“Where do you think we will meet our last companion?” asked James anxiously.
“I don’t know,” said Sara. “We’ll have to wander aimlessly until something happens. That’s what I did before I met you.”
“Well, I guess it worked, but it would be nice to have some sort of plan.”
Sara nodded absently, and they continued to walk. They encountered few people along the way. In fact, they avoided contact with everyone. They saw one or two people from a distance and quickly hid behind trees to avoid being seen. This hide and seek method was working well; they ducked behind a large tree and were greeted by a tall woman with long, scraggly, gray hair.
“What are you doing?” she asked pleasantly. “Are you playing a game?” Sara stepped closer to James and backed away toward the path. The woman slowly followed them. Her eyes never left Sara’s face as she talked. “I have been watching you two for some time now, and I have to say you are very odd children. Are you lost?” she said as she continued to follow them down the path.
“No, we are simply on our way to town,” James said with a slight tremor in his voice.
“What town might that be?” the woman asked casually.
“The town where our very large and overprotective family lives,” said Sara, gripping James’ arm.
“Yes, and I’m sure they will miss us if we are not there very soon,” James piped in, stepping backwards at a faster pace.
“Well, you’d better hurry then,” the woman said, smiling slightly. “The town is still several miles off, and the sun will be going down in a couple of hours. It won’t be safe for two children out here in the dark. One can never tell what might happen.” She stayed on the path, watching them intently as they turned and ran as fast as they could away from her. They did not slow down until they rounded a bend, and the old woman was no longer in sight.
No comments:
Post a Comment