you?!” Rose could tell her Mother’s voice was still merry with a tinge of concern. The hand lifted and she stared at the frightened boy. He tucked and rolled off of her to the other side and through the shoots. Rose was amazed he left no trail to follow. Elena emerged, “There you are darling. You scared me. Are you alright?”

“My traps are all empty and I wanted to come tell you… I fell!” Rose put on her best pout.

“Oh my babe I am sorry. You are having a terrible day are you not?” Her Mother scooped her up into a warm and comforting hug. Rose did not even care if there was a secret set of eyes watching. Her relief of being with someone she trusted outweighed her embarrassment.

“Look, your face is covered with black dirt. Where is your handkerchief?” Behind her Mother in plane sight of Rose a small white hand with narrow fingers slid through the grass and dropped the cloth. It vanished with a rustle that Rose knew meant goodbye. She remembered being curious about that hand before. That feeling had not lessoned in the slightest.