8 Flamerule 1462
Atalaya Loravaris glared at the closed door impatiently. She wanted out of the cottage now. She stretched her arms up towards the door handle but they just didn’t quite reach it. She could hear the birds singing happily in the gardens just outside the door. The sunlight shone in through the windows making bright patches on the floor. She had amused herself for what seemed like a long, long, long time pretending to be different animals sneaking from one lit up spot to the next, but now she was bored. “Out, please,” she stated rather emphatically searching around her for someone to open the door. “I want out please,” she restated to show that she knew the “right” way to ask. But she was not heard. Samantha Loravaris, her mother, was only paying attention to ‘the baby’ again. Atalaya wasn’t sure that she liked ‘the baby’ very much. Momma had told her that ‘the baby’ wasn’t going to change things, but that just wasn’t true. Momma never had time for her anymore. She was either feeding ‘the baby,’ changing ‘the baby,’ or putting “the baby” to sleep. This baby brother that was supposed to be her friend and playmate was anything but that as far as she was concerned.
Looking at the door again Atalaya began to devise a plan. “The handle. I just need to reach it. Momma pulls the string and then it magically opens. I just need to grab it.” Looking around the room her eyes landed on her very own stool that sat near, (but not too near) the fireplace. Eyes gleaming with plans, she frog-jumped over to it and then standing up tall as a mountain giantess high atop the Star Mount from her father’s stories and using all her mountain giant strength, she picked up the stool and carried it to the door. Carefully placing it “just right” she climbed up the high mountain and then reached for the “magic string.” As she touched it she heard the birds singing their greetings to her, but the door stayed closed. Sighing in exasperation, she grasped it as she had seen her mother do so many times and pulled on it. Still nothing happened. She shook it. Still it remained closed. Taking a deep breath and looking at the latchstring she pulled it once again. “I know that’s what Momma does.” This time she noticed the bar rising as she pulled the string. She let go and the bar dropped down again. Smiling, she grabbed the latchstring another time and gave a pull. The door opened a little, but bumped into the stool. Atalaya frowned. “Getting out of the house is hard,” she thought. “But I can do it. I’m a big girl now,” she repeated the oft heard phrase to herself. “I try my best, and then I can do it.”
Studying the door, latchstring, bar and stool again, Atalaya tried to fit them all together. There had to be a way to get outside. After carefully looking at all the pieces of her puzzle, she moved the stool slightly, to the side of the door. Climbing up again, she reached for the latchstring and pulled. The bar went up and grasping it she tried to pull it open. The new angle made it tricky, but she managed to get it to open a few inches. Easing her way off the stool while still holding the door was ‘tricky’ too, but doable. Once on the floor it was easy to open the door enough to escape the cottage and that is exactly what she did. Running with her arms outstretched up and down the garden paths among her mother’s healing herbs, pretty flowers and yummy foods to eat. She stopped at her “special garden.” The tall flowers that Momma called sunflowers towered over her head. In another spot the snapdragons stood with their mouths closed, but ready for her to pop open with a gentle squeeze. You had to be gentle or they broke. Momma had shown her how to make their mouths pop open when the flowers first started blooming. That was before Daddy left and Momma only had time for “baby brother.” “Why did he have to ruin everything?” Atalaya sat down and carefully played with her dragons. She decided that they were having a very important dragon meeting and telling stories about being the kings of Star Mountain.
Suddenly she became aware of a small rabbit staring at her from across the garden patch. Its nose twitched and as it caught her scent it turned and scampered in the opposite direction. Atalaya laughed and ran after it. It bounded for the forest edge and then disappeared into the thick undergrowth. Atalaya stopped. She wasn’t supposed to go into the forest alone. But the little rabbit was all alone too. She needed to help it. It shouldn’t be alone. Tentatively she placed one toe across the line that delineated the cottage clearing from the rest of the forest. Nothing happened. She shot a look across the gardens to the cottage. No angry mother appeared to call her back to the house. Inch by inch Atalaya slid her foot so that it was completely past the boundary line. Again she looked towards the cottage but still her mother did not appear to call her back. Hearing skittering sounds just a little ways off, she turned and followed its siren call. It was just ahead of her. She would find the rabbit, catch it, and bring it back to the safety of the gardens. Yes, that was a good plan. And she was a mighty giant huntress, it would be easy to save the little rabbit.
