by V F Sharp
“Why didn’t you say anything?” said Fin.
“Hold on, well, wait,” said Pallu, “I was going to, and then all the talk about Ezstasia made me forget.”
Fin shook his head.
Pallu opened his saddle bag again and took a piece of bread out, probably out of subconscious stress.
“You probably lost it when you stopped to eat,” said Lanzzie, smacking the bread out of his hand. “Do you and your fat rabbit always have to be eating?”
Startled, Pallu quickly pet his rabbit as if to comfort him. “She didn’t mean it, Thumps. She’s just upset.”
Though Thumps had fat, round cheeks and an ever-growing double chin, he was really cute. And, like the other rabbits, he was completely oblivious to what was going on.
“Ugh!” said Lanzzie, as she turned her rabbit around and headed toward the large rolling hills that led back to the Cottages.
“So… you’re okay with going back?” Fin said, relieved. He knew he was annoying her.
“We don’t have a choice, remember!” she shouted without turning around.
Fin watched as Lanzzie and Jewel rode off. Most of the others began to do the same. He shrugged and turned to Pallu, who was always the last to leave—or arrive—or to do anything for that matter.
“What were you thinking?” he said. “You knew how—”
“Fin, I didn’t lose my arrow.”
“You what?! You didn’t?”
He watched as Pallu walked to where the bread fell, picked it up and looked at it for a few seconds. He gently brushed it along his shirt a couple times to shake off the grass and dirt and took another bite.
“No, I know where it is. It got tangled in some bushes on the hillside,” said Pallu, as he attempted to mount his rabbit, which took a few tries. “I just needed help crawling in there and cutting it loose. My… uh… ‘manly’ size limited my ability to get it.”
Fin laughed and rustled up Pallu’s auburn hair. “Well, you manly-sized, curly-haired beast, let’s go get it. Lead the way.”
He followed Pallu as the others made their way toward the Cottages.
“You know what I’m thinking?” said Pallu.
“Is this about dinner?” Fin said, smiling. It felt good to smile amidst all this worry. Pallu often had that effect. He could make anyone smile even on their worst day.
“Dinner?” said Pallu. “No, of course not. I’ll just munch on my way back.”
“I figured you would,” said Fin.
“It’s about breakfast. I can make us a hearty and delicious breakfast tomorrow so that we’ll have lots of energy for the road.”
Fin grinned and shook his head.
“Hey,” said Pallu.
Fin looked at him and raised his eyebrows.
“We’re going to find her, Fin. She’s my best friend. I can’t, and won’t, live without her.”
“I hope we do,” said Fin. He gazed ahead and nodded toward Lanzzie in the distance. “Especially for her sake.”
CHAPTER THREE
As soon as the sunlight hit her face through the eastern window, Lanzzie jumped out of bed. She’d slept in her clothes so that she’d be ready to go as soon as she opened her eyes. She’d already packed a bag full of food and supplies that would help her survive for a handful of days.
Though she’d agreed last night to return to the Cottages if they hadn’t found Ezstasia by sunset, she’d stay until she found her. She wouldn’t allow any negotiations today. There was no way she was coming back without her sister.
She grabbed the arrow from under her mattress and examined it for a second as it twinkled. For a moment, she wondered if she should take it. After all, if her quest to find Ezstasia took days, someone might investigate her disappearance and search her cottage. She started to put it into her orange, canvas sack, and then paused. She remembered Fin’s concern the previous night, if someone searched her sack for whatever reason, they might notice the sparkles instantly.
“Stop being stupid,” she said out loud to herself.
She pulled the arrow back out and placed it back underneath her mattress. Ready to go, she walked out of her bedroom and into her small kitchen. She grabbed two water cans that were on the round, walnut table and tied one of them to the wooden stick of items she was taking with her, placing the other in her orange sack. Finally, she headed to the front door to leave. Just as she opened the door, she turned and took one last melancholy look at her cozy home, wondering if things would ever be the same again. She shook the thoughts from her head, then stepped outside, closed the door and slowly turned the key to lock it.
