A young teen comes up to Kevin, Ma, and the rest of the party and asks Kevin to please teach them how to use a bow and arrow. They live with their grandparents and want to help make life better for their poor family by providing more food. They would be honored if he would be willing to teach them. -- Anon Guest
Rex, Kevin's new baby brother, spent most of the journey riding someone else. In a backpack or sling, he was content to either nap or chatter the hours away. In all other things, he was a normal, four-year-old boy.
In the act of bagging some partridge, they met Mitch Millerson. He had a very pathetic bag of nuts, berries, and the healthier mushrooms to eat. He popped out of some other underbrush all agog. "Wow! Can you teach me to shoot like that?"
For the first time in his life, Kevin was a wonder and not a worry. "It'll take some good time. And you'll need a bow you can draw."
"I can draw a bow! It's easy, watch me!" The child drew a smooth arc in the soil and followed it with a straight line to make the string.
Abundance snorted behind his hand.
"Obviously, we're going to need some lessons on technical talk," said Venin. "That's a very good drawing of a bow. Got the essence down pat. But in this case, draw means to pull back the bowstring."
"I knew that. I was trying to be funny. M'name's Mitch," said Mitch. "And I'm too small to be good for much."
"We'll see about that," said Ma. She took Rex's hand in hers, "You lead the way to where you're staying. I think there's going to be words."
"Uh oh," muttered Wraithvine.
There was a mill, but it had fallen into disuse decades ago. There was the old mill tower, and the mill house, but all the things made to mill with were gone. If anything, there remained the ghost of the smell of stale flour.
The thatch leaked, and the stone crumbled and, in a corner under some sailcloth, was a very wizened old lady, barely able to sit up.
"This is Gamma. She found me under a tree."
"Who's there? Mitch? Mitch my lovely, you're not getting into trouble, are you?"
All the angry clouding around Ma Oxbrydl evaporated in an instant. "You've got a good boy on your hands, ma'am. He came all the way out into the wildwood to tell us you needed some help."
"The wildwood?" Gamma clutched at her heart. "My lovely, I told you not to go. It's dangerous."
"He weren't in any danger, we were watching him," said Kevin. "He's bought you home five good people and that makes ten kind hands. People reckon you can do a lot with two, imagine what can be done with ten."
"I'll get cooking those partridges," volunteered Ma.
"I'll get the firewood," said Venin.
"I'll draw the water," added Abundance.
"Me n' Wraithvine'll see what can be done for fixing your roof."
"Wraithvine and I," corrected Ma. "Good grammar makes a person shine brighter."
"Sorry Ma."
"What do I do?" asked Rex.
"You and young master Mitch have the most important jobs," said Ma. "You're my happy helpers. You tell me if the fire is too hot or too cold, and you get to tell me if things are tasting right."
Kevin went outdoors with his magical bow. Wraithvine lingered inside, working on a little prestidigitation to clean things that had been left neglected for some time.
By the time they were done with things, the thatch was as good as new. The stones of the old house no longer crumbled. There was tea brewing in the hearth and a blackberry pie cooling on the mantle.
Nobody asked Abundance how he happened upon so many blackberries. Or how a completely innocent jar of Goodberries happened to happen into Ma's field of view. Replete with a muttered, "Is there a way to preserve these?"
Two kind hands could do an awful lot if they were also magical.
Gamma shuffled slowly to her seat at the table, escorted there by Kevin on one arm and Abundance on the other.
"You're a very red fellow," noted Gamma.
"Tiefling," said Abundance. "If you want me to eat in the stable, I understand."
"Oh nonsense. You've proved yourself a nice young man thrice over and then some. I know what you did, you sneaky soul. Making sure we had Goodberries just in case." She patted his arm and then caressed his cheek. "You're a good man."
Abundance's pitch-black eyes started to tear up. He was very quiet for the rest of the meal, yet he was also smiling.
They stayed a month. A month in which both Abundance and Wraithvine made a bow for young Mitch. A month in which Ma and Venin saw to the household gardens and stock. A month in which Wraithvine helped set things to rights that should have been right all along.
A month in which Mitch and Rex played like children should.
"I can't leave them," said Abundance. "They need a strong pair of hands at least. There's nowhere else I've felt so welcome and..." he trailed off. "Feed a stray cat, show kindness to a Tiefling - they follow you around forever."
"This house needs a good mother," said Ma. "Besides, Rex and Mitch are practically brothers by now. Kevin? You can go where you will, if you will."
"Can't leave my Ma all alone with a Tiefling in the house," Kevin joked.
"Someone has to keep an eye on the babies," said Venin. "And the geese. And the chickens. And the goat."
Wraithvine smiled. "Good fortune and peace to your minds. I, on the other hand, cannot linger. There's another fate awaiting me."
"Stop by," said Gamma. "You know the door doesn't have a lock."
Wraithvine tipped hir hat to all of them, and continued on another road.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / grynold]
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