Page 5 of Ava's Legacy of the Dragons
With one hand on the railing, she looked down at the riverbank. Once again, a gentle warmth gathered in her stomach, mixed with the feeling of being watched.
She glanced briefly over her shoulder. Surely the chimney sweep or another town resident was coming along the way, because even though the older bachelors were well aware that Ava wasn't interested, they liked to chat with her.
But there was no one to be seen, which was normal at that hour.
Not many people lived in the small town, and most were over sixty. As soon as the sun approached the horizon, they returned to their houses, and hardly anyonebut Ava stayed outside. Maybe that was why she enjoyed the evenings all the more. She simply liked being alone.
Still, the feeling that she was being watched didn't go away.
When she focused her attention back on the river, she was gripped by an intense, overwhelming feeling of longing that was completely foreign to her. As if it wasn't her own.
She let out an unexpectedly deep sigh.
Spontaneously, she decided to go down to the water. She enjoyed standing by the riverside in the evening, so she walked to the narrow stairs. The heels of her shoes drummed on the old wood as if the boards wanted to announce her arrival.
But that was nonsense, of course.
She reached the riverbank, which was reinforced by stones of various sizes. The air was fresh, the wind cool but soothing. The narrow trail she took led along the watercourse towards the forest. The ground was firm, and her heels barely sank in, yet she left slight footprints.
The path to her new life, Helen would say.
Ava laughed inwardly, though her aunt wasn't wrong with her reprimands. If she was really honest with herself, she too longed for... something.
She didn't need to look over her shoulder to know that she didn't belong in this small world, in this small town. In the past, she had felt that something more had been waiting for her somewhere. Maybe that was because Helen, and especially the chimney sweep, had always fed her such thoughts.
But the older she got, the more she had attributed this feeling to the desire to truly belong to someone. Tofind her real family. That was why she had suppressed it years ago.
She strolled along the riverbank and felt a lightness rising within her that was both alien and soothing at the same time. This feeling didn't fit at all with her gloomy thoughts, nor did the warmth spreading in her stomach. Perhaps it was the illusion of freedom that was rising in her just because she was walking along this river that was supposedly the portal to a magical world.
She reached a section where the river widened. It looked like a small lake lined with numerous stones, and on the opposite side grew tall grasses.
Again and again, she bent down and grabbed a few pebbles. They were normal stones, white and cold, so she casually threw the first one into the water, listening to the plop that mixed with the rushing of the water, and watched the circular waves that spread across the river.
Slowly, she continued on her way. In the distance stretched the forest, which grew so densely that it was hardly even possible to walk through it. Aunt Helen had good reason to consistently point out that the few existing paths needed to be maintained better.
Although she normally felt a numbing coldness in the face of the forest, she suddenly felt warm. Apparently, she was dressed too warmly. Without giving it much thought, she took off her jacket, pulled the scarf from her neck, and casually threw both over her shoulder. It would get better soon. She wanted to pick up another stone and bent down as a particularly large specimen came into view. Frowning, she picked it up.
It was about the size of a honeydew melon and lighter than expected. It was covered with mud and dirt.As Ava ran her finger over the surface, a subdued purple shimmer became visible.
"What is this?"
Curious, she removed the layer of dirt as best she could and marveled at it from all sides. The entire stone gave off this extraordinary glow. It was covered with lines that rippled across the entire surface in waves.
Could this be an amethyst? Of this size? Where could it have come from?
She ran to the river, bent down, and dipped the stone into the water to remove the last splashes of mud. When she pulled it out, her eyes widened.
"This can't be real!"
It glowed so intensely that it was as if its outer layer was made of thin purple paper and a candle was burning inside, like a handmade lantern.
This was definitely not a normal stone!
Suddenly, the warmth she felt in her stomach increased. It spread out, traveled to her heart, and seemed to whisper:"Press me to your chest."
Overwhelmed, Ava did what she thought she had heard and pressed the shimmering stone against her body. The warmth intensified, as did the glow. If it were dark, she could light her way with this stone. She was flooded with emotions that threatened to sweep her away. They made her understand that she should never give up the stone, not even put it aside.
Carefully, she stroked the surface and followed the lines. It felt rough and hard, with small elevations or points here and there, as if the stone was covered with scales.
