Diana's Farm

This morning I traveled north back up the Greenhollow road to a small track that went east into the forest.  The road led through some pretty thick forest for about two miles before it opened onto a beautiful farm.  The farm was nothing like the swamp I had left my friends in.

As I emerged from the woods, the road ran about a hundred yards to where it branched, one fork turning right and leading into a large two story barn, and the other gradually turning left where it passed in front of a farmhouse and then continued north into the woods.

To my immediate left was a swampy field that was surrounded by a wood-rail fence.  To my right were about ten acres of fields that had been cleared from the woods.  There were several fields, each growing something different, beginning were I had emerged from the wood and continuing on my right behind the barn and beyond the farm house.

As I approached the farm house I noticed a woman leaning over a well midway between the house and the barn.  It was a grand meeting as I gave Diana a hug, and was introduced to her son and the farm-hands.

I helped her and her son with the days work, and we sat down to a magnificent feast.  We talked about her husband who died of a fever, and about their struggles to carve the farm out of the forest.  She told me how the area grew rapidly once the king began stationing guards at the west tower, and then especially after the south road was finished.

As we talked I noticed that the years seemed to weigh heavily on her until I realized that I have been gone for almost twenty years.  It was a realization that really made me feel old, and somewhat sad that I seemed to have nothing to show for my time.  Where she now had a magnificent farm, a son, and community, I only had stories, and specks of wisdom gleaned from numerous years of adventures and travels.  It was really rewarding, though, to see them enthralled by my stories of far off places, and mystical creatures; of magic, and heroes, princes and princesses.  It helped me feel like the life I had chosen was not an entire waste.  I did, after all, have friends almost everywhere I went.

After her son, Kib, had gone to bed I told her of the dragons that I had seen in the area.  She said that there had been rumors of missing cattle and sheep, but no one had thought that there might actually be a dragon in the area.  We decided the entire region needed to be warned, and planned to head into town to explain the situation to everybody.