“You’re up early, Lanzzie,” said a cheerful, squeaky voice, though it made her nearly jump out of her skin. She turned to see her neighbor, Miss Ponzo, standing a few yards away, holding a braided wicker basket full of vegetables and bread. She had a white napkin gently placed over the food. Her six-year old boy was next to her with tangled hair falling into his eyes. He tugged on her long, worn-out dress which was so faded that it was hard to see the floral design that had been originally printed on it.
“Good morning to you.”
Miss Ponzo was a heavy woman, and very sweet. The white bonnet she wore on her head made her face look more red than it was, and the matching apron she was wearing didn’t help.
“Um, good morning, Miss Ponzo,” Lanzzie said, as she tried to quickly walk away.
“Lanzzie, wait. I have a question for you.”
Lanzzie stopped, worried for a moment. “Yes, Miss Ponzo?” she said, as she slowly turned around.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but notice, it looks like you’re packed for quite a journey. Are you planning to be gone for a few days?”
Though the jovial woman smiled, Lanzzie wondered what she was getting at.
“I’m not sure, but I may be. I’m visiting some friends in the lower Cottages.”
“Oh, where at? I have cousins there.”
Lanzzie thought for a moment. “I’m not quite sure exactly,” she said.
“Oh,” said Miss Ponzo, looking like she was contemplating the situation. “Well, would you like me to look after your place? I’d be happy to.”
Now what? If she didn’t take her up on the offer, she might grow suspicious on why she’d refused or what she was up to. She may even question if she was hiding something in her home. Or maybe Lanzzie was just being paranoid. Either way, now Miss Ponzo was fully aware that she’d be gone and would be observing the length of her journey.
Realizing she was taking too long to respond, she finally blurted it out.
“Actually, that would be wonderful. Are you sure it’s not too much trouble?”
“Not at all,” said Miss Ponzo.
“Thanks. I owe you.”
Lanzzie quickly turned to walk away and then heard Miss Ponzo clearing her throat, no doubt trying to get her attention. Lanzzie was so anxious to get to her rabbit that she pretended she didn’t hear.
“Lanzzie? Aren’t you forgetting something?” Lanzzie turned around.
“I need a key, silly,” Miss Ponzo said with a sweet smile as she approached her.
“A key?” said Lanzzie, realizing her dilemma was bigger than before. “I… umm… I thought maybe you would just keep an eye on it and make sure that thieves didn’t break in, or anything like that.”
“Yes dear, of course! And I’ll also tidy up the place and water your plants. You don’t want your plants to die, I’m sure. Everyone forgets about their poor plants.”
Lanzzie felt the sweat forming on her palms. “Of course, I don’t… yes… okay… I’m sorry, I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.” She handed her key to Miss Ponzo, trying to steady her trembling fingers.
“Oh, Lanzzie,” she said, glancing visibly at her fingers. “You look hungry. How about you take some of these fresh fruits and vegetables, too? We just got them from the market. I like to shop early so I can pick the freshest and plumpest ones. Edgar used to love that. God bless his soul.”
/> The more Lanzzie tried to tell herself to act calm and normal, the more she felt like she was acting strangely. She forced a smile.
“That’s so sweet of you, thank you, but I couldn’t.”
“Please, I insist.” Miss Ponzo held some apples over Lanzzie’s orange sack, waiting for her to open it. Lanzzie undid the rope and held the bag open, grateful that she didn’t have the arrow with her. But she did still have an assortment of supplies that could raise questions.
Miss Ponzo dropped the apples in, and threw in a few pears, turnips, and carrots for good measure. Just as Lanzzie was about to tie the bag closed, Miss Ponzo yelled, “Wait a minute, young lady! Don’t close that bag so quickly.”
“Is there something wrong?”
“Of course there is! Open your bag back up.”
Lanzzie slowly opened the bag, while she felt the sweat on her brow and wondered what Miss Ponzo had seen.