After about 10 minutes of “following” the rabbit, ever deeper into the forest Atalaya stopped and looked around. She could hear skittering and scuttering sounds all around her, but she was not sure which one belonged to her rabbit. She needed to save it. Her searching eyes saw no rabbits. Above her in the trees she saw squirrels jumping from one branch to another and heard birds scolding her for coming near their nests. But she saw no rabbits and definitely not her baby rabbit. No, not ‘baby rabbit’ but ‘kit’ or ‘kitten.’ Daddy said that baby rabbits were kittens just like baby cats. And baby foxes. But, Daddy said that baby dogs were not kittens, they were puppies. She stopped moving for a moment as she wondered, “Is baby brother a kitten or a puppy?” Shaking her head she decided that she would ask Daddy later, when he came for her party. “Was it later yet? It has been a long time since Momma helped me put on my blouse and skirt and gave me breakfast.” She looked up to check the sun, but couldn’t see it through all the tree branches. “Maybe I should go back and see if it is later and if Daddy is here. Then he can help me save the kitten rabbit.”
Atalaya turned to head back to the cottage and suddenly realized that she had no idea of which way was home. All the trees got suddenly bigger and began menacingly waving their branches trying to grab her. A large crow cawed loudly above her and she jumped back, looking frantically around for a safe place to hide. But nowhere looked safe. She took a few steps forward and then plopped down to the ground. “Daddy, where are you? It is later. Daddy help!!!” she called out into the vast forest. “Please Daddy. Help me!” She quieted and listened for her father’s cheery voice to answer her. She counted, “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten,” and looked around expecting to see her father come out of the woods with arms outstretched, ready to fling her up into the air and catch her on the way down. She looked and looked, but there was no father, no happy greeting or strong arms to hold her. “Daddy!” she called again. After a moment she counted again. “One, two, three, …” Her daddy always found her when she said “10.” Where was he? “Four, five, six…” she looked around expectantly. Still no one came out of the woods to find her. “Seven, eight, nine…” “Please Daddy, I am scared,” she whispered. Closing her eyes tightly, she whispered the magic word, “Ten.” Taking a shaky breath, she opened them and looked around her. Trees surrounded her, a small fern was poking up not too far from where she was sitting and the crow continued to caw somewhere up above her. But there was no Daddy.
Okay, maybe it is not later yet. I can call for Momma? But she is with baby brother. ??? Momma loves me. Momma will find me.” “Momma! Momma, help me!” she called out. Tears started to fall from her eyes as she stared around her, searching for any sign of her mother coming for her. “Momma will be mad. I did not stay in the garden. But I want Momma.” “Momma!!! Momma!!! Come find me!!” she sobbed. There was no answering call. Even the birdsong stopped as she shouted into the forest.
Atalaya stood up slowly. Taking a deep breath she straightened her shoulders and looked around her. “I’m a Mountain Giant Huntress,” she proclaimed to the forest. “I am strong. I am smart. I can hunt and track. I can go home.” Then in a whisper, she added, “I want Mommy and Daddy.” Deciding that the opening in the forest before her must be the way home, she started forward. Certain now that she was going the right way, she started running as she called out “Momma! Daddy! Come find me!” Suddenly she was falling, her foot caught by a creeping vine in her path. She crashed onto the rough ground, the sleeve of her new blouse ripping on the thorns of the blackberry bush she had landed on. Crying, she struggled back to her feet, rubbing her arm where the thorns had scratched her. Momma is going to be very mad now. My new birthday blouse is dirty and broken. Where are you Mommy? Please find me Daddy.” Atalaya wandered further into the woods searching for the way to her family. “I will be good. I promise. I will love brother Quaeth. I will be a good big sister. Please find me!” I want to go home. Please.”
Atalaya stumbled into a small forest glade. Here the sun shone down a small inviting patch of soft wild grasses and flowers. A stately ash tree grew tall and inviting, its branches reaching upward towards the sky near the eastern edge of the glade. Younger ash trees seemed to surround the edges of the glade, marking its boundaries. There was a large rock, nearly in the center of the space that was flat on top and seemed to invite one to sit upon it to rest in the sun. Atalaya climbed on top of it, feeling the sun’s warmth radiating from it through the palms of her hands and on her knees as she clambered up it. Then she sat, soaking in the sunshine. Letting it warm her and lift her spirits. After a while she lay down watching the clouds float across the sky and her eyes closed. She was so tired. She would just take a little nap and then she would get up and find her Mommy and Daddy. Yes. That was the answer. Just a little nap and then everything would be better.
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