Lost in Time

It was a cold, wintry afternoon. The sky was painted with a dull gray color; stratus clouds overlapped one another, covering the ray of the sun.

A vast empty field stretched a hundred acres at the back of the still-constructed Clave mansion. This field serves greater purpose during Spring for planting crops, mainly wheat and oats, but for now, the land was blanketed with soft snow.

There was a small hill located just a kilometer away from the current house of the Clave family. Standing alone in it was an adult maple tree that was branching healthily, but its leaves were turning into its famous red and orange shade rather oddly.

Under it, a girl of thirteen years old squatted, trying to dig up a hole no more deeper than a ruler's length. The hole was meant for her dead pet. Yes. A king snake that was as long as her skinny elbow; with red, black and white bands on its scales. Its recoiled lifeless body was placed in a small wooden box, just resting next to her sandalled feet.

She had small freckles on her cheeks, but cheeks that showed a beautiful shade of pink. She had long black hair up to her waist; very smooth and shiny; and bangs that complemented her still-juvenile eyebrows. The locks played loosely on her shoulders as she focused herself on digging the hole.

"What are you doing girl?" A rich male voice asked from behind her. It was without warning, so the girl quickly jerked her head up and turned to the source of the voice. Surprise lit her face briefly.

This man had actually been watching the girl for almost twenty minutes now, standing on one of the thicker branches of the tree until he decided to come down from it. He had noticed her for the first time eagerly venturing out into the field alone, treading in a cleared pathway towards the small hill.

She had a satchel with her, he had thought at first its insides were some girly stuff. But no. To his surprise, what were inside it were actually a small wooden box, a metal spatula and a white candle.

He cared less of her presence at first and her innocent interruption of his nap, but he was however curious of what she was actually doing.

The girl frowned temporarily and diverted her attention back to the task at hand.

"Can't you see that I am digging a hole?" she replied with sarcasm. For a thirteen year-old gal, she sure has a mature attitude.

The man's brows flinched, irked by her disrespectful response. He almost thought that she would run down hill afraid of him being a stranger in her eyes. It did surprise him again that she did quite the opposite, and rather sprightly at that.

"I can see that, " he said after a calming breath, inching closer, but stopping just an armslength away from her. "What I want to know is why?" he added.

She could feel the towering form of the man in her left side, but still she was undaunted. What she wanted to do was to finish her duty as a pet owner and the snake's friend.

"I am making a grave for my dead snake, " she answered without any eye contact with him, but inside her thoughts, she was mentally detailing his handsome visage: having a short unkempt brown hair with white highlights, brown eyes that seemed to glow with red, symmetrical nose and jaw, and finely-shaped eyebrows and lips. He especially looked in his late twenties judging from the built of his body and the smoothness of his face.

He must be a son of their neighbor a few miles away, taking his horse for a ride. That's what she thought. But weird now however, she didn't notice any horse grazing about.

This time, the man's brows furrowed, surprised by her reply. "Oh? Why would you do that?" he asked, watching her scooping a mixture of soil and snow in her hands. "It is just a snake."

Such a weird girl and he had at least three reasons to think of her that way.

One was because of her pet. Obviously, girls her age normally pets a rabbit, parrot, mouse, cat, dog or anything deemed to be 'girly' animals. But she actually owns a freaking snake! What a weird taste. Wasn't she normally afraid of it?

Second was that she doesn't even show any hint of being bothered by the cold -- to which she was supposed to be, since she was wearing a fancy dress with only a light coat to protect her from the cold. Was she an insensitive tiny human?

Third was the freaking blankness of her expression. She maybe attending an absurd burial of her so-called pet, but she didn't even show any hint of remorse or regret, sadness or grief from it.

"The snake is my pet, Mister. It is not just a snake for me, " said she with her tone clipped.

"Oh?" His brows raised, a mocking grin appeared on his lips but he quickly hid it.

This girl was so interesting indeed. Why would she show affection on such a hideous serpent thought to be the reason for the downfall of man?

He crouched near her but not before a blood red rose appeared out of nowhere on his right hand.

"Here. Take this then, " he stated, handing her the long-stemmed rose. The girl tilted her head to the side and inspected not only the rose but his glowing red eyes. "It is my gift for your dead pet in the afterlife."

She felt wary at first, but took the rose anyway. "Thanks. I guess." She stated and laid its delicate petals on top the box.