Morning sunlight raced in though the tiny holes around the hut, and the once dark and gloomy place was now bright and clear. The young lady sat up on the bed, her body was sore and she ached all over. She groaned as she sat upright, looking around the small room subconsciously.
She paused, realising something was off. Her eyes flung open and widened with shock. She stared at the small table beside the bed in complete confusion. She managed to get up despite the excruciating pain she was in, her eyes unwavering.
Her dress and the towels she had used in cleaning up her wound, which she left messily on the table were all gone.
She looked down and also realized that the basket of fruits was placed neatly beside her bed and had been replaced with new fresh fruits, and the leftovers of the ones she'd eaten were all cleaned up, same with the basket of clothes too.
Thinking back, she realized she had woken up with the thick blanket covering her, and as far as she could remember, she didn't use the cover, as she had helplessly fallen asleep.
Turning around, she sighted a new set of clothes hanging down from a nail etched deep into the corner wood, and right below it was a sword, where the spear had been.
"Someone was here," she muttered under her breath. "Who could it be?"
She ran her hand through her hair, frustrated.
Was it the owner of the house? Maybe it was. Was the person mad I broke into their home? But why did they leave me new supplies? Or could someone be messing with me? Does it have anything to do with the vision I had?
She had slept so soundly and in a home that was not even hers and let her guard down. How then could she have seen someone who might have snuck in?
Her eyes lit up and she limped towards the door, to her astonishment, the door lock was still latched firmly in place. Further confusion set in for her.
She reached her hands out to open the door, but she couldn't fathom what might be standing on the other side. She ignored her fear and pulled the door open.
A soft wind blew over her. The place that terrorised her last night was now a beautiful scenery, one to die for but that was not what she wanted to see right now.
She made her way around the house, and there was no sign of life around, no one. She began to feel anxious like she was being watched.
"I can't stay here any longer," she stormed into the hut, scribbling around, trying to find something. Her eyes landed on a bag sack at the other side of the bed, she moved hurriedly towards it and snatched it off the floor.
She grabbed all she needed — some fruits, the water gourd and a towel — and shoved them into the bag. She made her way to the door but paused and looked down at herself, she was practically naked.
Reluctant, she walked back to where the clothes were hanging and ripped it off the wall. She inspected it carefully, not sure what she was searching for. She put down the bag, threw the clothes on and made it back for the door.
As she grabbed a hold of the knob, the trance flashed through her eyes again, causing the hairs on her body to rise and sending a shiver down her spine.
Her head turned slowly back to the etched sword, it was her only defense tool now, the spear was gone. She walked back to where the sword stood resting on the wall. She looked carefully at the incision on it and tried to make out what it was, but she couldn't.
Wait, perhaps it is cursed?, She wondered.
She had so much going on right now and a curse is not something she wanted to add to it.
Then she reasoned again, the person would not have done all what they did if they weren't looking out for her right? She raised her eyebrows in wonder, wanting to think about something positive about this whole miserable situation she found herself.
She gathered courage from every fiber of her being and reached out her hand to grab the sword. She took a hold of it and held it far from her face.
She stood up still examining it, expecting something to happen, but nothing changed. After she was sure it won't cause her any harm – as she chooses to think – she brought it closer to her and unsheathed it slowly.
Unlike the spear, it felt extremely familiar to her. She brought it down to her side and lifted it up again.
The sword knew or hand or was it her hand that knew the sword?
She held the pommel with both her hands and in a swift motion she slashed the air with it.
She felt strange, but she loved it. It made her question what she was before she couldn't remember. A warrior? An huntress? She wouldn't know.
She could only get answers if she made it out of here. Each step she took were torture but she choose to ignore them to search for answers. Not sure where she was headed, but the answers are definitely not in that hut they were out there and she would find them
She put the sword back in its sheath and girded it upon her loins. She steadied herself on a stick she had found and walked out of the door.