Home
Chast follows the girl into the room and shuts the door behind them, faintly making out the sounds of hooves clopping away. He sighed and noticed that the girl was staring at him.
"What?"
"You are a very strange boy."
He just shrugs.
"What's your name?" she asks, "My name is Mina."
"Cha... Chaf. The name's Chaf."
"Strange boy, strange name. But strange or not, you need to get washed up and changed. You can have a set of my older brother's clothes if you wish."
"Will he mind?"
She looked sadly at the floor, "He's dead. Has been for two years."
"Oh. I'm, uh, sorry."
She looked back up at him and smiled. "It's alright. The wash pan is in the corner and there's a towel stored under the bed."
"Thank you." Surprisingly, for perhaps the first time in his life, he actually meant it.
"Your welcome. I'll leave you to it then, Chaf."
Chast had quite a time as he got ready. First, he had to figure out how he was to get clean from the tiny little tub. He couldn't fit in it. So, he settled on dunking one part of himself in it at a time. He washed his feet, the his arms, then dunked his head in and came up dripping. Usually he was a noble creature, but doing this he felt rediculous! At least he could figure out fairly easily how to use the towel to dry himself. Next came the clothes. He had washed without getting undressed, and he wasn't sure how to get them off to change. The pants were easy, but the shirt was a different story. It was too tight to try and slip over his head, and since he didn't relize that the buttons could be undone, he felt trapped. Then he got an idea! He changed into a small black snake and simply slithered out! He put on a new change of clothes as he congratulated himself at being so clever and getting out of his shirt. So, with wet and mangled hair and only his pants and shirt on, he walked out of the little bedroom thinking he was ready. When Mina saw him she just laughed. When he asked her what was so funny, she just turned him around and marched him back upstairs where she showed him how to comb his hair and put on shoes.
"Didn't your mother or father ever teach you all this?" she asked.
"I never knew them." It was true. Dragons hatch fully prepared to take on the world, and often they never meet their parents. He didn't feel left out or sad though. It was completely normal for him. When he was completely ready night had already fallen. Outside there were torches everywhere, and a long table had been set up outside and heaped with food. All the villagers had come out and wanted to introduce themselves to the boy hero. He actually already knew them all. He had watched them for at least a century from his cliff. But he let them go ahead with their introductions. When that was done they set him at the head of the table and told him all the stories he had heard a thousand times from his cliff but he laughed and sighed as if it was the first time he had ever heard them (which, in a way, it was). They asked him where he had come from, and he said "From far away mountains". They asked him why he had come to the village, and he said "Because the road led me here." All the other questions he dodged the same way. The feast continued long into the night, and it must have been nearly morning by the time they were done. Chast waited for the people to go back to their homes, for the right moment to change form and take flight. Just as he was sure they had all gone to bed, he heard someone behind him. It was Mina.
"Chaf, aren't you going to bed?"
"Uh... no I'm not. I'm going to be heading out."
"To where?"
"I don't know. I guess I'm going wherever I go."
"Oh..." she looked disappointed. "In that case, I guess I better say goodbye."
Before Chast knew it, she had reached up on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. Wow... And then she was gone.
"What?"
"You are a very strange boy."
He just shrugs.
"What's your name?" she asks, "My name is Mina."
"Cha... Chaf. The name's Chaf."
"Strange boy, strange name. But strange or not, you need to get washed up and changed. You can have a set of my older brother's clothes if you wish."
"Will he mind?"
She looked sadly at the floor, "He's dead. Has been for two years."
"Oh. I'm, uh, sorry."
She looked back up at him and smiled. "It's alright. The wash pan is in the corner and there's a towel stored under the bed."
"Thank you." Surprisingly, for perhaps the first time in his life, he actually meant it.
"Your welcome. I'll leave you to it then, Chaf."
Chast had quite a time as he got ready. First, he had to figure out how he was to get clean from the tiny little tub. He couldn't fit in it. So, he settled on dunking one part of himself in it at a time. He washed his feet, the his arms, then dunked his head in and came up dripping. Usually he was a noble creature, but doing this he felt rediculous! At least he could figure out fairly easily how to use the towel to dry himself. Next came the clothes. He had washed without getting undressed, and he wasn't sure how to get them off to change. The pants were easy, but the shirt was a different story. It was too tight to try and slip over his head, and since he didn't relize that the buttons could be undone, he felt trapped. Then he got an idea! He changed into a small black snake and simply slithered out! He put on a new change of clothes as he congratulated himself at being so clever and getting out of his shirt. So, with wet and mangled hair and only his pants and shirt on, he walked out of the little bedroom thinking he was ready. When Mina saw him she just laughed. When he asked her what was so funny, she just turned him around and marched him back upstairs where she showed him how to comb his hair and put on shoes.
"Didn't your mother or father ever teach you all this?" she asked.
"I never knew them." It was true. Dragons hatch fully prepared to take on the world, and often they never meet their parents. He didn't feel left out or sad though. It was completely normal for him. When he was completely ready night had already fallen. Outside there were torches everywhere, and a long table had been set up outside and heaped with food. All the villagers had come out and wanted to introduce themselves to the boy hero. He actually already knew them all. He had watched them for at least a century from his cliff. But he let them go ahead with their introductions. When that was done they set him at the head of the table and told him all the stories he had heard a thousand times from his cliff but he laughed and sighed as if it was the first time he had ever heard them (which, in a way, it was). They asked him where he had come from, and he said "From far away mountains". They asked him why he had come to the village, and he said "Because the road led me here." All the other questions he dodged the same way. The feast continued long into the night, and it must have been nearly morning by the time they were done. Chast waited for the people to go back to their homes, for the right moment to change form and take flight. Just as he was sure they had all gone to bed, he heard someone behind him. It was Mina.
"Chaf, aren't you going to bed?"
"Uh... no I'm not. I'm going to be heading out."
"To where?"
"I don't know. I guess I'm going wherever I go."
"Oh..." she looked disappointed. "In that case, I guess I better say goodbye."
Before Chast knew it, she had reached up on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. Wow... And then she was gone.
