Chapter 5

That day, when Alena finally told me why she had summoned me and why she was so lonely, I cursed my ignorance. If I had just been more attentive, tried to understand her world better before I bound myself to this wooden body, I might have seen it. But I had been too focused on the spells and her incantations to realise what was going on.

We sat on the patio of her house, watching a lazy breeze play with the unkempt garden. I had slowly grown used to seeing the world from a body, and the vivid red of the poppies and the deep purple of the bluebells formed a mosaic so bright it stung my eyes. Alena’s potion had worked better than I could have imagined, and my range of motion was steadily improving. I had told myself that I would never be able to walk in this world, but over the weeks, I had come to wonder if maybe I had been wrong. Every time I flexed my fingers, they seemed to work better than yesterday, and my effort made Alena smile.

Now, she leaned her head against my shoulder and sighed contentedly.

“ I don’t feel so lonely when I am with you.”

I glanced at her. She sat with half-closed eyes, letting the warm sun dance on her face. She seemed to relax more and more with every passing day, and after watching her for so long, I knew how unusual it was for her to take time for herself. Even so, I was surprised when she continued.

Most people think I’m strange, even if they act friendly. There aren’t many half-elves in this town.

If my legs had worked better, I would have kicked myself. I knew she had elf blood in her, but I had never reflected on the fact that most other people in her world were either elf or human. Thinking about it, I don’t think I had ever sensed a half-blood in her town before.

I’m happy you like me as I am, at least, she whispered and cuddled up against me.

I wished I could say something, tell her that it was the townspeople who were wrong, not her. But of course, my wooden body wouldn’t allow me, so all I could do was put my hand on hers.

Thank you, she whispered.

I watched the quiet garden, wondering how I could take away her sadness when she stirred and looked up. Grey clouds had begun to spread over the sky, and the wind was picking up. She shivered and pulled on her tunic to cover her knees.

“It will rain soon. Do you want to go inside?”

I nodded, and she stood up and glanced up at the dark sky.

“I love it when it’s raining…” she said as she turned back to me.

I looked at her curiously as she helped me up, not understanding what she was trying to say. I kept looking at her, hoping she would continue. She halted and turned to look at the shadows covering the garden.

“When it rains…”, she continued. “Everyone goes to sit in their houses, watching out the window, and it’s the only time I’m sharing the same experience as everyone else.”

She turned back to the house without another word and helped me inside, and we sat down by the kitchen table. The first drops of rain began to drum on the roof, and not long after, a thunderclap echoed in the distance. She sat down next to me and looked out the window, and I followed her gaze, but all I could see was the curtain of rain that cut us off from the outside world.

I understood what she meant then, and it made me sad that she felt so lonely that this was the only way she felt kinship with others. Not for the first time, I wished I could offer her more comfort.

That night, as the storm still raged outside, she lit a fire and helped me to the sofa. The flames cast their dancing shadows on the walls, and she sat down next to me and hugged herself against the chill. I reached out and took the blanket from the armrest, and wrapped it around us. The ease of the movement caught me by surprise, and she looked at me with her stormy eyes and smiled.

She rested her head on my shoulder as we listened to the rain drumming against the roof. Even when the warmth of the fire filled the room, she didn’t pull away, and as the rain fell harder, she lay down and put her head on my lap.

“Mia… Why did you come…?”

She looked up at me, but the only answer I could offer her was my smile. Even if I could tell her why I had done it, I wasn't sure it would be the right answer. After all, I had come out of curiosity, but there was a different reason why I wanted to stay.