26
When Evie returned safely from her solitary journey to the warm spring in the heart of the forest, the innkeeper looked at her in amazement as if he were seeing a wonder.
“How on earth did you come back alive from there? Your appearance confirms that you are already gone...”
Her face, smudged by chimney dust, had become pure, with a bright color reflecting childhood innocence. A feeling of softness and freshness, as if a pleasant scent was emanating from her, suggesting that she had washed with warm water.
It is a harsh winter, and in this region there is no water that has not frozen, let alone warm water.
Of course, someone might boil water and serve it, but who would go through the trouble of offering warm water to an orphan doing menial labor in an inn like this?
“How lucky you are.”
That's what the innkeeper thought at first. But days later, on a day when Evie, who was helping in the kitchen, dropped food on herself, the innkeeper ordered her out to wash again.
“You fool! Because of you, we wasted valuable food! You stink, so don’t come back until you’re clean!”
The innkeeper, his anger at its peak, kicked her out, hitting her small body with the broom handle, pushing her outside.
“If you were wrong, you should have cried and begged for forgiveness!”
“I wasn't wrong.”
The cook, drunk, had tripped over a bottle of wine and slipped, dropping the pot. But, fearing the innkeeper's blame, he lied and said that it was Effie who had caused him to stumble.
But she could not tell the truth; No one would believe her anyway. If I had, I would have been beaten by the innkeeper, and perhaps even by the cook.
“What have you done to look at me so hard? Go to the forest now!”
To be asked to go to the forest at this season is to be ordered to die. The innkeeper seemed to be aware of this, as he smiled sarcastically and muttered:
“Let's see if you come back alive this time too.”
Then he immediately closed the inn door and even the barn door, so that Evie had nowhere to go but the woods again.
Something similar to what happened before happened. Perhaps because of the food she was smeared with, the wolves appeared faster than last time, and surrounded Evie.
But a flash of light suddenly lit up, and the back of her hand heated up, and then the wolves immediately turned around and disappeared somewhere.
Evie got to the spring, washed herself, and then became tired and fell asleep, and the wolves did not appear again until she returned to the inn in the morning.
The next day, when the innkeeper saw Epheb safe again, he stared at her for a long time with a look of bewilderment. If he had gotten angry or spit on her, it would have been easier.
“Come on, clean the stable and help in the kitchen.”
He smiled sarcastically and entered without another word. This situation made Evie feel even more anxious. As I expected, when night fell, the innkeeper, drunk on wine, spoke to the drunken customers.
“That little girl, no matter how much she enters the forest, never dies. The wolves don’t eat her, but she comes back safe! Don’t believe it? How about we bet?”
Then he collected a coin from each of the customers and ordered Eppie to fetch water from the unfrozen pond in the middle of the forest.
Evie picked up a bucket as big as her body, her hands swelling from the rough wooden handle. At first, the customers shouted that this was impossible, and that victory would be theirs, betting their money.
But one of the customers, who was more conscientious, tried to stop the innkeeper, saying that if a little girl went into the forest alone, she would become food for the wolves.
“What? Are you the one who raised her? I’m the one who fed her and raised her! Don’t interfere! If you pity her, pay for her upbringing and take her!”
The innkeeper responded with a harsh insult, kicking the customer out and accusing him of spoiling the atmosphere. And so, Evie was cast out into the forest again.
In winter, wolves are hungry, so they do not miss weak prey that enters the forest alone.
But every time, the back of her hand got hot, and the wolves would turn and leave.
But Evie knew. The warmth gradually weakened, and the stain on her hand faded. As if the force that protects her is running out.
“If this spot disappears completely, I will die.”
But what can a five-year-old do? Evie, under the innkeeper's compulsion, had to go into the woods alone every day. This continued until the orphanage director stayed at the hostel.
* * *
“After I met the director, that spot never appeared again.”
Evie remembered the past, then straightened up and looked at the back of her hand.
People would look at the orphanage and wonder how anyone could live in a place like this, but to Evie, it was heaven.
She no longer had to work non-stop from morning until evening like in the hostel.
She ate three meals a day at fixed times, not stale or rat-infested bread, but carefully cooked, warm food.
Her sleeping place was no longer a stack of hay in a barn, but a neat, if not luxurious, mattress with a clean, if thin, blanket.
She even gained nice friends at her age. Since then, the strange spot on her hand has never appeared again.
“It was fading anyway...it seemed like it had completely disappeared.”
Evie looked at her hand and felt relieved. Even she thought this was something that didn't happen to others.
Moreover, in the tainted storybooks she read at the orphanage, terrifying witches wielded strange powers.
The children were saying that if they saw a witch like that, they would tell the guards. Upon hearing this, Evie decided to never mention her hand inscription to anyone.
If her friends knew, they might report her to the guards.
So, she slept with her hand in her pocket, fearing that the stain would suddenly appear while she was sleeping and her friends would see.
But, contrary to her fears, the strange spot has not reappeared yet.
“Maybe because I'm not in danger.”
She always appeared when she was in distress, fear, or danger. Now, since there is no such thing, there is no need for it to appear.
“So…there's no danger now either.”
Evie nodded to herself.
Suddenly, a voice rang out from her stomach. She raised her head and saw the starry sky through the high window. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a cake wrapped in paper and two sweets she had kept. I hesitated.
“What do I eat?”
If no one comes until nightfall, you'll have to wait until morning. So, you must be frugal. After a long thought, she put the cake back in the bag and looked at the dessert.
“Maybe I'll eat half a dessert?”
It seems that will be enough. But when she suddenly turned around, her eyes met the eyes of the woman in the painting. The painting was, of course, still smiling.
Evie looked at the painting for a while, then got down from the chair, carrying the candy, and stood in front of the painting. She knew it was just a painting, but she felt, somehow, that it was accompanying her throughout her time here.
So, she wasn't afraid now. As if there was a living person accompanying her.
For this, Evie placed one of the candies in front of the plate.
“I'll give you this. The principal said something good should be shared.”
Evie placed the candy she had been thinking of dividing up to save, whole, in front of the plate.
Of course, she didn't expect to answer the board or eat the candy. But, in a way, she wanted to give the woman in the painting her best shot.
As Evie was putting down the candy and smiling proudly to herself, she heard a sound like the wind slicing from the side of the ceiling.
She raised her head in horror, and saw a golden line of light passing through the high window. As she stared in amazement at the strange light she saw for the first time, the light, which had been extending like a long thread, began to spread sideways like fog.
The light passed the glass window and entered the place where Eppie was. It slowly filled the space, like a light falling rain.
Evie took a step back, a feeling of fear washing over her at this new sight.
She stepped back carefully to avoid touching the light, until she felt the painting touch her back.
Suddenly, she heard a whisper like a voice echoing in her ears:
“It's okay. They're looking for you.”
She felt a light touch on her shoulder.
Evie turned in horror, but behind her was only the painting, still smiling softly.
Evie returned her gaze to the crowd of light that was approaching her.
“She said it was fine.”
They are looking for her.
So…
Evie cautiously extended her hand toward the oncoming light.
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