New friend

Lacey's eyes fluttered open, stretching as she sat up. The room was dim, but a fire crackled in the hearth along one of the walls of the small room. The leaves and the stone table take up most of the room.

Silvia was sitting up to the table ripping up some sort of greens and putting them in a clay bowl, Lacey sat up the movement making Silvia look at her. "Are you feeling better?" She asked. "Yeah." Lacey answered with a yawn, Silvia giggled, turning back to her greens. "What are you making?" She questioned.

"Bunny soup." Silvia answered pointing to the bowl. "Oh, Where are we?" Silvia sighed. "No clue!" She exclaimed, putting the last of the greens in the bowl before getting up and sitting down by the fire, setting the bowl over it on top of the rocks that were nicely placed to keep it up right.

"It's some island." She mused, as she got up and went back over to the table. "How long have you been here?" Lacey had to ask. "I stopped trying to count." Silvia began. "But I was 5 when it happened..." She finished.

"So young." Lacey muttered to herself, but Silvia heard. "I lived through it, didn't I! Just stay with me and I will keep you safe." She announced. "From what?" Lacey asked, standing and joining her at the table.

"There are monsters on this island that wouldn't think twice before eating you! And that dress it's magic. they can smell magic!" She exclaimed, playing with her hands. "What should I do then?" She asked the younger girl.

"There is not much we can do, I don't have any other clothes than these." She said, gesturing to her loose hanging dress that almost looked like a blanket sewed up a little and a vine rope round the waist to keep it on.

"Tomorrow we will go to the logon you can wash there, and I will wash your dress." Silvia instructed. "Okay." Lacey said, all went silent except for the crackling from the fire, Silvia got up and stirred the soup, the smell already filling the room.

"Why are you helping me?" Lacey asked, thinking of her family. "This island is too dangerous, sorry to say but you would be dead already if not for me." Silvia snapped, still stirred the soup.

"I would have managed." Lacey said a little hurt Silvia thought her weak. "but you are." Silvia thought to herself. "How are you still alive? You are so young!" Lacey marveled. "I'm 9!" Silvia shot back. "I'm not a baby!"

Silvia got up and darted to the ladder and disappeared up it. Lacey sighed. "You made her mad dummy." She chided herself.

Silvia returned with two smaller bowls and makeshift spoons, she set them down on the table, then went back to the soup again stirring it.

"This island makes you stronger or you don't survive." She finally spoke, picking up the bowl of the fire with her skirts and bringing it to the table, she filled the bowls and placed one in front of Lacey.

Lacey picked up the spoon and tasted it, the soup was delicious, it warmed her up, she ate two more bowls full before it was all gone. Silvia took the dishes and left the hut.

Lacey sighed, after the food she felt tired again so she moved and laid down, on her back stirring up at the ceiling. Silvia had said the island was filled with monsters that could smell the magic of her dress.

She needed to freshen up, "I will worry about the monsters later." She thought as her eyes slowly closed and she fell asleep.

Lacey awakens to Silvia shaking her to get up. "Come on get up, we must go." She said, as Lacey sat up, She got up and followed Silvia to the door, Silvia picked up a bag as they passed the table and then they left the hut stepping onto the porch before going onto the big branch the hut was built on.

Silvia led the way down the tree that was as big as a 2 story building, and as big as 10 grown people standing in a circle, they jumped down onto smaller branches as they left the tree.

Silvia jumped down landing on her feet looking up and she smiled. "Come on, we must hurry before they wake up!" She said, Lacey jumped landing on her feet but stumbled forward, Silvia caught her arm and steadying her, she didn't remember the forest they stood in because she had been half asleep the whole walk there, trees the same as the one they had just left, stood all around them.

Silvia started walking Lacey following, Silvia seemed to know where they were headed. Lacey stepped over one of the trees roots that came out of the ground the roots were as big around as her, Silvia led her through the big trees, the forest floor was poky to her tender bear feet, they walked for a while until she saw the water, the logon was small and was in a grove of trees.

Silvia nodded to the water as they walked around the water to a big rock that sat on the edge of the pool of water, a small waterfall fed the pool.

Silvia took the dress Lacey handed her, as Lacey got into the water, she got off the rock going over to the small stream that ran off the logon, she started washing the fabric in the stream, she was scrubbing it when she felt the hard object and she pulled away the skirt to find the black flower hair pin caught in the thread of the fabric.

She picked it up it sparkled in the sunlight, she stuck it in her bag, "I will give it to Lacey when she is done bathing." She thought, going back to the dress, she set it out to dry on some leaves laid out on the ground in the sun, she then went back to the logon.

Lacey sat on the edge of the logon drying in the sun, she grabbed a big leaf to cover herself, when Silvia walked up.

To be continued-