Raven and missing girl

Chapter One: The Visitor In The Night 

Carmen Terry was a young girl of 13. She had light brown hair that reached to the tips of her elbows. She was fairly tall for her age and had often been teased for it by the other children in the local village. She had fair skin, scattered with freckles which matched her dark brown eyes. The most noticeable thing about her was her wide sweet smile. Carmen was an only child who lived with her single mother. Her father had died when she was very young. Her mother was left to raise Carmen all on her own. Her mother had raised Carmen as any mother would. She did not have any money to send Carmen to school, so she taught her at home. She taught Carmen how to cook meals and sew up ripped clothes. She had no neighbors, so she had no one to play with. Pets were not allowed in the house. Carmen had always desired a cat, but they could not afford to keep one fed or healthy. She was also very creative. Paper was a thing of luxury and was to be used sparingly, so instead she used sticks and drew in the muddy ground. 

         The night Carmen met raven was not like a typical night in fantasy books. This night was not stormy, rainy, gloomy or misty. In fact, this was quite a peaceful night, it was slowly snowing overhead, and snow clouds covered the milky white moon above. Carmen lived in a house on the edge of the Whispering Woods. The woods of course did not actually whisper, that is just the name the people of the village gave it. When the wind passed gently through the branches it made a mysterious noise. It was as though hundreds of people were whispering to each other at once. As though they had secrets about the woods they could not shout out. Most winter nights greeted the whispering woods with heavy snow and slight mist, but the night was as cloudless as could be. The day had not started out as snowy but bright and sunny. Carmen enjoyed the snow more than anything. 

The day had started out normally. Carmen had gone down to the village to go get bread for her mother. As usual she had been teased for her height by the other village children, who were playing with dolls, and with balls, and all that other nonsense. Carmen arrived at the bakery with a basket clutched in her hand, and a little money in her pocket. “How do you do Mr. Walter?” she said to the baker. “I am quite fine, and how do I find you my dear” asked the baker grabbing bread off the shelf to display. “I am getting on quite well thank you” replied Carmen. “So, will it be the usual two loaves of bread for the week?” asked the baker already stuffing two loaves of bread into a paper bag. While he was doing this, Carmen was staring longingly at the treats in the display case. There were apple tarts, muffins, and cinnamon rolls, large chocolate covered éclairs, and macaroons. “Will you be getting a pastry?” asked the baker watching Carmen stare at the treats. She shook herself out of her trance. “Um no, my mother told me not to spend money on other things, but I assure you I would if I could afford one, they look tempting” she replied blushing fiercely.  She paid for the bread and left the bakery, to go get milk. 

“Carmen, hey Carmen!” said someone behind her. Carmen turned; it was her best friend Kylie. Kylie was the only person in the village her age who liked her, and who didn’t make fun of her height. “How are you?” asked Kylie. “I’m ok, I have been helping mother a lot, she had been rather ill lately.” replied Carmen. “Oh no, I hope she feels better, I was wondering if you wanted to come over and play kickball with me and my sister” Kylie asked. “I’m sorry but no, mother wants me home as soon as possible. But thanks for the offer” Said Carmen. “Oh ok, maybe another day” kylie said. “Yes, bye, have a great day”. Said Carmen “bye” said kylie with a cheery wave. 

She left Kylie and started up the hill to the dairy farm to get milk. She arrived at the milk farm. “How do you do Carmen” asked the kind woman at the front gate to the farm. “I am well thank you, how are you Mrs. Halder?” “I am well thank you darling, will it be one carton of milk today?” “Yes Mrs. Halter, thank you” The strewed into a nearby barn and came out carrying a carton of milk. She exchanged her money for the milk and left the farm. “How is Mrs. Terry, I mean to say your mother, how is she?” asked Halder. “She is a little ill but she is still up and about, thank you” replied Carmen. She left the dairy farm and started toward her house. She looked inside the bag to make sure they had two loaves of bread still in there. To her surprise she saw a little éclair, wrapped in a napkin. She knew the baker had slipped it in the bad without her seeing. The baker knew her family was not wealthy and must have given her a free éclair. She had rarely been able to have such a treat. She ate the treat blithely as she started on her way home. Just then she was feeling very happy.   

