Avi and Village

Chapter 20

Part 1 - Avi

“I’ve kept it as it was, and I also repaired the door hinge for you,” Patrick says at Astrid and Callum’s home.

The children run into their room at the back of the house, rolling on and playing around their straw beds. Their home is a small square cottage with the hearth in the center. They have a small wooden table next to the hearth, and a pot over the fire. Farming tools hang on the log walls, and fur carpets warm the packed-dirt floor. A ladder goes up to the loft, where Astrid and Callum have their bed. I look at the half-broken door that Patrick repaired, thinking about what probably happened.

“Thank you. It’s good to be home,” Callum says, embracing Astrid at his side.

The rest of us stand back at the door, feeling like we are intruding.

“Please feel at home. You can stay as long as you like,” Astrid says, smiling at us.

I nod before I walk in to look around. The kids run back to us. The boys and Lea drag Dima and Elda to their room. Stella walks up to me as I look at the sharp scythe hanging on the wall.

“Were your family farmers?” she asks me.

“I don’t think so. I think my mother was a tailor; I can’t really remember,” I answer her.

Heins, Stella and I sit down at the hearth. Astrid walks up to one of the shelves, grabbing a fur blanket. She puts it over my shoulders and smiles at me.

“Sorry, it gets pretty cold in here,” she tells me.

“No, it’s fine — thank you so much,” I say, feeling the soft, warm fur around me.

“Believe me, this is way better than what we’re used to,” Heins says.

“Just tell us if you need anything. We want you to feel comfortable,” Callum says as he sits down.

All of us adults sit around the fire, the kids’ snores reach us from their room. Patrick joins us for the evening to speak with his reunited family and with us, the newcomers. It is a simple but pleasant atmosphere. Astrid had made us tea from the herbs of the nearby forest. It has an earthy taste and smell, warming us up.

“Iris, can I ask you something?” Callum asks.

I look at him with the furry blanket around me.

“Of course,” I answer.

“Do you miss your old world?” he asks me, with a serious expression.

Astrid bumps his shoulder from beside him, but Callum keeps his gaze on me.
It is a fair thing to ask, a hard one to answer.

“I miss my mother, and I wonder what happened to a friend of mine. Since I don’t remember much, it is mostly the feeling that remains. I did miss it, especially before I met Dima and Elda. Somewhere along the way, I started wondering what happened, if that world still exists somewhere out there,” I answered him, trying to be earnest.

Everyone is quiet for a moment. I see them trying to understand; only Patrick looks completely confused. Still, I know that it is impossible for them.

“What are you talking about?” Patrick asks in confusion.

It has become a burden to explain everything, every time I am met with such surprise. Callum steps in:
“Don’t worry about that now,” he tells his brother, and looks at me.

“Sorry, I don’t mean to put you on the spot. I just want to get to know you better. We owe you our lives and our children’s,” he says.

“Yes, we want to help you in any way that we can. As I already said, you are welcome to stay here as long as you want. We want this to feel like your home,” Astrid continues, smiling kindly at us.

I look at the kind eyes of the couple in front of me. I am truly glad they are such good-hearted people.

“Thank you, and I don’t mind. I want to get to know you too,” I say, smiling back.

Heins, Dima, Elda and Stella smile at me with relief. I’m starting to find myself again, surrounded by such great friends.

“Well! Let’s go to bed. How about you all come help me and Patrick in the fields tomorrow? We could use some help,” Callum tells us as he stands.

“We would love to,” Dima answers.

The sun peeks over the mountain tops into the fields, heating up the mild morning air. Callum shows us how to cut the crops close to the base without damaging the roots. We had arrived just in time for the season's harvest. The village was short on workers, so everyone seems joyous with us young ones wanting to help. The Avi greeted us with smiles as we walked to the fields this morning. I could sense their kind intentions. They truly have welcomed us with such kindness. We spend the morning gathering the crops, filling twine-bound baskets and carrying them back to the village. An old Avi man collects them from us. His purple eyes are still crystal clear under his bushy eyebrows, even at his age. Patrick explains to me that he and his family are the ones who process the grains.

Elda doesn’t have the finesse to cut the stalks to the right length, so she is eventually put on carrying duty after Dima lectures her. Heins is allowed to go and rest after a few hours, since he can’t keep up with Avi's stamina. In the end, it’s just Dima, Stella, and me.