“You can’t leave without a piece of this freshly baked bread,” said Miss Ponzo. “The baker knows I’m always there to get it hot, right out of the oven. Here, I insist.” She broke it in half, steam slowly rising from the inside.
Lanzzie took the large piece and quickly put it in her sack and tied it.
“I can’t thank you enough,” she said. “It smells wonderful. And I’ve never seen such bright, colorful vegetables. Now I know the secret, early shopping in the market.”
“Shhh,” said Miss Ponzo. “Don’t be giving away my secrets now.” She gave a slight, sweet giggle. “Us neighbors have to keep one another’s—”
“Oh, you don’t have to tell me,” said Lanzzie, forcing another smile as she turned to leave. That was the understatement of the century.
Finally, she was off to head for the stables. She felt her feet against the crisp, dry grass. Ordinarily, she’d feel a sense of oneness with nature. But though the weather was perfect, her mood was anything but. All she wanted to do was get back to that forest and find her sister.
“You’re going in the wrong direction!” yelled Miss Ponzo.
Lanzzie sighed. “I know,” she yelled back. “I—I have to go get my rabbit first.”
She looked back and saw that Miss Ponzo was about to yell something else, but she pretended she didn’t see her and kept moving. She only hoped that it hadn’t been a mistake to give her a key.
* * * *
As Lanzzie approached the stables, she was glad to see Fin walking his rabbit out.
“There you are,” said Fin. “I would’ve expected you here a little—”
“Don’t say it. Don’t even go there. Let’s just say I had neighbor trouble. Did the stable master ask you anything about Tia going missing?”
“No, but I’m not Ezstasia’s sister. He’ll probably ask you. Have you thought about what to say?”
“I did. But now I don’t.”
“Huh?”
“All the terrible delays this morning took me out of warrior mode.”
“Warrior mode? So you went to bed as Lanzzie and you woke up as a warrior? I would’ve liked to have seen that.”
She could see him smirking.
“Shut up, Fin,” she said, pushing her way past him, toward the entrance of the stables.
“Was that push from the warrior or you?” he said, as she made her way through the huge double doors to sign her rabbit out.
She walked through the entrance, and on the right side of the large, U-shaped, multi-level barn, she almost tripped over the remains of a broken wooden ladder. It was one of many, used for reaching the animals’ food on the upper level. This ladder had seen better days and seemed ready to become firewood. The only light crept in through the doorway and through the cracks between the uneven boards that made up the walls and ceiling. Hay was strewn out all across the floor and the intense smell of the animals permeated the air.
Finally, she saw a line of people ahead, waiting to check their rabbits out. As she approached, she spotted the twins, Randin and Zander. Both wore their typical baggy trousers and colorful suspenders. The two always matched like little boys—maybe out of habit from their younger years or maybe simply because Zander looked up to his slightly older twin brother.
“Yellow today?” she said, looking at both of their suspenders.
“No, red,” said Zander, with a perfectly straight face. He was being facetious. Their suspenders were as yellow as a canary.
“So, are you boys checking out your rabbits? Ready for our big adventure?” she said, intentionally loud. She wanted the stable workers to think they were doing something normal.
Randin looked at her like she had two heads.
“Why yes, Lanz!” said Zander, a bit too chipper, and even more obvious than she was. “Just like we always do every morning.”
Randin kicked him.
“Why do you wear suspenders all the time, anyway?” she said, trying to direct the subject toward a more normal conversation. One that wouldn’t draw any attention to them.
“To keep our moonshine safe, of course,” said Zander, in a sing-songy voice.
So much for a normal conversation. She turned to Randin. “What is he even talking about? Is he serious?”
“Umm… I’m afraid he is,” said Randin, his face turning red as he gave his brother the eye. “It’s…well—moonshine refers to our butt cheeks. At least that’s what our mum called them.”
“Okay, well that’s a little—”
“Only our future misses get to see our moonshine, though,” said Zander. “Isn’t that right, Randin?”
