Arboreal Encounter

The large wagon – laden down with all of the goods produced by the farm the previous year – was parked in the market lane alongside dozens of others. It was a long ride into the city from the village of Alnwick, nestled at the base of the mountains; it was an even longer ride when factoring in the journey from the farm to the village. A whole day’s journey, maybe even two, or three, when factored altogether. Hana admittedly lost track far too fast.

Who could blame her, considering the way she rode in? She hadn’t dared stir from her hiding place until the wagon was banked for the night, not even to use the restroom, for fear of Uncle Gerald catching her out. It certainly felt like one, two, maybe even three days, tucked away within that hiding spot. With nothing at all to do but endure the bumps and shakes of the wagon and strain to listen around the rattle of wheels and the creak of the old wood.

Was it all worth it…? Absolutely.

She expected Uncle and Auntie to hang around the wagon and unload the goods once they got into the city, but they must have gone somewhere… There was no movement above her. Quiet and stealthy, Hana lifted the lid of her hiding place – a storage bench covering one of the wagon’s wheel wells – and peeked out through the crack. Nothing. The inside of the wagon was still and quiet, stuffed full to the brim.

They really weren’t there!

This was her chance!

She climbed out of the hiding space with haste. And groaned, rubbing the sore ache along her spine. Even though she laid some blankets and her cloak as bedding, the storage space had been an incredibly uncomfortable ride. But she didn’t regret it. Not one bit. Hana threw her cloak around her shoulders and drew the hood low over her face. Unable to suppress her big, toothy grin.

She was here! In the city! She made it!

Rather than risk going out the back – in case Uncle and Auntie were outside – Hana undid one of the ties holding the canvas roof to the wagon, and inched it up, to peek. All she could see was another wagon parked alongside. No pairs of legs or feet. Good. She squeezed her way through the opening, dropped down, looked around. No one in sight. Just the lowing of oxen and the soft whickers of horses.

A mixture between awe, excitement, and nerves fluttered her heart rapidly in her chest. This was the farthest Hana had been from home in all of her memory. Here she was, in the city – and she had the whole day to explore before she had to be back at the wagon. Uncle and Auntie only ever stayed the day, to sell all their farm goods and buy supplies. She needed to be back before nightfall or else risk her ride back home.

She could hardly think about something so boring as going home right now – there were sounds, so many unusual sounds, coming from so many different directions. The hustle and bustle of the city, just like she’d read about in her stories. Hana picked one direction and hurried towards the noisy crowds, mindful to slip through the wagons and not be seen.

Steps outside of where the wagons were currently parked opened up onto a sort of market square. The world exploded into colors in front of Hana’s eyes, and she gasped. Market stalls adorned in hundreds of colors hawked their wares, throngs of people dressed in all sorts of vibrant patterns moved at alarming speeds this way and that. The noise of it all was near deafening; she almost wanted to clap her hands to her ears. And the smell! She never smelled anything quite like all this. Sweet, savory, sour, spicy, smells from food and people and animals and everything else, all pressed in on her.

Hana only stood still for a second, awestruck; then she plunged into the crowd, eager to see, to explore! The crowd easily swept her along, and as long as she didn’t try to move against it, she was able to rush along with them without stumbling. She couldn’t stop turning her head every which way. Not enough eyes to see or ears to hear it all.

A strong floral scent wafted by her nose. A woman carrying a massive woven basket stood just off to her side. The basket was laden near to overflowing with dozens of bundles of fresh-cut flowers. Hana abruptly stopped to eye her basket, entranced, unaware she should have stepped to the side… and was elbowed and shoved for her trouble. She stumbled, unable to keep her balance against the pressing mass behind her, and collided hard with the flower lady.

Down went all three of them, Hana, Flower Lady, and basket; thankfully they fell out of the way of the crowd so they weren’t trampled… but the basket, overladen as it was, spilled flowers all over the muddy and dirty ground. Hana blinked, dizzy, pushed herself away from the woman.

“I’m so sorry,” she started to say, but before she could so much as start to stand and offer the flower lady her hand, the Flower Lady leaped to her feet and began to shout at her.

“Look at what you’ve done! Look at this mess! I won’t be able to sell any of these now!” The Flower Lady grabbed a flower bundle that had been crushed in the fall, shaking the wilted and rumpled flowers into her face.

Hana flinched, wide eyed and startled at the woman’s rage. “I – I –” she stuttered, scrambling to her feet, but again the woman cut over her.

“And I don’t expect you’re gonna pay for these?!”

“I – I’m s-s-sorry, I don’t – I don’t have any money –” Her cheeks flushed hot, embarrassed. Hadn’t even been in the city for half an hour and already making a mess of things.

The Flower Lady looked even more incensed at that. Before she could open her mouth to yell some more, without thinking, Hana clapped her hands onto the flowers stems.

“I’ll fix them!” she said, and as the words left her lips, the faintest glow traveled up her hands and into the green of the stems. The bouquet suddenly flourished to life, bursting petals anew, sweeping away any harm that had come to them. Both she and the Flower Lady jumped. Flower Lady let out a squawk of surprise and nearly dropped the flowers.

Oh NO. She wasn’t supposed to do that!

Hana yanked her hands back, dropped into a tiny curtsey, and bolted off down the alley behind them before the woman could recover or react further. Hana burst from the alley onto another heavily trafficked street, wound her way through the crowd of people, and darted into yet another alley, before she slowed to a stop.

She put her hands on her knees, panting, and then let out a loud groan. Way to go, Hana, she chided herself, get scared and run away! That poor woman… I should’ve fixed the rest of her flowers too…