The old man shoved his cane into her stomach. She stepped back from the pain, “what was that for?” The old man looked out from the brim of his hat. “Because there is a darkness growing inside of you, and it will curse the land.” She flinched at the comment. The sun was setting soon and the trail was long. She walked past the old man and continued on her way. The old man’s comment was spinning in her head.
That night she laid in bed and the comment from earlier still rang in her ears. She tried to think of what it meant. Suddenly her legs began to ache. She knew what it meant. She tried to adjust so they wouldn’t cramp but that’s exactly what they did. The cramp started in her heels and moved to her calves. The pain was so immense she bit the pillow. It felt like her legs were twisting in on themselves. She passed out from the pain.
She was back on the trail. It must have been a dream. The dark trees passed by as the moon shone down. The old man was there walking along, he turned as she passed. He stood still and looked into her eyes. This time however she stood above him. As soon as their eyes met the scene changed and her dream was sweet. She was at her grandma’s house. The warm air greeted her and so did the candles her grandma had out at night. She walked through the rooms she knew so well. Her grandma sat in her rocking chair knitting. She looked up at the sound of her footsteps. Instead of the normal smile her grandma gave she instead gave a look of fear.
She woke up with her legs still hurting from the cramps the night before. She got up, grabbed her normal bowl of porridge and headed out to town for the day’s work. As she approached the villagers gathered around her grandma’s house. She ran now, what is going on? A man stepped from the crowd and grabbed her. “Red, stop! Someone grabbed her. You can’t see this.” Red’s mind was racing. “Looks like a wild animal attack.” She heard someone say. Tears fell from her eyes as they brought out the blanket wrapped body of her grandma. The man touched her shoulder, “I’m sorry, little red.”
Housed and Fed 