She arrived home and set the bread on the tiny table. “I'm home mother” called Carmen. Her mother came in through the only other room in the house and smiled at her daughter. “Thank you so much dear “she said hugging Carmen. “Here you go mother, it was from the baker” she said handing her mother the other half of the éclair. “Oh that Mr. Walter, how he spoils us” she said, taking the other half of the éclair with a smile. They spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning and cooking. By evening Carmen was exhausted. “May I go on an evening walk mother?” she asked after wiping her damp brow with a napkin. “Yes but do hurry home” replied her mother. Carmen scrambled into her coat, hat, gloves, boots and mittens. She was desperate to get out of the hot steaming house and into some fresh air.  

Carmen walked into the misty depths of the path into the whispering woods. She felt peaceful and as alone as she had felt in a long time. It was a good kind of alone. She touched her left pocket reassuringly; it carried her small flashlight just in case she got lost in the dark. Carmen stepped over rocks and bushes, enjoying the gentle feel of wet snowflakes on her hot face. She had been stuck inside the house for hours. She swung about trees, jumping over their large roots that stuck out of the snow-covered ground. She went quite a ways into the forest farther than she usually went. She climbed up one of her favorite pine trees. At the very top and saw endless glittery snow-covered treetops for miles on end. She could not believe the view; it was like being in a fantasy. 

 Just then she heard a soft snap. Carmen lunged for the branch above and clung on for dear life. She swung precariously from the branch that carried her safety. Carmen looked down and saw the branch she was standing on fall and land and smashed to the ground into dozens of large pieces. Carmen tried to hoist herself up onto the branch she was slipping from. As she tried for the fourth time to pull herself on to the branch above, the branch gave the same ominous creek as the branch that was lying broken on the floor of the forest had. Carmen Shrieked. She fell through the air hitting branches painfully as she tumbled down. Blood poured from what seemed her entire body. Blackness filled her eyes and she knew no more. She could hear someone moving through the trees calling out her name. “Mother” she tried to say. But her mouth could not move. She felt trapped her whole body felt immobile.

Carmen woke up, she was covered in snow. A throbbing pain seemed to be coursing through her entire body. The sky was dark. She must have been out here lying on the ground for hours. Her face and arms were bleeding and bruised badly. Her face felt warm and wet. Tears started up in her eyes. “Where am I” she thought desperately. She turned her head at the sound of a rustling noise. A beautiful black cat with white paws stood on her right, his eyes looked silver and reflective in the moonlight. He was silhouetted against the snow now swirling around. Carmen sat up dazedly. She grasped in her pocket and pulled out her flashlight and showed the light into Illuminating green eyes. 

The cat approached, its four paws making hardly a noise on the soft snow. “What are you doing alone in this dark and frankly lonely forest little kitty?” asked Carmen, rubbing her head. This cat was like no cat she had seen in the village. Those cats ran at the sight of any human. “You look like the ravens that come every fall,” she said. “I will call you raven, at least for now. Hello raven” The cat slowly slunk toward her. He had a proud defiant and noble look about his figure. He blinked his bright green eyes slowly, as though to impress his intimidation upon Carmen. Raven came closer and slowly stepped gingerly over Carmen’s arm and curled up between her arm and chest and closed his green eyes. 

There was something comforting, knowing she was not alone in these dangerous woods alone. Even though Raven Was a cat, she still felt comforted. She had no idea why the cat was here, but she liked to think he was there to keep her company. It was really reassuring to know she was not in this mysterious forest alone. Had he been in the forest for days? Had me perhaps seen her in the forest and wanted to approach her? It did not matter at this moment. Carmen could not help but smile. She was feeling calm for the first time in quite a long time. Then, the cat and girl lay on the snowy ground sound asleep.