A trio of women walked by Alvery whispering and giggling together. Two older men chatted in the doorway of what looked to be a blacksmith, and there were children running after each other a short ways down to his right…

It would’ve been a peaceful stroll if it weren’t for the fact that everyone looked at him.

Some were more discreet in their quick side glances, some stopped their conversations and openly gawked at him.

Thunder rumbled above and the smell of rain wove itself through the air.

Alvery felt the stew in his stomach churn unpleasantly as he kept looking for the post office.

Surely it’s on the main street…

He did his best to avoid the stares that followed him in growing numbers, but even so he would hear snippets of conversations that went something like:

“-is that?”

“-where do you think?”

“How long will he-”

Ignoring their pointed questions about his identity, Alvery wondered what had made him the target of so much scrutiny. Aniselle was a relatively well-known town; it had to have visitors pass through regularly. Why was he such an oddity to them?

“Are you lost?”

The voice to his left jolted Alvery from his thoughts, nearly making him outwardly flinch.

God Diolla, why did he have to be so obvious about being jumpy?

When Alvery turned, he found himself staring at a man in his late thirties, wearing a leather apron. He was built leanly, had auburn hair, and dark green eyes.

“Are you lost?” the man repeated.

Alvery’s gaze darted up to the sign having over the shiny black door.

Tip Toes

He blinked. Then squinted, then stared at the shop owner dubiously.

“Are you a… cobbler?”

The man gave a small smile, then nodded.

Alvery cleared his throat and shook his head. “Sorry, that was rude of me. I’m not lost, but I am looking for the post office. I thought it would be relatively easy to find.”

The cobbler shook his head, his mouth twisting as he stepped out into the street; his thinning hair more visible in the light of day.

“You would think that, but Aniselle didn’t get a proper post office until a couple decades ago, and the town was founded a couple centuries before that. The office is actually on the opposite side of town, when you see pillars where the old church for Diolla used to be, turn left. It’s right on the corner and is painted bright red. Can’t miss it.”

Alvery nodded, while silently lamenting the distance. It could take him close to another hour of walking to get there.

“I’m Theo Tipping.” The cobbler held out his hand.

“Mr. Robin,” Alvery replied shortly whilst giving the proffered palm a short shake and eyeing the length of the main road.

When he eventually did look back to the cobbler who had kindly offered his assistance, Alvery remembered his clothing conundrum. “You wouldn’t happen to know where a tailor is as well would you?”

“Ah,” Theo Tipping turned and pointed at one of the small alleyways a short ways ahead. “Mr. Sim, down that way. You’ll see his sign. He doesn’t often work in a hurry when the weather is bad like this thanks to his arthritis, but he might have a few shirts and pants already made.”

Alvery let out a small pleased breath. “Thank you, I appreciate your assistance.”

Theo continued staring at him, his expression good natured one moment, and suddenly frowning the next.

“You haven’t meant Tia yet, have you?”

Alvery balked briefly before eyeing the cobbler more warily. “She introduced herself to me at the inn.”

Theo’s frown lowered even farther as he fixed the newcomer with a calculative stare while crossing his arms.

“You should stay clear of her. She’ll bring nothing but trouble.”

“She approached me randomly. Believe me, I have no interest in getting entangled with any peri folk,” Alvery declared while holding up his hand defensively.

Just what in the world was wrong with the townspeople?!

Theo continued staring in a disconcerting manner until he seemed to reach some sort of conclusion, prompting him to nod once and return to his store without another word.

“Thanks again… for your help…” Alvery waved at the cobbler’s back that disappeared back into the shadowed building, completely baffled.

Deciding that this exchange was his final straw, Alvery resumed his journey to the post office, only he made sure to increase his speed. No matter what, he would not stay in Aniselle for another full day.

His nerves couldn’t take it.

*

Alvery stared at the letter, his heart in his stomach, his mouth dry.

G in Scarlem.

You’re too early.

Wait until summer travelers arrive in Aniselle.

Will contact again soon.

YS

The letter crumpled in his grip.

He’d arrived in Aniselle in record time, it was true… but he had hoped that only helped hurry things up.

“You may want to get walking, lad.”

Alvery barely heard the post office woman.

“It’s going to start raining any time now.”

I knew things were going too smoothly…

Thunder boomed outside the store as thick black clouds rolled in over the emerald hills that spanned outside of Aniselle’s walls as though to punctuate the worker’s point.

“Lad, are you alright? Did you get bad news?”

The kindly older woman behind the counter was round, with short curly gray hair, a loose dress black, and warm brown eyes. She regarded the young man’s distraught, pale expression worriedly.

“Is there…” Alvery stopped and cleared his throat.

He briefly wondered if he were going to throw up.

“Is there a way to get back to the inn that doesn’t involve the main road?”

The woman, taken aback by the oddness of the request, raised an eyebrow and nodded.

She turned her profile to the many cubbies of the post office wall behind her, and pointed.

“Take a left, and follow the wall of the city round the bend. You’ll eventually meet a dead end, and then you’ll take a left– not the first left mind you, that’ll take you to someone’s side door, the second left, and then a right, and then another right, and you’ll be back along the wall-”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“I’ll figure it out.”

Alvery stumbled out of the office, the bell ringing above the door as he left sounded like it came from an entirely other realm. The letter still clasped in his hand, Alvery kept walking down the cobblestone road following the wall, wondering if it were possible to will his heart to stop working right then and there.

He wished he could end his misery once and for all…

But the wretched thing kept working, refusing to let him take the easy way out.

