Amara – Reunion

Author's note: this is from Kosta's point of view

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I was doing my evening round, checking the orchard when I noticed something glowing among the trees.

I turned off the flashlight and approached it slowly.

If it's those damned thieves again with the truck, I can't take them on my own, but I could go around and release the air out of the tires and then call the police.

I was shocked to see a glowing person.

Is it possible that I'm seeing a harpy?

I confirmed that it's only one girl, and I decided to check it out.

In my fifty-two years, I heard stories, but I never saw one.

Based on the tales my grandfather passed to me, the entrance to the realm of harpies is nearby, and I thought that it's just some folktale, but now that I was looking at the glowing girl, I started thinking that it might be true.

My grandfather told me that harpies are vile and dangerous and that I should call creature hunters without delay, but this looked like a little girl, and… why was she stuck to that olive tree? She couldn't be eating those, right? Unprocessed, olives taste horrible.

I stood in disbelief when I confirmed that she was really eating them.

Her eyes full of horror told me that she was more scared of me than I was of her, and I had to do something, so I told her to follow me to my house.

She stood at the door, wrapped in a dirty rag, looking worse than the lowest beggar I saw on the streets, and my heart cracked at the thought that she could be younger than my daughter.

"My name is Kosta. What's your name?"

"Treva.", she responded.

"OK. Treva. You said you are hungry. I'm not a good man, but I can't leave a girl go barefoot and hungry in the middle of the night." I gestured toward the bathroom door. "Go and wash up and I will prepare something for you to eat."

I could see the hesitation in her eyes before she decided to follow my instructions.

She walked into the bathroom without closing the door. I didn't hear water running, so I went to check on her.

I saw her standing next to the toilet and staring at it.

I cleared my throat to get her attention. "What are you doing?"

She blinked. "You said to wash up."

I was not sure if she was messing with me.

Was she about to wash her hands in the toilet?

I pointed at the sink, indicating the place where she should go. "You never heard of a bathroom?"

Treva pressed her lips into a line and walked to the sink. She observed it curiously for a few long seconds before asking, "How will I wash up without water?"

I was not sure which one of us was more confused.

I started the water, and her eyes lit up in surprise. That innocent expression couldn't be faked. She really never saw a sink with running water.

"Don't just stare at it.", I said. "You are wasting water."

"You have a limit?", she asked.

"There is a canister on the roof and if that runs out, there will be no more water. It's not low on water, but if you keep spacing out, it will be. Wash your hands and face and come to eat."

I was about to leave, but then I paused. "Turn off the water when you are done. Like this…" I turned the water on and off a few times to make sure she got it.

Poor child. I wanted to confirm if she is really a harpy or just a kid with some medical condition that impacts skin and hair (assuming that it's not dyed), but I had a feeling that if I bring that up, she will freak up.

Well, so far, she didn't try to kill me or anything like that. She was like a lost child, ignorant about basic things that civilization provides.

By the time she came out of the bathroom, I put on the table a few things. Bread, cheese, and precut dried meat.

She observed the food and licked her lips, and I could hear her stomach rumbling.

I placed a cup of goat milk for her to drink and beckoned with my hand. "Come and eat."

She took one small bite of bread, and one piece of cheese, and then she started stuffing her face with food like she didn't eat in years.

I sat on the chair across the table from Treva and observed her in silence.

It took her a while to slow down, and I finally asked, "What is a girl like you doing in the middle of nowhere without shoes and wrapped in rags?"

"Middle of nowhere?", she asked and tightened the dirty fabric around her. "Don't you live here?"

"I come here only for the harvesting season, otherwise, I live in the city."

She gave it some thought before asking, "Are you harvesting olives?"

I confirmed. "My family owns this land, and seasonal workers come in the morning and leave in the evening."

"You stay overnight.", she said. "Is it because your home is far away, or because you are guarding olives against people who come to eat them?"

I chuckled. "No one eats olives from a tree. You are the first. But there are others who will come with trucks, and they cause real damage."

"Do trucks cause damage to olives?", she asked and I waved my hand, indicating for her to drop the topic. I didn't know from where to start explaining that one.

"You didn't answer my questions, Treva.", I reminded her. "How did you find yourself here?"

She stuffed her mouth with food and chewed slowly, obviously buying time to come up with a believable lie, but I didn't want to rush her.

"People I considered as my family, abandoned me.", she said eventually. "I'm trying to reach a friend who can help me out."

Abandoned? "I'm sorry to hear that. Where does your friend live?"

"I'm not sure.", Treva responded. "She said that the land is shaped like a boot. A city called Genoa."

"Italy? You are a long way from Genoa, Treva."

Her mood visibly dropped. "How far is it?"

"You can't walk there. Not without shoes. I assume you don't have money."

Her face was full of confusion again and I was not sure why until she asked, "Money?"

I facepalmed. "First, I thought you are not from this area, but now I wonder if you are from this planet."

"My family lives a secluded life, away from humans."

Somehow, her vague responses matched my theory that she is a harpy. Am I really sitting at the table and having a conversation with something that is not human? Other than her pale skin, she looks human. Heck, if we are in Nordic countries, she would blend in perfectly.

Treva continued eating in silence and she stopped only when the bread was over.

She drank the milk and smacked her lips like it was the best delicacy ever.

I had so many questions I didn't dare to ask.

If she is not a harpy, she will think I'm crazy, and if she is, she will run away. I needed to do this slowly.

I wished that my grandfather was alive. I would tell him that he was right, harpies are real. And I would tell him that he was wrong, they are not evil monsters, but naïve looking girls.

"Thank you for the meal.", Treva said with a smile. "Can you point me in what direction is Genoa?"

"Are you going now?"

"What else can I do?"

I was not willing to let her leave. It's not like she can reach Genoa in her current state and without money.

"Don't you know that we are on an island? You can walk that way, but eventually, you will need to board a boat or start swimming, and considering that you don't have money, a boat is not an option. How about this? You take a bath and get some rest here…", I gestured toward the sofa. "And we will talk more in the morning."

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