A Nervous Encounter

The man glowered at her, and said in a cold tone, "Stop. We do not want trouble. No trouble. But if you make trouble, we will kill you. No lie."

"Oh, no," thought Astra. "They might be Aqualarian, or from a place like Aqualaria. But they think that I am an enemy. Maybe they think I am a robber. And they are speaking a very simple language. Are they simple people, or are they keeping things simple for my benefit?"

Astra saw the woman clutching a hand of each child and starting to back away. Astra felt that if she did not do something, someone was going to sound an alarm or attack her, even though she was on a horse and probably had an advantage over these four people.

"I am lost," Astra said. "I was trying to get to Aqualaria, but got lost on the trail. I am sorry if I scared you all."

1. The woman screamed and started to run down toward the lake, with children in tow. The man squatted, ready to slash.
2. The man kept the dagger out. "You are a long way from Aqualaria. You had better be alone, or your tribe is going to regret trying to invade our land."
3. The man smiled and said, "You are in the right place, but I will be damned if you look like an Aqualarian."

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree