In Search of Auria by Alexis Rojas Page A

whether I’ll help you or not?”
    “Fair enough,” Richard replied. “Follow us
to our cottage. I have something to show you there.” The children
cheered and went running deeper into the forest.
    “Wait,” I stopped them, “At least tell me
what is this curse.”
    Richard took a deep breath and looked
directly into my eyes, “It’s the snake woman.”

9- Book of Beast
     
    Richard said he had something to show me
back at his cottage. I walked along with the children through the
densest part of the woods. Most of the trip, I had to walk with my
forearms protecting my face from the low branches of trees and
pines.
    When we arrived, I stood flabbergasted. The
cottage looked like if a stampede had run over it; the front door
was crooked, the blinds were old and torn, and the roof had planks
missing. The porch had weather damage with moss growing on the
sides. It was practically rotting away.
    "Instead of stealing a sword and shield,” I
told Richard, “try stealing hammers and nails. This house needs
some fixing. It doesn’t look safe."
    Richard shook his head and walked inside.
The rest of the kids joined, but I walked upon the porch with
doubt. Each step I took gave a loud creak. When I finally went
through the crooked door, I stood flabbergasted once again. But
this time, I was shocked in a good way. The living room looked
splendid. On the table was a carved miniature of the country with
the forests and cities. Carvings of knights, monsters, and of the
children themselves rested inside the miniature and on shelves
along the wall. From the ceiling hanged wooden toys; white winged
pegasus, green eyed crows, and fire breathing dragons. Beside the
living room was the kitchen. It was organized and clean; water was
in vases, the nuts in baskets, and fruits and vegetables were in
cloths on the counters. Everything was clean and tidy.
    "Wow, kids,” I praised them, “This is really
impressive. Everything is so organized, and the craftsmanship on
these figurines is really good. You made these?"
    "When we have time, we carve. It is a good
way to relieve stress," said Richard. I went to the table to check
out the miniature of the cottage, when I noticed a figure hidden
beneath the trees. I reached for it and picked up the carving of a
monster; a half-woman half-snake.
    “Is this the snake woman you mentioned?” I
asked Richard as I inspected it.
    He sat on a brown cushioned armchair and
exhaled gruffly, "That is the reason my brothers and sisters are
scared. You see, we are all from an orphanage near the outskirts of
Flama, the closest village from here. The old caretaker that
treated us nice died of age, and his replacement treated us the
complete opposite. He used us like if we were his servants in his
own small kingdom. I got fed up with him and planned an escape. One
night I took some leftover food from the kitchen and used it to
distract the guard dogs. I quietly brought out the willing out of
their rooms and escaped to the forest. We spent a few nights
sleeping under the stars, but luckily we found this old house and
made it our home."
    "Well, that is more or less a happy story,”
I commented. “I'm glad that you're now free and independent, but it
doesn't explain the long faces."
    "I'm getting to that. We believe the house
used to belong to a hunter. When we got here, there were animal
horns and old bows hanging from the walls. The backyard had a
garden with two wooden crosses at their center; I believe it was
the graves of the people who lived here. Right between them I
noticed a small mound of soil. I thought it was the grave of an
infant, but there was no cross at its top. I dug it and found this
sealed inside a wooden chest.”
    Richard got up from the chair and lifted its
cushion. He reached inside the chair and pulled out an old, rustic
looking book. He showed me the cover and the title read, “The Book
of Beasts”. He placed the book on the table and opened it eagerly.
As he passed by the pages, he