Young Clara, who was in her twenties then, was a little afraid of that younger girl sitting quietly back to her knitting as if they were not having an unusual conversation in the middle of nowhere.
It had even escaped Clara that the scene she was witnessing should be raising alarm bells in a way; however, because she was desperate, she could not think straight.
She lifted the mug to her lips, her tongue still raw from that burn from the initial liquid. She only realized then that she had finished the mug of tea already.
"Would you like some more?" The younger girl asked gently and, without waiting for a reply, reached out for her kettle. She filled up Clara’s mug once again, adding a few more milky biscuits.
Clara saw a glimpse of a tree-shaped tattoo on the back of the girl’s hand as she served her. It almost made her feel as if a fragment of the forest had been attached to the girl just from that single imprint on her hand. Clara just felt that way when her eye landed on it. Trying not to be rude, she quickly averted her eyes, bringing them to the second helping of the snacks she had been given.
She quickly bit into them, swallowing them almost as soon as they hit the dainty plates given to her. She had never felt this full, especially since her husband had left them abruptly. The biscuits just melted on her tongue, and she let out a small ’mmmmm’. However, this time, she was careful with the hot liquid.
It wasn’t like Clara had not weighed her options before answering the major life-changing question thrown at her.
Throughout their interactions, the girl never introduced herself, and Clara did not think anything wrong of that ... at least in that moment.
She had a small, friendly smile at all times on her face, making Clara feel almost as if she was in her own home or within the bosom of her grandma.
Clara had thought long and hard about what she wanted if she did meet that person in the forest that day but then, it all flew out of her head as soon as the question was asked, so she found herself blubbering.
With the girl’s follow-up question, Clara thought really hard.
’If I get a nice man to take care of me, what happens if he is no more like in the future? Over the past few months, I haven’t had many men look at me like they did in the past. If I had such looks, then maybe, just maybe, I would never lack for anything or any man that I set my eyes on! Yes, let’s ask for that!’
The girl looked to be knitting, but her eyes remained on Clara all the time, and she noted the resolution in the older woman’s eyes, making her smile.
Clara was quiet for a while, garnering her courage before she replied, "The last one..."
The girl’s smile did not waver even once. She only asked, skewing her head slightly,
"P-pay? H-ow ... much?"
Clara wrung her hands together nervously after setting the mug down. She was very warm, and the cold had totally left her by then.
"Seeing as you have no worldly possessions, you’ll have to pay with your life!"
The words rushed out of Clara instinctively, and she clamped her hands over her mouth, her eyes bulging out. She had a hunch that the docile, friendly girl in front of her was no friend that she could afford to offend, but then her thoughts started running wildly.
’If I lost my life, what was the essence of getting that beauty? Is that a regime that could be done or has to be done after death? I -’
"Heheheheeeee!" The girl’s soft laughter got Clara lowering her arms and looking at her puzzlingly.
’What is wrong with her?’
"Dear Clara," the girl got up.
"Did you come here with anything to pay for what you want? Money? Jewellery, other possessions? Or, most importantly, do you even have anything at all, any hidden treasures that you can use to pay for my services?" She got up from her seat with such grace and gentleness as if she had been raised in a big household filled with etiquette rules.
Clara swallowed dryly, shrinking back in her chair, "I-"
"Believe me, Clara, you can’t even pay if you had any of the things I mentioned. You see? You are asking for a little too much too much."
Clara was interrupted yet again as she stared wide-eyed at the girl.
"You think too simply. There is no free lunch in this world. You have to pay in order to get this done."
Clara thought long and hard yet again and then mentioned, "I have a daughter! Yes! What of her? I can give her to you-"
To Clara, that was killing two birds with one stone. She wouldn’t have to worry about what her child would eat and how she was to be cared for, and then she could get what she wanted too!
The girl paused and then walked back to Clara like she had all the time in the world. She knelt down in from of Clara and stared deep into her eyes. It was as if she could stare into Clara’s soul.
"Hmmmm!" She let out a long sigh!
"Dear Clara, a pretty face and a black heart do not match. Why do you want a pretty outlook but are gradually rotting on the inside? Tsk, tsk, tsk!"
For some reason, Clara felt small even though the girl was crouched in front of her. She felt so self-conscious and guilty, too.
"You have to pay your own debts, Clara,"
The girl ran her hand over Clara’s cheeks, smiled and then got up.
"Your daughter is her own person and very different from you. Even if you gave birth to her, you cannot interfere in her life’s path. Her life cannot pay for your wishes, unfortunately...."
However, what she failed to tell Clara at that time was that the reverse was possible. She was the one who had made the decision to give birth to her child, and therefore, she could, in essence, ’pay’ for Shelby if the situation ever arose.
"Now, Clara, what I mean is that you have to sacrifice a bit of your lifespan to get those instantaneous results." She pinched her index and thump together to show just how small she was referring to.
"I don’t understand...."
"Don’t worry. What I mean is that you will have to sacrifice the last decade of your life in exchange for what you seek!"
Clara’s shock was glaring. She had no idea what she had expected coming in there but then, she was desperate enough for the wheels in her head to start turning rapidly.
’If I don’t get what I want, I might not even live till next week, not to talk of the last decade of my life. It’s upsetting that she wouldn’t take Shelby off my hands, but she looked quite scary when she told me not to touch her. Does she see something? This is frustrating and – But, I need this so... to hell with the future!’
"Is that your final reply? I need you to articulate it for me."
Without missing a beat, Clara replied, "Yes, I agree to give up a decade of my life for what you have promised. But wh-"
She stopped as her eyes widened, "Ah!"
She let out a short grunt and doubled over as a sharp pain ran through her. It was gone before she could even process what had happened.
"W-wh-at was t-hat?" Clara asked, as sweat poured off of her.
The strange girl still smiled widely and then handed Clara a small package like a simple engagement ring box.
"Open this when you get home, and you will know what to do."
Clara was shaken, but by the time she came about, she was outside the hut again in the cold, dark forest.
She looked back only once but saw nothing. She walked on, stumbling a few times.
Clara was still in a daze when she got back to the house, and the sun had long since set. She did not understand what had happened back then.
She sat back on the floor, set the package in front of her, and just stared at it. She did not notice that her daughter was not in the house, and at that time, Clara did not care.
She opened the exquisite box slowly and then stared at its contents unbelievably.
"T-this.... What is this?!"
She shouted angrily and got up abruptly. Clara walked outside to clear her head.
"How could I have been fooled ? Hmffffp!" She walked around for a while and decidedly walked back to the forest. She could not understand how that had happened.
"All those grand words, and that was what she gave me?"
Clara walked round and round in circles but could not find the path back to where she had just come out from. She dejectedly walked back out.
"What was I going to ask her? Like why did she give me that? What a joke! She received nothing from me, so how could she have scammed me? At least she did give me something!"
She tried to avoid the islanders and was on her way back when she bumped into a strong and sturdy chest.
Back at her house, Shelby walked back in, small green particles stuck to her teeth and mouth.
She was still hungry and then thirsty as well.
"Mum?" Her tiny voice sounded in there, but her eyes got attracted to the small, opened box on the ground, and she ran to it like honey to a bee.
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