Seventh Dimension - The Door, Book 1, A Young Adult Fantasy
“Peet-sah, peet-sah.” I was surprised to hear a flycatcher high above in the tress. His familiar call reassured me some things didn’t change. I grabbed the bucket hanging on the wooden post and started down the stony path to the well. The sun hung brightly in the sky casting sharp rays on the rolling hillside. Dew droplets glimmered on the blades of grass. A cool breeze blew and flapped my long hair against my shoulders and into my face.
I set the empty bucket down and noticed a weary man sitting on a stump. A shawl hung down over his face, covering his eyes. A donkey stood alongside him. I did a double take—the animal looked like that red brute in the cave the day before.
“Could you draw some water for my donkey?” the man asked. He never looked up, but sat hunched over. He was young, perhaps a teenager. He must have been up at dawn to be so tired.
I reached for the rope and hooked it on the bucket, then lowered the bucket down. After filling it, I trudged the water over, taking care not to slosh it around. It was quite heavy to tote. I didn’t know fetching water could be so hard.
As I approached the young man, he lowered his shawl and smiled. Aghast, I dropped the bucket. The water spilled out, scaring the donkey. He took off in a scramble. The spilled water drenched the boy and spread out in a puddle on the ground.
“Why did you do that?” The familiar man wiped the water off his arms.
I stood frozen as if shot with a stun gun. How could he be here? Memories hijacked me—the curse he put on me two years ago, the attack in the hallway, shaming me with the worm, and all the things too numerous to mention. He’d made my life hell. I hated him. How dare he follow me here! I began to hyperventilate, feeling my way behind me with my hands.
“Don’t come near me or I’ll kill you.”
He blinked twice and laughed. “You kill me?”
I backed up some more. “What are you doing here?”
“I live here.”
“You liar.” Now I knew Judd was insane.
“You’ve come back after all these years. Your mother is more honorable than I imagined.”
“What are you talking about?” I kept backing up until I felt a person behind me. Surprised—I didn’t remember seeing anyone nearby— I turned. “Daniel.”
He eyed both of us. “What’s going on?”
Judd stood, lifting the shawl over his head and mumbling a few unintelligible words. Then he took off after his donkey.
I searched his face in disbelief. “Where did you come from?”
“I’ll explain later, once I know you better.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Daniel’s eyes glanced over at the fleeing figure.
“Why are you so afraid of him?”
“What do you mean?”
“What did he do to you?”
The direct nature of the question startled me. “I don’t want to talk about it, but thanks for coming.”
Daniel picked up my water bucket and filled it. “Come, let’s go. We’ll talk about it later, when you’re calmer.”
We walked back to the house in silence.
Could I trust Daniel? Something mysterious about him piqued my curiosity, but I couldn’t place my finger on it.
“After you eat breakfast, come find me in the cave,” he said, “if you want to talk.”
I stood in the back portico watching him walk away. Who was he?
Chapter Thirteen
STRANGE COINCIDENCE