Life and other Disasters
11. The third sister

The white lady looked curiously at Ava as if she was a small animal, waiting for Ava to answer her question.

The mist surrounded the women. Ava wanted to trust the stranger, but something was unnerving about her. Not that anything or anyone who she had encountered here was normal, she thought to herself.

Ava stared back at the woman, looked at her pale face. Ava remembered something Beth had said, that there were more beings like her. The only similarity Ava could spot between Beth and the pale woman was the lantern. This woman looked like Beth like a snowflake resembled a cinder. Ava remembered Beth’s warmness and how she had watched over her when they walked through the mist. This white woman looked at Ava like she was a medical experiment, an anomaly, or worse. The woman stared at her as if Ava shouldn’t be here.

Even the lantern was different from Beth’s; its light was a pale ice-cold glow and could barely enlighten their surroundings. Ava had to get closer to the woman to be in the protective circle of light.

Ava felt her cheeks turn red as the woman was taking her in, raising an eyebrow, still waiting for her answer to her question.

Finally, Ava took a breath. “I’m Ava,” she said, barely audible.

The woman hummed to acknowledge Ava’s answer, nodding as if Ava had just confirmed what she already knew.

“Are you here all alone?” she asked, still not introducing herself.

“Did she forget?” Ava wondered, “or didn’t she care at all?”

Ava hesitated. Was she going, to tell the truth, or would she pretend David was still around? Maybe the last option was saver, pretending that she wasn’t all by herself out here, that someone was looking out for her. That the old lady shouldn’t be thinking about hurting her, because David would come and save her for whatever ill intend the lady had.

The eyes of the woman were of the palest blue Ava had ever seen - the blue of ice, of glaciers, of midwinter frost. They made her feel unnerved as if this woman would right see through her and her lies, and she wasn’t one to mess with. She didn’t dare to lie.

Ava nodded slowly. It was the truth. In the end, she was all alone.

“But there was someone else.” The woman’s bold statement took Ava by surprise. She squinted her eyes, looking at Ava as if the truth was written on her skin. “Where is he now?”

How did she know about David? Ava felt all defiant and wanted to answer the woman that if she already knew there had been someone else, she probably knew as well where he was right now. What was her business with her friend, anyway?

“It’s dangerous to be alone out here,” the woman said. A warning lay in her words, and where Ava had felt protective about David at first, another feeling crept in.

What if the woman was their only hope out here? What if she just wanted to save them both?

She was about to give the woman an answer, but before she could say anything, a sound in the mist interrupted her. It was the sound of a thousand leaves rustling that filled the air. Something moved in fast on the two women, and without thinking twice, Ava grabbed the woman’s arm.

The rustling became louder and louder until it wasn’t rustling anymore. Ava looked around and saw a grey shadow coming from above, moving in on them. A figure landed on the woman’s shoulder. Two yellow eyes stared right into Ava’s, the animal opened its beak and let out a long yell.

A giant bird had landed on the woman’s shoulder. It was a white owl, slowly turning its head, staring straight at Ava with its yellow eyes. It was an impressive animal, far bigger than Ava had ever seen, but to be true, she had only seen owls in zoos. This bird was a wild animal, although it had landed out of its free will on the woman’s shoulder.

The gaze of them woman hardened. “Come with me.”

Ava opened her mouth to stop her. She just knew she had to keep looking for David; he was all alone out here as well. And by the way, maybe he was trying to replace her. How would they replace each other if Ava was going away with this woman?

“You have no clue where your travel partner is, but Eggy has,” she said, nudging the giant owl. “We have to move quickly. Who knows what kind of stupid things your friend is doing right now.” The woman shook her head when she spoke of David.

“What do you mean with stupid?” Ava said.

“Like you don’t know.” The woman rolled her eyes in such a way that it made her look like an annoyed teen. It seemed silly, and it made Ava almost laugh. She would have laughed if there hadn’t been the owl, looking accusingly at her, and let out another eardrum ripping screech.

Not waiting for a second longer than necessary, the woman started walking through the mist. Ava stumbled after her as fast as possible. It amazed her how an older woman could walk so quickly, while she had problems with the uneven terrain.

Although the mist covered most of the view, she noticed that it appeared as if they left the forest. The dark shadows of the trees disappeared, and their surroundings became a little lighter. It didn’t mean that walking became more manageable. The ground was soft as if it had rained earlier, and her feet sank several inches in the ground. She had to pull them from the mud and lost her shoes several times. The scent of rotten leaves hung in the air.

The nameless woman was annoyed with her clumsiness, and she didn’t try to hide it.

“Come on,” she hissed in a low voice, showing sharp pointy teeth, “try to walk in my footsteps.”

And Ava tried, she really did, but the mist and the darkness made it impossible to see the footprints. She stumbled, splashed, and pulled her feet out of the mud. Her eyelids and limbs became heavy with fatigue - for she had walked the whole day and barely had slept last night- but the woman knew no mercy.

“And I even don’t know her name.” Ava thought she said it to herself and was surprised when the woman replied.

“Es,” she said. “It’s Es.”

Ava made so much noise, only now she heard the murmuring of a stream nearby, the sound of water sloshing against the shore. Someone had created a path along the river, and it was easier to follow Es. She still had to look where she put her feet, the track was uneven and slippery, and one wrong step could land her in the river.

Little flowers grew between the grass next to the water, their delicate white crowns still open, glistening in the pale light of Es’s lantern. When she inspected one of them, she saw a dewdrop resting where she had expected a yellow heart.

Not that she had much time to study the flowers, Es was urging her on already, threatening to leave her behind in the mist.

A turn made Ava turn her head. For a second, she thought she saw a figure in the mist, a woman with blood-red hair, her shoulders shaking.

“Don’t look,” Es said softly, but determined, but Ava didn’t listen. It was as if she was hypnotized by what she saw.

Tears of blood ran over the woman’s face, and the woman started to scream. Ava averted her eyes; she heard a wail that was filled with all the grieve and all the anger in the world. It was so fierce that she didn’t dare to raise her gaze again.

Ava’s pace quickened considerably, and Es didn’t complain.

There were other shadows in the mist, but Ava avoided looking at them, too scared by the memory of the bloodred lady.

Finally, Es walking speed slowed down and pulled Ava to the side. A rickety building was hidden beneath lianas and molding branches. With a loud creak, the door opened, and a musty smell escaped from the building.

“This is where we stay for the night,” Es said. “Eggy is keeping an eye on your friend.”

The giant owl let out a screech and flew off.

Es entered the building, grabbed Ava’s arm, and ushered her inside. In the soft light of the lantern, Ava saw that the interior of the cabin wasn’t much better. Old furniture was packed in every corner, covered under a layer of dust. Es pushed aside some broken chairs and patted on the bench that appeared.

“Here, that’ll do,” she said, brushing off most of the dust and filth. Ava just stood there and had no clue what the woman was talking about.

“Okay, I admit that it isn’t as good as the bed in the place where you were last night, but I promise you that you’ll be safe here.” Again Es patted on the bench.

Ava approached the bench, her bed for tonight, and Es nodded. “You sleep here; I’ll keep watch.”

Ava wanted to protest; she wanted to do her share as well. Besides, could she trust this strange woman? But as soon as she lay down, every thought disappeared from her mind.

The bench wasn’t as hard as Ava had thought. The old upholstery still covered most of the furniture. Wool peeked out of holes in the cloth.

She heard furniture scraping on the floor, and she saw Es grabbing a chair. The woman sat down, her lantern close by.

“Good night,” the woman said, but Ava didn’t hear her. She was asleep before Es had finished her sentence.