Sad Girl

[Lazey Winde]

Her father told her she did not need any help, especially not some witch of a healer messing around. It would be of no use to tell the guard because then other people would just find out what had happened to her. No, it would be better to remain silent and to go on with life as usual, she would eventually forget. When she was married hopefully her husband would not notice anything amiss.

But she could not forget. Even if they had not carved that cruel mark in her side she knew she would remember. At night she saw their faces, heard their voices, relived the agony. The only thing she could not remember was when she had last slept. Dark shadows were under her eyes, showing on her pale thin face like ink on parchment. Her father had told her to sleep, but she could not. He had also told her to eat but she had no appetite. She tried but she was fed up. Life did not seem worth it when it was this miserable.

After breakfast her father went to the fields and Emily scraped off her plate to the pigs. At least the pigs were fleshing out nicely, when slaughtering day came her father would have a lot to sell to the butcher. The thought of pork turned Emily's empty stomach. She walked across the farmyard and to the barn where she found some rope. It would be easy  to throw the rope over the rafters, but Emily wanted to talk to her mother first. Emily coiled the rope over her elbow and began an unsteady walk.

Her father had said it's a good thing her mother wasn't alive to know what those men had done to her daughter, but Emily selfishly thought her mother would be a comfort to her if she was still in this world. Emily weaved through the headstones, then knelt at her mother's plot.

"Hi Mama, sorry I haven't been over for a while..." Emily started, then got choked up. She expected to start crying but the tears would not come. She stared at the stone, not knowing what to say next. Finally she said, "You probably wouldn't want this
, and it'll break Pa's heart but I can't stand this anymore. We'll be together soon."

Emily stood up and looked around. There was a willow tree nearby that would work but Emily could picture her mother watching from her grave and decided to use a more distant spot. She walked away from the graveyard and wandered away, trying to find a good place to die.

Without knowing where she was going she came to the old seamstress shop, where Pansy used to work. Emily had heard of how the seamstress had taken her own life. Emily did not know why Pansy had killed herself but decided that this would be as good a place as any. She tied a noose in the rope and threw it over a limb. She rolled a log under the limb, stood on it and slipped the noose over her throat. She tried to come up with the courage to jump.

[Lazey Winde]

Tegau happened to be looking down the road. She saw a strange shape under the apple tree by the old seamstress shop. She studied the shape and realized what she was seeing. Teagau grasped the healer's arm and hissed, "Ertzel!"

[Muffin Puffin]

"Oh my goodness!" Ertzel took off toward the figure with a grunt, her breath coming in short gasps as she closed the distance to the apple tree.

[Lazey Winde]

Tegau ran ahead of Ertzel.

Emily saw the two hurrying towards her. She suspected that they would try to stop her. She made herself jump off the log. Perhaps if she had not lost so much weight her neck would have broke and she would have died immediately. But now that she had become so light the noose merely tightened around her throat, making it difficult to breath. Emily willed herself to die but her body rebelled against her, her lungs desperately tried to draw air and her limbs flailed, her feet trying to find purchase and her hands reaching for the rope.

[Muffin Puffin]

"Quickly, Tegau!" Ertzel cried out, hurrying behind the young girl. She had her dagger pulled and ready to cut the young lass down. "Hold on to her feet, darling,' she said to Tegau as she began to cut the girl down.

[Lazey Winde]

Tegau grabbed the girl's kicking feet and tried to lift her up in order to lessen the strain of the rope on her neck.

[Muffin Puffin]

Ertzel crawled up on another log and knifed her way through the rope. In a manner of moments, the rope snapped and the strain lessened on the girl's neck.

[Lazey Winde]

The girl fell on the ground wheezing. Tegau loosened the noose and pulled it over her head. The girl breathed. She looked up at Tegau and hte healer.

"Why?" She asked hoarsely.

[Muffin Puffin]

"Because death is never the answer. You would leave behind more pain for your family then you would ever want to cause them. Because there is help. There is nothing out there that you can not overcome."

[Lazey Winde]

"You don't know." Emily whispered and curled into a ball.

[Muffin Puffin]

[Muffin Puffin]

"But I do know, darling," Ertzel said softly, her hand reaching out to brush the girl's upper arm. "I've been through it."

[Lazey Winde]

Emily pulled her arm away and stood up.

"I wish you hadn't stopped me." She said.

[Muffin Puffin]

"I am very glad we did," Ertzel said. "Would you truly wish the pain of your loss on your family? Those who love you?'

[Lazey Winde]

"I only have my father." Emily said, thinking he would not miss her too much if she did die.

[Muffin Puffin]

"You have someone. That is truly all that matters. If you would like to come with us, I can help you through this. You won't have to do this alone."

[Lazey Winde]

"With you?" Emily asked skeptically. She backed away a few steps.

[Muffin Puffin]

"If you like. Or I know an expectant couple who could use some help, Aislyn would be very good for you. You have several options."

[Lazey Winde]

"My father doesn't even want me seeing you." Emily said. Her father also did not think too highly of the baker.

[Muffin Puffin]

Etzel gasped softly. "Why ever not? And truly, I would not have to treat you, Difyr is most capable and is about your age."

[Lazey Winde]

Emily shrugged and shuffled her feet. "He says I don't need any healers."

[Muffin Puffin]

"But darling, everyone needs healers at some time or another. Else wise, no one would ever heal or get better from an illness."

[Lazey Winde]

"We take care of our own." Emily muttered.

[Muffin Puffin]

"Some things need more care than that," Ertzel said, straightening her back. "We certainly can't force you to get the help that you need. But if the care you are receiving makes you feel so desperate that you feel killing yourself is the only solution...." she let her voice trail off. "Let's go home, Tegau."

[Lazey Winde]

Tegau was reluctant to leave a girl who had only shortly before tried to hang herself. But the girl was already walking away, her head held low and shoulders slumped. Tegau gave Ertzel a questioning look.

[Muffin Puffin]

"We can't force our help on her, darling, as much as we would like to. We've presented our case, it is all up to her now."

[Lazey Winde]

The girl was still walking away and showing no signs of  turning. Tegau's eyes got teary.

[Muffin Puffin]

The teariness did not go unnoticed by Ertzel. "Would you like to try with her? She might be more responsive to you, since you're close in age."

[Lazey Winde]

"I don't know what to say." Tegau said. The girl had gone out of sight now.

[Muffin Puffin]

"I can only advise you to speak from your heart," Ertzel replied

[Lazey Winde]

"O-okay." Tegau said unsuredly. She began to walk after the girl.

[Muffin Puffin]

Ertzel settled herself on a tall stump.

[Ayshe]

Tegau hurried back over to Ertzel.

"She fainted." Tegau informed the old healer.

[Ayshe]

Tegau nervously tugged at Ertzel's sleeve.

"Maybe I thould get Nelek or Aron Buckey to carry her"

[Muffin Puffin]

Ertzel nodded, "Yes, that would be a good idea."

[Lazey Winde]

Tegau turned and ran to the bakery.