LOCATION: Road to Avveel / Heading East - South-East / a few miles to go before reaching the village.


The boy among the boulders to the North from the group either didn’t see Alfaru’s approach, or didn’t pay any attention to the fact that someone had seen him. He continued as if nothing was going on around him, wandering from boulder to boulder, moving some of the rocks on the ground he had the strength to move, while keeping his eyes on the ground almost without blinking. The movement of the boy-child was somewhat out of balance or otherwise off-beat. He was not trying to hide, on the contrary, he seemed completely oblivious to the idea that there could be someone, or something, else in vicinity. So focused he seemed to be on whatever the task at hand was.

Another, a slightly stronger gust passed by and lifted dust and sand in the air, throwing the dry and free soil around. The whole North side where grass was more sparse, and was completely nonexistent closer to the foot of the mountain, got covered in a thin light brown cloud for a moment. As the heavier corns fell back to the ground or were pushed by the wind here and there, a faint rustle could be heard echoing from the surroundings. The freely growing grass and occasional taller flower or random sprig swayed back and forth in the moving air. The wind brought with it a vague mixed scent of a big lake, framland and wild fields.

In the distance a single ring of a bell-tower can barely be heard. The soft metallic boom fills the whole plateau with its sound, signalling the approaching end of the working day. A near-by flock of gray doves lift their heads from the field as they hear the bell. They lock their eyes towards Avveel for a few seconds before taking flight and heading towards the village.