“Can we please talk about something else?” said Randin, his forehead crinkling.
“So, are you both in line to sign out Bun and Nee?” said Lanzzie, following Randin’s lead.
The twins immediately started laughing. “I told you Randin,” said Zander. “We gave our rabbits the best names ever. We should get a reward for that.” Then he whispered, loud enough for her to hear, “And didn’t she already ask us that?”
“Shhh,” said Randin, as he finally got to the front of the line.
“Morning, sir,” he said to the old man at the table. “We came for Bun and Nee.”
It wasn’t the regular morning stable master. Of all days, Mr. Pudge must’ve taken ill.
“Bun and Nee,” repeated the man, whose face was so worn and wrinkled he must’ve spent his life on a sailing vessel. “Think yer funny, do ya? Well it’s a little funny, I’ll give ya that.”
Zander was still chuckling like a schoolchild.
“I trust ya got yer identification, lads.”
Randin held up his necklace with the pendant, and Zander did the same. Lanzzie watched as the man squinted to make sure the marking on the pendants matched their rabbits’ feet markings, which were imprinted on his parchment. Mr. Pudge knew each rabbit’s owners, so he never even checked, but this man was new.
Next it was Lanzzie’s turn.
“I’m here to check out Jewel,” she said, her voice cracking.
“Yer identification, miss?”
She quickly fished through her orange sack looking for it, when Miss Ponzo’s apples and pears started to tumble out, along with a few carrots and turnips.
Flustered, she quickly grabbed her pendant and tossed it on the table. Then she began to pick up the vegetables and fruit.
“Just how long are ye plannin’ on takin’ yer rabbit?” said the man, marveling at all the fruits and vegetables.
“Oh, just for the day,” she said. “The fruit’s for my whole group. I’m not much for apples myself. Would you like one?”
“I think not,” said the man. “Unless ya have apricots. Them I like.” He smiled, which was when she noticed his crooked yellow teeth. He had a piece of straw hanging out the side of his mouth, one he chewed on at random intervals, making him look oddly like Jewel.
“I’m so sorry, no apricots,” she said.
He studied her pendant, then looked down at his parchment.
“Aye, yer just the lassy I was lookin’ for.”
“And you’ve a sister named Ezstasia, is that not correct?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Well, yer sister has a rabbit. Goes by the name of Tia, who happens to be missin’.”
“Oh yes,” she said. “I remember now. She said something about taking Tia to her cottage last night.”
“To her cottage, Miss…, Miss…” he scanned his parchment to look up her name, “Lanzzie, is it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, Miss Lanzzie, I’m sure ye and all yer friends are well familiar with the rules regardin’ these delicate giants. They’re all that remains from the days of magic, bred for hundreds of years. They must be watched and cared for at all times. Aye, but what would ye know ‘bout magic?”
“Nothing at all, sir,” said Lanzzie. “I don’t know a thing.”
“Of course ya don’t. ‘Twas a hypothetical question.” He leaned forward.
“Just ye remember, while ye and yers sleep soundly at night, we have lads here who stay awake like gravediggers, tendin’ to the every need of those rabbits. It’s not safe to take these beauties home. They’re not pets, and they’re not hounds nor horses.”
The man stared at her and squinted his eyes, as if he were looking right through her lies.
“I know,” she said, “it’s just that—”
“It’s just that nothin’,” said the man, banging his fist on the table. “We need that rabbit back.”
She could tell that he took his job very seriously.
“I’m sorry, I’ll get it back from my sister. She was just sad and needed someone to cuddle with. What happened to our parents still haunts her, and—”
“What exactly happened to yer elders, lassy?” His tone seemed to instantly warm up a bit.
“If it’s all the same, I’d rather not talk about it. It was a long time ago, and—”
The man held up his hand to stop her. “Say no more,” he said. “However…”
He examined his parchment more closely. “I do see here that yer sister has done this before. This will be the last time.”
“Thank you, sir. I mean, yes, sir.”
