Page 12 of Magic in the Woods
The woman nodded, continuing to stare at me. “Emily seems to like you. She’s always been a good judge of character.”
Then she reached behind her, grabbing a hold of the doorknob. “Can we trust you?”
Her body blocked the closed door as she stared at me. I understood what she was doing—she was protecting her family, as any good mother would. She’d just let an unknown woman into her home who’d brought a pail with a frozen cat; she only wanted my word. I could give her that.
“You can trust me,” I said.
I watched as her shoulders dropped before she twisted the knob and opened the door, her body welcoming me past the doorway of my room into the rest of the house. “You’ve been bedridden for too long. Come help us make dinner.”
She waved her hand, inadvertently wafting the smell of what Emily was stirring on the stove into the room. My nostrils flared. It smelled so good.
My knees buckled a bit. I wasn’t used to standing for so long—not since I’d been bedridden.
“Emily!” the woman called out. “Can you help our guest to the table? I’m going to have her trim the fat while she sits.”
Her daughter hurried over. “I’ve got you,” she whispered, grabbing me, her arm reaching across my back under my arm. “We’ll fill your stomach with more than moose broth tonight, okay? My mom’s a great cook. We’re having venison.”
I let the scent and Emily lead me out of the room and back into the small kitchen. We passed the woman—Annabel, she told me—stirring the pot on the stove before Emily pulled out a chair, her support leaving me right before my body dropped into the seat. With strength I did not have, she pushed my chair close to the table, my stomach flush with theedge.
Annabel quietly spoke to Emily before she nodded, grabbing a bowl from the fridge, a clean cutting board, and a knife. She set the cutting board in front of me along with the knife and bowl of what I could now see was raw meat—the venison.
“Can you trim off the excess fat?” she asked right before she turned around and made her way to the sink where she began washing dishes.
I stared at the knife. They’d once again given me, a stranger, a knife in their own home. I wasn’t going to use it for anything other than cutting meat like they’d asked, but that Emily’s mother also trusted me with such a deadly weapon made me further relax.
They trusted me not to hurt them.
They weren’t going to hurt me.
I was safe here.
Dumping the meat onto the cutting board, I got to work cutting off the fat. Annabel came over to the table, clucking her tongue in approval before gathering everything and bringing it over to the counter. I’d cut the meat thin and small enough that it would cook quickly in the broth Emily and I had made.
The exterior door next to the kitchen opened, revealing Luke, who walked in looking tired. I hadn’t noticed the bags under his eyes or the dirt staining his off-white coveralls when we’d scared each other earlier. He paused for a moment; his eyes locked with mine before I looked down at the scratched tabletop in front of me.
I watched the three of them, Annabel, Emily and Luke, work in tandem to put together the meal. While their mother finished cooking the soup, Emily pulled out bowls from an upper cabinet and Luke gathered the utensils from a drawer. They both walked around me as they set the table for dinner.
When the soup was done, Annabel brought the pot from the stove to the table, placing a woven potholder on the tabletopbefore setting down the steaming pot of what was now a stew. She took a seat next to me, between Luke and myself.
Emily set a glass of something purple in front of her mother before taking a seat beside me, filling the last empty seat. Some kind of drink?
The place settings looked worn but obviously cared for. The glossy sheen of the bowl was scratched from the scrape of knives and forks. A spoon and fork sat on either side of the plate, the silverware tarnished. I kept my eyes on my bowl, my ankles crossed underneath me and my hands folded on top of my apron, trying to make myself small.
“Let’s thank the higher powers for the food and for bringing this girl—” Annabel paused.
My face warmed from the eyes staring at me, waiting for me to say something.
“Dafni,” I croaked, swallowing, trying to wet my throat.
“For bringing Dafni to us. May she continue to regain her strength to undertake whatever tasks await her.” Her eyes bore directly into mine when I lifted my head. A shiver traveled down my spine to the end of my tailbone. “Let’s eat!”
She stood, bending over the pot at the middle of the table, giving it a stir before reaching for each of our bowls and ladling heaping portions into them. The steam from the stew traveled up to my nose, my nostrils twitching at the scent. I waited until everyone had picked up their spoons before I picked up mine. My hand shook ever so slightly as I dipped into the stew and brought it to my lips. It was flavorful, with chunks of venison and spices. I swallowed, quickly bringing another spoonful to my mouth. My chest began warming as the food slid down into my stomach, and my hand became less shaky with every mouthful.
Spoonful after spoonful, I ate.
I put my hands around the warm bowl, lifting it to my lipsto drink the last of the broth. I closed my eyes as I swallowed, savoring the last drops.
My eyes opened as I put the bowl back on the table. Everyone was staring at me. Emily sat frozen, holding her steaming spoon between her mouth and her bowl. Luke looked at me, his bowl still full and his spoon resting on the side. Annabel stared at me from across the table with a smile on her face.
