Blame Aphrodite - SAMPLE-

Flora

I had managed to leave early enough the next day which meant Peter would be no burden to me. By the time he woke up, I would be nearly at Valencia's home. I do have to admit though, that I was only about two hours into the journey and I missed Peter's side commentary already. I never really realized until now that he made these boring trips just a little more entertaining with all the complaining and tripping over sticks.

Now there was nothing to laugh at but myself. I could just imagine the fear and slight annoyance running through Peter just about now as he wakes up from his sleep and finds my bed empty.

I find it hard to feel guilty when I pull small stunts like this, I like to think I'm keeping him on his toes which will keep him sharp in his aging years. Or send him into an early heart attack. Either way, he's always in for a surprise when he's with me.

The forest was very calm this time of day. The sun had just begun to shine across the horizon and it cast an orange-pink glow on the trees and tall grass. The crisp, cool spring air nipped at my skin causing me to bring my wool coat closer to my body.

As I began nearing the small cottage, I made sure to slow my pace and quiet my steps. Valencia was a very finicky creature, I didn't want to startle her. I could just picture her fearful dark brown eyes if I approached her too quickly. Rather than being inside the cottage, this time she was standing outside of it, tending to her small garden.

She stood turned away from me, picking fruits and vegetables. I tried to be as quiet as I could be but I managed to step on a twig. The snap of the stick caused her to peer over her shoulder. I assumed she expected to see an animal of some sort because when her eyes landed on me, I noticed the fear in her eyes.

"Valencia," I called out to her, hoping she wouldn't take off running, and with luck, she didn't. Her eyes softened and she sat her basket of produce down. Cautiously, she picked one of the berries from the basket and handed it to me. I took that as an invitation to walk closer to her. "Good morning," I greeted, taking the berry from her hand and tossing it in my mouth.

She grabbed her basket and started to walk into her home. I smiled at the small bit of progress we'd made in such a short amount of time. Unlike yesterday, I had time to look around the cottage. It was small, very, very small. In the far corner was a living space that consisted of a firepit and hand-crafted wooden benches. In the adjacent corner was a staircase that led to a loft. In the windows hung drifted herbs and flowers, held together by handwoven strings. She had created everything from scratch. It must've taken ages.

She laid down the produce in the kitchen and silently started putting everything in its respective place. At that time, I took a small stroll around the interior, taking note of everything. I wanted to walk up the staircase and see what her sleeping space looked like but I feared it would come off as rude and furthermore, the stairs didn't look like they'd support my weight.

The fireplace was lit, warming the already hot and humid space around us. I almost asked to put it out myself but when I looked back at Valencia, I assumed her torn and tattered clothing wasn't enough to keep her warm. Perhaps, I could bring her real clothing on my next visit.

I noticed she kept an eye on me, glancing at me every once in a while but still, she hummed quietly. Little did she know, I was doing the same thing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her cut some of the fruit up and place it on a little plate. I took a seat at the small table she was working at and shifted away from her when she side-eyed me.

On the table, beside her fruits, I noticed small drawings scattered around. There were pictures of the woods around us and a few animals. I had to admit, these were amazing given the fact that she had no real art utensils. When not tending to the house, her free time had to be filled with time to practice her art. They were beautiful. When she wasn't looking, I folded a drawing of a fawn and pocketed it.