He had just reached the bend in the wall and the first left to a side street when the downpour began, instantly soaking him to the bone and bringing on a chill that had his skin prickling with goosebumps.

His glasses became splattered and impossible to see out of, prompting him to pause to take them off, and tuck them into his shirt pocket beside his bobble.

Laying his hand over two of his most important possessions, Alvery turned his face to the sky, allowing himself to get used to the cold he felt. The brief spark of hope he had lit within himself that morning sputtered out.

“I’ve had a day like yours.”

Alvery felt his mouth turn up in a humorless smile.

Of course, even in a downpour, even down a side road… townspeople were still trying to talk to him.

Alvery looked to his right where the voice had come from, and could make out the slightly blurred outline of a young woman with short wavy hair that reached just below her chin that was already drenched, the glint of silver in her ear alerting him of the identity of the speaker.

“I doubt you have,” he replied with a small laugh before continuing on his way.

“You’re running, and you’re wondering if you’re going to make it to the end or not.”

Alvery stopped in his tracks, then looked behind himself slowly to stare at the peri girl.

“What?”

“Am I wrong?” she leapt nimbly onto the stones and sidled up to him.

Her face was slightly easier to see once she was closer, and so Alvery was able to observe the sincerity of her words in her face.

“The last day I felt that way, I looked to the sky and prayed for snow.”

“You think I’m praying for this rain?” Alvery asked bitterly.

Why was he even bothering conversing with her? Wasn’t he more or less confirming he was running away?

“No. I think you don’t know what to pray for because you haven’t decided to keep going yet.”

Alvery turned his toes and stared at her more intently as the rain flooded the world around them, the roar of the water meeting the ground drowning out their conversation from even the keenest of ears.

“What in Kir’s void do you know about me?”

His voice sounded harsh… even threatening.

But Tiaznia looked up into his gray eyes unflinchingly, and smiled.

“I know you’re here to help me.”

*

Alvery stared at the rain pattering the leaves of the forest in a daze.

“Are you sure you don’t want another blanket?”

He glanced behind himself to see Tiaznia in the process of lighting an oil lamp and rummaging around the back of her cramped living space.

It turned out, the reason she had known he had strolled right into Aniselle the other day, was because she lived in a caravan that had its wheels sunken into the mud just below a small hill near the entrance to the town on the edge of the forest.

The inside of the dilapidated vehicle was lined with a single shelf filled with knick knacks and toys that a child may have enjoyed, while there was a small step at the front that led to a nest of blankets and pillows where she obviously slept. Aside from this, there was a leak down the left wall of the caravan that was soaking the wooden planks all the way down to the floor a short ways from where Alvery sat.

He regarded the back of the caravan more seriously then. “What do you do in the winter?”

The back of the caravan had obviously had a full door at some point judging from the rusted hinges still screwed into the wall, but any other sign of it was long gone.

“I haven’t decided yet.”

Alvery frowned. “Haven’t you been living here a while? And don’t peris normally travel in groups?”

Tia hesitated while rummaging around the back of the caravan, but didn’t bother answering the question or show any other sign that she had heard him.

“Don’t look, I’m changing my shirt,” she called out instead.

Alvery looked ahead promptly, then let out a small laugh when he realized the absurdity.

“You invited a man back to your caravan where you live alone, I agreed, and you assume I’m the respectful type?”

“Aren’t you?”

He felt his cheeks briefly warm before he scoffed. “I am, but it amazes me someone your age and with your background is so trusting.”

“Well I’m not normally, but I already told you, you’re here to help me,” Tiaznia finished pulling a fresh white shirt on, then picked up one of the old quilts from her makeshift bed that had a ragged hole near one of its corners. She drew the blanket around her shoulders as she shuffled around the pile of her wet clothes and plunked herself down beside Alvery.

“Help you with what, exactly?” He eyed her with a frown.

Tia peered outside thoughtfully, once again not replying to him.

Staring at her profile, Alvery noticed just behind her left ear two beauty marks trailing down her neck, before he looked back to her eyes that had darkened from their light honeyed hue that morning.

“Well, I don’t know exactly how you’re going to help, but your timing is too impeccable. Plus, like I said earlier, I understand the day you’re having, and that too seems a little too perfect. Of course my peri gift is luck, but even so-”

“Diolla,” Alvery cursed while giving his head a good shake. He had followed a woman who believed in magical gifts bestowed by a peri god, and who also had roughly guessed his predicament. He mentally kicked himself for not refuting her earlier. Why was he becoming so sloppy?

“So you see, I grew up in Aniselle,” Tia started, as though unbothered by his interruption.

Alvery straightened in surprise, but didn’t get a chance to ask the obvious questions as she continued speaking.

“Then I… left. A few years ago. But I’m back now because I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now that I’m here. I haven’t prayed to Sarkal since the time I prayed for it to snow, but the other day I prayed for him to show me where I should be because I don’t know if it’s here. Well wouldn’t you know it, the very next morning, you come strolling into the town!” she finished happily, her eyes once again glittering as she faced Alvery who was staring at her in open horror.

“I am not… Sarkal had nothing to do with me being here, and besides, I’m going to leave eventually and-”

“Wonderful, then I’m supposed to go with you!”

Alvery leapt out of the caravan back into the rain while casting off the blanket off his shoulders inside the vehicle.

He didn’t bother saying anything or looking back as he slogged his way as quickly as possible through marshy grass back toward Aniselle. Back toward the inn.

The cobbler had been right.

He shouldn’t have engaged with the peri girl.