Going Home

Strangely, Lorelei even thought of Vala, with whom Lorelei had feuded over a handsome and strong hunter from the village. All of these memories came rushing through her mind like the wind on a stormy night. Too many memories too quickly - Lorelei sat down on her bed and rested.

Inside, the rain couldn’t hide her tears, and her eyes began to swell and turn red. She wiped her sleeve across her face, but the tears continued to stream down her face. Footsteps in the mud outside her cabin forced her mind back to the present. She quickly wiped her face again and tried to straighten her frock. She leaned over and blew out the candle on the bedside table, putting the hut into total darkness. Voices preceded the men she knew would burst through the door soon. Lorelei closed her eyes tightly, wishing the men would disappear. But it had never worked before, and she knew they’d be coming soon - just like they did every change in the phase of the moon. But if the old wizard was right, this would be the last time she would see the men. After tonight’s "adventure," Lorelei would be going home.

She remembered the first time the wizard appeared in her hut. He was a grisly old man, short with a long nose and wisps of gray hair on a round head. His smile was strange, looking as if he was trying to keep his teeth from flying out of his mouth. His garb was drab except for a tiny amulet that shone even in the darkness.

"Child, I have come to help you," the wizard told Lorelei on their first encounter.

Lorelei was distrustful at first. She had been there for a month, and no one had tried to help her. All anyone had done was take what they wanted and leave her trembling in the corner of her hut when they left.

"I know, Child," the old man said, as if reading her thoughts. "Trust has not come yet. But it will. I will return soon, and I will tell you how you can go home."

"Wait," Lorelei said.

"I must leave," he interrupted. "But I will return."

The wizard returned when the moon was full. And again soon after that. Each visit, he would reveal more and more about how Lorelei could get home. The first few visits, Lorelei still was a little wary. She thought he might be just some old man, who was playing tricks on her. Maybe this was just another example of their torture. She listened warily as the wizard told her stories of all the village girls who had come before her. Each had stayed a few weeks or months before they were replaced.

"But why? How?" Lorelei asked.

"In time, you will know all."

Lorelei still didn’t believe much of what the old man was saying, but she enjoyed his visits. At least, it wasn’t like the others. Finally, when the wizard showed her an image of her village with her mother and father standing outside their home, she began to believe him. While she was waiting for the men to come inside, the wizard appeared in her hut.

"Wizard," she said. "They’re coming now. I can hear them."

"I know, Child, but I have to tell you - in two days time, the portal will open again, and you can go home," the wizard said.

"Why two days?" Lorelei asked.

"Patience, Child."

"All you have to do is entice a girl from your village to take your place here," the wizard said.