Stella has a straw hat over her white hair that she borrowed from Astrid. This morning, Astrid asked if she wanted to help her and the other women bake and sew clothing, since that’s what the village women usually do. She also asked Elda, even if I think the answer was pretty clear. But Stella also insisted that she wanted to learn about how they process their crops. To my surprise, she is really good at it. Her gentleness lets her cut the crops carefully. Still, she is a bit slow, and I see that she is tired as she wipes the sweat off her forehead.

Dima clears his throat behind me, catching me watching her. I look back at him and he nods to her with a smirk. I raise my eyebrows at him before I look back at her and walk over.

“Maybe you should take a break?” I tell her as I crouch down next to her.

“Why?” she asks me with a smirk.

“Well… We Avi are made for this stuff. It’s okay if you can’t keep up,” I say, trying to explain that she can rest.

“You think I can’t handle it? You think I’m too proper for this sort of stuff?” she answers me with a skeptical look.

“No—I just meant…” I try to explain, but she interrupts.

“I’m fine, thank you. Maybe you should be a bit more gentle,” she says, looking down at the uneven straws in my hand.

She stands up and walks away from me, leaving me speechless.

I look back at Dima and he shakes his head at me in disappointment.

Part 2 - Villagers

“Thank you,” Dima says as he drinks from the cup Astrid brought for us.

After spending the afternoon in the fields, we are finished for the day. Callum told us they could finish up, since Astrid had a surprise for us.

Elda gulps down the water and Heins sits on the ground exhausted from the tiring work.

“I wish I were an Avi,” Heins says, sighing.

“You know what, maybe it’s better if you would show the villagers a thing or two about smithing and crafting,” Dima tells him.

“You think?! I mean—do you think it would help?” Heins lights up and says.

“I think that’s a great idea,” I chuckle and agree.

“Actually, we have a knowledge crafter in the village. I will introduce you two later,” Astrid says as she smiles at Heins.

“Oh! But before that, I want you all to come with me for a while, if you don’t mind?” she suddenly says.

“Of course not,” Stella tells her.

In the slightly larger cottage, women sit and weave, and sew clothing made of hide and fur. They all smile at us as we walk in. A tiny old lady comes up to us. She walks up to Elda, pulling at her clothes and inspecting her from head to toe. Elda looks uncomfortable and confused. She then does the same to all of us.

“Hm. I think I have something for them. Follow me,” she says, walking through the room.

Astrid chuckles and pushes Dima forward, making us all follow along.

The old lady holds the fur-insulated top over my shoulders.

“Hm. Yes. Try it on,” she says, putting it in my hands.

Astrid looks to me and explains:
“We thought that you might want new clothing. It is not much, at least it is something we can do for you.”

I look down at the worn clothes we once received from Rayon. It is true, they have definitely seen better days. Not to mention the rags that Stella has been wearing.

Wearing the insulated hide clothing, I feel the fur around my collar and wrists, warming my body. Dima and Heins look happy, inspecting their new gift. Elda and Stella come back from changing with Astrid. Theirs is slightly different from ours—slimmer at the waist, with fur lining down the top’s middle.

Stella is so pretty. The fur around her collar makes her look like an angel in contrast to her pale skin and white hair. All of us boys are frozen as we watch the girls.

Elda scowls back at us, making us snap out of it. Stella looks at me with her green eyes, and I look away flustered.

Outside the house, children are playing around an old woman. She has a crooked back and a wooden walking stick. Her black hair is tied in a bun and her skin is wrinkled. As she is patting one of the children's heads, she looks at me. Her purple eyes open when she sees me. Slowly walking toward me, she stares deeply into my eyes. Standing right in front of me, she asks:
“Are you the prince?”

“Prince? Who, Iris?” Elda says as she laughs.

Her words struck deep within me. Her eyes tell me she knows something as she stares into mine. Dima looks at me seriously.

Just then, Callum and Patrick come walking back.

“Minna! What are you telling them now?” Callum says with a smile.

“This is the lady that I have spoken of. She used to tell us many stories when we were children,” Callum explains to us.

“Most of it is just her crazy tales,” Patrick says as he laughs.

The lady ignores him, and keeps staring at me. She flicks her stick against my knee, making me grab it in slight pain.

“Answer me, boy!” she yells at me

“Minna! What’s gotten into you?” Astrid tells her as she stands in front of me.

“The boy has the markings of the prince!” she says, stubbornly.

Callum sighs and shakes his head.

“Sorry, Iris. She has always been like this,” he tells me.

“No!” I burst out, catching my sudden tone right after.

“I want to talk to her. I want her to explain what she means,” I say, calming down.

I can tell that I need to ask her, as I look at the small lady glaring at me.