The Others

Chapter Three

I am up even before the sun. Without washing myself, or freshening up, I have gone to start my chores. I do not want my mother to think something special is going on, because whatever the little creature is, I know it will not be safe from my poor family.

I clean the dishes, peel the potatoes for this afternoon and wash some clothes in the creak. Washing while it’s still dark and cold outside might not have been the best idea, but by the time the sun decided to rise, I got to go to the barn. Time to milk the cows.

Full of energy, I run inside the barn. But my excitement’s gone quick. The creature is not there anymore. ‘Hello?’ I try. ‘Are you here?’ but I do not get any response. I feel all hope leave my body. I was a fool for leaving it alone.. It probably went outside to the woods. What if it got hurt? Or trapped by a hunter? I know it’s got sharp teeth, but it’s so tiny still.

I pick up the little stool used for milking and walk towards the first of our two cows. Like a machine I start milking it. I have been doing it every morning for as long as I can remember. It’s time consuming, and boring, so I always try to do it without thinking too much about it.

What if the creature really was a dragon? Dragons are extinct for so long, no one even knows what they look like anymore.

I do know they used to exist, I have even heard of a story where one was an Other. Well, to be honest, who has not heard of that story. They say the grandfather of the king used to have a dragon Other. That’s how his bloodline came to the throne. It was a green coloured one, with golden spikes on its back. They even said that his fire was so hot, it came out colourless. A little bit black even, like the centre of a flame. When you see portraits of him, they even draw him on the dragon’s back.

Portraits! I feel the cow get uncomfortable, because I pull its teat too hard when I excitingly remember that there’s a painting of the king inside the village temple. After I have finished my chores, I will go to the town centre, to see if I can find any resemblances of the king’s dragon and the one I saw yesterday.

The moment the bucket is full enough, and I have milked both Bessie and Essie, I get up from my little, uncomfortable stool. I pick up the bucket of milk, and turn around to the barn’s exit.

Its little braap makes my heart jump. The creature’s laying right behind me, curled up like a cat. I can see it was sleeping, because it has one eye opened, and the other one still closed.

‘How long have you been laying there’, I say excitedly. Now the dragon opens both eyes. It braaps again. I smile, put the bucket down, and kneel right next to it to pet its little neck. It rolls on it’s back and shows me it’s belly, like our old dog used to do.

‘Well, I think it’s safe to assume you’re a girl’, I say while I rub her belly. ‘I am not sure how it is with dragons, but I am aware how it is with most other animals. And I can not recognize any male parts on your abdomen.’

She gets up on her four little legs, shakes her entire body like a wet dog, and walks over to the bucket of milk. ‘Wait’, I say, but it’s too late. She’s stuck her entire face in it, and started drinking excitingly. I laugh, but feel fright. What am I going to tell my mother? She really wants this milk. We only have two cows, and the fields have not been fruitful last spring.

The dragon drinks the bucket empty, licks it clean, and then drops on the floor completely content. She even burps. I laugh. ‘You’re already making my life difficult.’ I say, after I pick up the bucket.

That’s when I remember the portrait. ‘But I do really want to know what you are’, I say. ‘So I will have to go into town this afternoon, to see the king’s portrait in the temple. Will you be alright here?’

Slight snoring lets me know she’s sleeping.

‘Where’s the milk?’ My mother asks me surprised, when I return to the house with the empty bucket. ‘I dropped it’, I say. It’s the first thing that comes to mind, and I instantly regret my choice. The disappointment on my mothers face… it’s heart-breaking.

‘I’m sorry mother’, I instantly continue. ‘But I will make it up to you. I will go into town, to Keira. See if she needs any help, and if I can get any coin, or bread.’ My mother looks up.

‘Will that mean you’re not home tonight?’ she says.

I shake my head. ‘I will try to be back before light up, but you know the walk into town is a long one.’ Mother nods. ‘When will father be back home, from the hunt?’

She shrugs. ‘I do not know, Maya. Honestly? I expected him home a couple days ago. But if they are catching up to something wild, they might prolong the chase for days. Weeks. You can never be sure.’

I walk up to her and give her a hug. ‘I will be back as soon as I can’, I promise her. Without telling her that she’s not the only one I want to come home to…