smiled. She was adorable.
"What does your mama say?" she asked, and the little girl dropped the book to point off in the other direction, where the girl's mother was sitting in the sunlight with a few other women, sewing up what looked to be a wedding dress. She looked at her daughter and shrugged, and Rain smiled and waved.
"Okay, then," she said, and she moved her notebook off to the side and made room for her to sit. Then another little child ran up, a boy, with hair fiery red like she had never seen.
"Me too!" he said. "I want to hear a story, please."
Rain nodded, and gestured for him to sit down. When she picked up the storybook, she was surprised at the artistry. The cover, bound by thin leather, the inside pages must have been hand lettered. The ink glistened on the pages, little bits of story illustrated in rich colors, and she flipped through it carefully. Where to begin? There were at least ten different stories she could choose from, judging by the contents page, but she had never heard of any of them. She shrugged. If you didn't know where to begin, start at the beginning.
"This is the story of Anwen and the Dragon," she read, and held the book aloft to show them the picture.
It didn't take long for two to become four, to become six, and soon enough she was on the third story and had a whole crowd of children around her, each vying for a better look at the illustrated pages when she held them up. Then, to her surprise, Jamie shouldered his way through the crowd of children, taking especial care not to trample the little ones, and made himself a seat beside her, his head heavy in her lap, her fingers absently coiling through the fur there before she needed both hands to hold the book again.
*
After that, Jamie spent every evening with Rain on her front porch. She sat sometimes on an old rocking chair which she always checked for spiders first, sometimes on the wooden steps, but always he curled up beside her, resting his head on her lap, until the night she sat on the top step and he reached up a paw, firmly pressing her backward. Quick as lightning, he ducked beneath her, and instead of resting her head on the dirty wooden floor, she was leaned back against the massive wolf.
They lay that way for a long time, and Rain started to ramble, speaking of nothing. "You're a smart wolf, you know that? I've never seen an animal as smart as you are." Jamie snorted.
"I probably never will again," she mused. "I don't know why you've taken a shining to me, but I can't say that I don't like it. That's not bad, is it? After all, you're not my pet. Though if you ever found a female wolf and had a family, maybe I could raise one of the puppies," she continued wistfully. Jamie let out a huff of air, and she could feel him squirm a little beneath her back until she felt the press of his tongue, wet against her arm in a gesture of comfort.
The sun had long set, and the stars were bright overhead. "This place... It's a little like Wonderland. I keep expecting to see a talking rabbit, or receive an offer to play some chess. I want to stay, but - It's a little lonely, too. I've never realized how lonely I was before. But near everyone is paired off, here. There are families. And I don't know if I can stay if I want to build a family too. What's the chances that another stranger will wander into town? There hasn't been a visitor to town in all the months I've been here, except me."
She twisted around, wrapping her arms around the broad expanse of his back and snuggling her face in his fur. Then she was silent. There wasn't much left to say, even to herself.
*
The phone call came in on a Tuesday. She had been out in the woods, picking some early blackberries with a few of the older children, Jamie making a game of catching them in his mouth whenever they threw one or two (or three or four or five) his way.
She didn't get to hear the message until there were three
"What does your mama say?" she asked, and the little girl dropped the book to point off in the other direction, where the girl's mother was sitting in the sunlight with a few other women, sewing up what looked to be a wedding dress. She looked at her daughter and shrugged, and Rain smiled and waved.
"Okay, then," she said, and she moved her notebook off to the side and made room for her to sit. Then another little child ran up, a boy, with hair fiery red like she had never seen.
"Me too!" he said. "I want to hear a story, please."
Rain nodded, and gestured for him to sit down. When she picked up the storybook, she was surprised at the artistry. The cover, bound by thin leather, the inside pages must have been hand lettered. The ink glistened on the pages, little bits of story illustrated in rich colors, and she flipped through it carefully. Where to begin? There were at least ten different stories she could choose from, judging by the contents page, but she had never heard of any of them. She shrugged. If you didn't know where to begin, start at the beginning.
"This is the story of Anwen and the Dragon," she read, and held the book aloft to show them the picture.
It didn't take long for two to become four, to become six, and soon enough she was on the third story and had a whole crowd of children around her, each vying for a better look at the illustrated pages when she held them up. Then, to her surprise, Jamie shouldered his way through the crowd of children, taking especial care not to trample the little ones, and made himself a seat beside her, his head heavy in her lap, her fingers absently coiling through the fur there before she needed both hands to hold the book again.
*
After that, Jamie spent every evening with Rain on her front porch. She sat sometimes on an old rocking chair which she always checked for spiders first, sometimes on the wooden steps, but always he curled up beside her, resting his head on her lap, until the night she sat on the top step and he reached up a paw, firmly pressing her backward. Quick as lightning, he ducked beneath her, and instead of resting her head on the dirty wooden floor, she was leaned back against the massive wolf.
They lay that way for a long time, and Rain started to ramble, speaking of nothing. "You're a smart wolf, you know that? I've never seen an animal as smart as you are." Jamie snorted.
"I probably never will again," she mused. "I don't know why you've taken a shining to me, but I can't say that I don't like it. That's not bad, is it? After all, you're not my pet. Though if you ever found a female wolf and had a family, maybe I could raise one of the puppies," she continued wistfully. Jamie let out a huff of air, and she could feel him squirm a little beneath her back until she felt the press of his tongue, wet against her arm in a gesture of comfort.
The sun had long set, and the stars were bright overhead. "This place... It's a little like Wonderland. I keep expecting to see a talking rabbit, or receive an offer to play some chess. I want to stay, but - It's a little lonely, too. I've never realized how lonely I was before. But near everyone is paired off, here. There are families. And I don't know if I can stay if I want to build a family too. What's the chances that another stranger will wander into town? There hasn't been a visitor to town in all the months I've been here, except me."
She twisted around, wrapping her arms around the broad expanse of his back and snuggling her face in his fur. Then she was silent. There wasn't much left to say, even to herself.
*
The phone call came in on a Tuesday. She had been out in the woods, picking some early blackberries with a few of the older children, Jamie making a game of catching them in his mouth whenever they threw one or two (or three or four or five) his way.
She didn't get to hear the message until there were three
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