Tales by moonlight

h he was every lady in Winterfield's dream, but he was Ruth's boyfriend. He was dressed casually, his shirt slightly unbuttoned

artle you," he sai

y washing. "What do you wa

ouldn't help but notice how hard you're working. Doesn't see

s pausing in the wat

ttier than Ruth, you know." His tone was light,

nally looking him in the e

lightly, and I could feel the heat of

ice cut through the air like a whi

mixture of anger and suspicion. Her hands were planted

, standing up and brushing off his p

, her gaze locking onto me with a v

bit back a retort, knowing i

bbing away like the little servant you are. Did you think for a second that someone like Danny wo

ny said, his tone light bu

r place." She turned back to me. "Don't get any ideas, Sarah. Da

n my eyes. Instead, I turned back to the stream and resumed scrubbing, my

ipped on the wet stones, and I tumbled backward into the cold water. Pain exploded in my head as it struck a submerged

, her voice distant and cruel

felt freezing against my skin, and my clothes clung to me like a second

hed myself up, my hands trembling as I sat on the bank. The cool air prickled my skin, and I glanc

thes and skin in mere seconds, leaving me completely dry. My hands moved instinctively over m

xplain what had just happened. Nana's words echoed faintly in my memory, from one of her many moonlit tales: "There are those wh

rom my face. "The world might not understand you, but that's because you carry something rare, something precious. One day, it will reveal it

e possible that I was one of those

Taking a deep breath, I whispered to myself, "You carry it within you. The strength to endur

re. For Nana