Once upon a time, in a land that has been long forgotten, lived a young girl named Anila. Anila was an ordinary girl with extraordinary dreams. She loved to read books about people who go on adventures and can perform magic, sometimes when she was alone, she liked to pretend as if she was one of her books characters.
Anila never knew her parents, they died in a fire two days after she was born, and she has been living with her grandmother for 16 years. They lived in a small house near the woods where she was allowed to wonder and play everywhere, except behind the river, her grandmother has forbidden her from crossing the river and she never saw anyone from town cross it, they said that the last person who crossed it did not return, and that was years and years ago.
One day, while exploring the woods behind her house, Anila's curiosity increased when she felt herself moving far away than she usually does. She could swear that she heard someone calling her name for behind the trees, scared but curious she followed the sound, she knew this road very well, it was the very one that nobody takes; the road to the River of Ashes. On the river side she found nothing, no one was there yet the sound of her name kept getting higher and higher, it was almost as if it was coming from the river itself. Unable to resist the temptation, Anila started getting closer and closer, she almost put her hands in the water when she felt someone grabbing her shoulder.
"What are doing here? Your mom didn't tell you to stay away from the river? Or do you not value your life?!" echoed a feminine voice blamingly.
"I was just wondering around the woods, I didn't mean to..." Anila was interrupted by the look of the person who was talking to her, she was a thin girl with a pale skin almost clear and the bluest eyes she's ever seen in her life, her hair was a long pile of blond curls and her hands had those pieces of skin between each finger that made them look like ducks' feet.
"If you are not going to finish what you intended to say, I advise you to go home and do not come back in here". Said the duck girl.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare". Said Anila, "you just look like..."
"Like what?"
"Like... one of the characters I read about in books."
The girl stared at her for a moment then said: "is this character a mermaid by any luck?"
Anila's eyes widened; 'this girl has read my mind!' She said to herself, "but how..? I was about to say that!"
The girl rolled her eyes ironically and answered: "I get that a lot, now tell me, what is your name?"
"My name's Anila, I was just taking a walk when I came across this path. What is your name?"
"You do not need to know my name, now little Anila, go to your home and next time listen to your mom's words and don't come near the river", said the girl.
Anila felt a wave of anger for who does thisgirl think herself to speak to her in this way! If anything, she looks almosther age, and she knows nothing about her to address her in this way, "my mom's dead! And where I go is none of your business, and do not call me little, I probably am older than you!" she bursted out.
The girl with the duck hands backed up and did not reply, instead she grabbed Anila by the hand and ran into a nearby pile of stones. Anila could not hide her surprise when she saw another girl move those stone without even touching them to reveal an entrance to what looked like a cave, the three of them entered and the stones fell to their place again.
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Dear readers,
I hope you like the first chapter so far! let me know what do you think, I'm open to all critics and discussion, if you want, DM's are also open to everybody!
I will be sharing the second chapter as soon as I can.
Nyx <3
YOU ARE READING
The Windkeeper
Fantasy"... she wanted you to have a normal life, but you are not a normal kid. You are a windkeeper Anila."
