The Girl with Scars | #ONC2024 ✔ Shortlister

Chapter Four

Oskar made it a habit to visit Fernsworth everyday and he brought three loaves of buttered bread with him. After giving the children their portions, he brought the remaining loaf to Dorthee. Though she showed gratitude for the bread, she wouldn't answer many questions. The fear Mayor Haywood had planted ran deep.

"Better not let Haywood see that ring on you," Dorthee said, motioning to Oskar's hand.

He inhaled sharply; he'd forgotten to remove his ring before coming out here. Thankfully, it was not the royal family crest, but the sapphire he received on his thirteenth birthday. A matching one to the emerald ring his brother wore.

"How did you come by that?" she asked, lowering her voice. "Steal it from the mayor?"

"No," Oskar replied, tucking his ringed hand into the sleeve of his coat. "It is... passed down from a wealthy relative."

"With a family like that, you needn't live here at all."

He sighed, "Well... It is complicated..." he glanced around and lowered his voice to a whisper. "Dorthee, do you happen to know if the mayor's mother is still here?"

Oskar watched Dorthee's eyes, the only telling feature he could see. His own eyes wandered to the scars, but he did not look at them with pity or disgust. They intrigued him.

"I do not think her name has ever been spoken in my lifetime," Dorthee whispered, holding her knees to her chest. "There are plenty of women here who could be his mother, but she keeps her identity a secret. The only way she would come out of hiding would be for the funeral."

"What funeral?" Oskar asked, confused.

"The mayor's funeral, when he finally bites dust."

"Ah."

He exhaled and glanced at the surrounding tents. The inhabitants were growing more comfortable with his daily presence, though they did not speak to him the way Dorthee did. It had taken some coaxing from Oskar before she reached this point, for sure.

"I wish I could just leave Fernsworth," Dorthee said with a heavy sigh.

"What would you like to do if you did leave?" Oskar asked, intrigued by the freely given statement.

"In a free world, where my face will not prevent me from anything... I'd be a lady, with a big house and nice things to wear..."

"That's nice..."

"Yes, but that is just a dream. I can't even purchase a seat in the city carriage."

"You've gone to the city?"

Dorthee sighed, "No, I heard it from someone a few years ago."

Oskar watched her, carefully choosing his next words.

"And if you were given the chance for a better life, to leave this encampment, today, would you take it?"

Her wide eyes gave Oskar the impression she would run. Run away from Fernsworth. Run away from him. Not that he blamed her. Dorthee was suffering and he had the ability to end it.

"This ring could get you a seat on the carriage," he said, removing his ring and holding it up to the light. "Exchange it for passage."

"I can't accept that," Dorthee whispered, shaking her head. "It came from your relative. You need it."

"No, you do."

Oskar did not have the heart to tell her how he could have another made as a replacement, and it would not be the first time either.

"You desire to leave this place," he went on, reaching for Dorthee's hand. "This can set you on the beginning of your path."

He placed the ring in the center of her palm, and closed her fingers around the ring. Dorthee was speechless for a moment. The little girl, who Oskar now knew was named Felicity, appeared and joined them on the ground.