Category : Diary/Journal

Sub Category : N/A

Panting, I ran in search of a home where I could make a name for myself, literally and physically. Why did I need to find a home and name? Well, according to a note written on the back of a photo, my mother was killed by her husband and my birth father ran away, both never gave me a name. Also according to the note, Mom was killed by accident because my real father was trying to shoot my birth father, who got away too fast. The only memories I have of my mother and birth father are a couple of old photos: mother in her wedding dress, which had the writing on it, and my birth father in his nobleman garb. Due to legend, my birth father was known as “The Highwayman,” so he cursed me since childbirth. As I raised myself on wild plants, I swore that I’d find my biological father and punish him for deserting me. If I ever reunite with my real father, however, I'd hug him around the neck.

Sorry! My mind wandered too far! Anywho, one rainy night, I stumbled upon a village and decided to spend some time there. After finding some soft grass, I laid down my weary head and slept, only to wake up in the middle of the night with a sudden need to quench my thirst. Somehow awake, I got up, opened my bundle, took my cup, and headed to a nearby well. While finishing my fourth cup of water, I heard someone gasp, “Oh my! Someone’s at the Midnight Well! Is that the maid?” The voice sounded as sweet as the honey I had when I was young. That might make you wonder old I am: I don’t know how old I am, so I think before I punch my birth father, I’ll ask him how long ago it was when he seduced my mother.

Oh, sorry, again! Anyway, I looked up and was quite surprised when I saw a young man gazing at me. Dressed in large baggy clothes in faded shades of grey, he looked healthier than some poor boys I’d passed. Despite enjoying the sudden sight of him, I asked, “Excuse me?” The man chuckled, “Oh, sorry! I thought you were her!” Seeing my confused gaze, he took my hand, which felt strange to me, and told me about a maid who left after a rendezvous with a gypsy. Afterwards, I shivered as the man asked for my name before explaining my past to him, to such information he asked, “Well, how about I give you a name? Since the Head Villager calls me ‘Young Buck,’ though my real name is Darius, how about your name being ‘Little Fawn’?” I nodded, agreed to take the name, wished him sweet dreams, and went to bed.

The next morning, I was awoken by someone asking, “Young Buck, who is that girl?” Darius chuckled, explained how I came to the village, and the other person chuckled in a booming voice, “Well then, wake her up and bring her to breakfast!” Darius nodded before he slowly shook me awake while cooing, “Wake up, Little Fawn!” Despite enjoying his soothing voice, I slowly opened my eyes, and after giving him my hand, he helped me up. He then led me to a fire pit, where we were joined by a lot of people, including a dashing and familiar man with medium-length blond hair as well as a very tall, bald, and friendly gentleman. The man with blond hair called himself as the “Highwayman,” and when he said that, my pulse rose rapidly, but returned to normal as Darius put his arm around me and placed his hand on my shoulder. The bald gentleman called himself the “Head Villager” and said that his voice woke me that morning.

After we ate, the Highwayman asked me if I wanted to see his treasures. Nervous about what to expect, I nodded as he took my hand and led me to his chest. As I marveled at his gold, the Highwayman explained how he acquired it and jumped when he mentioned the fact that he surprised a coach on Branagan's Moor. If my memory was right, that was where mother was abducted by the Highwayman! This storyteller, clad in worn-out nobleman garb, had to be him! While looking in the chest, I spotted jewelry that almost made my heart stop: the very same necklace my mother wore in her wedding picture! Anyway, when he finished, I thanked him and ran away.

The Head Villager saw me coming and once I was close to him, he put his large and sturdy hands on my shoulders (which could've dislocated them), and calmly asked what was wrong. I told him that I needed something to do that would get my mind off the Highwayman. With a mysterious twinkle in his eye, the Head Villager smiled, handed me an axe, said I could chop some wood. Eagerly, I took the axe and to the surprise of us both, I effortlessly divided in half the first wood slice I was given. With a start like that, my work was done in no time at all! When the wood was chopped, the Head Villager gave me a handmade bow and arrow set and asked if I could go hunt geese for dinner.

That’s when Darius asked, “Head Villager, she can’t go alone at her age! What if she gets attacked by the Romani? She’ll have nobody to save her!” As I wondered about who the Romani were, the Head Villager chuckled, “You’re right, Young Buck! Why not you go with her?” Darius linked arms with me and led me to the woods. Between times when I'd kill an goose, I'd look at Darius and he’d gaze at me like a poor child would when begging for food, but despite his gaze, I kept hunting. A couple hours later, after killing about five geese, we saw another one flying away. Darius grabbed my bow and arrow as he said, “I’ll get that one for you! I know I told the Head Villager that you couldn’t be alone, but you stay right here and I’ll be back soon!” Despite being scared about him deserting me, I nodded, took an arrow from him, and beamed as he ran off.

Just then, I was quickly pulled backwards and felt a warm chest against my back. Since Darius had never dared do this to me, I wondered who held me. Suddenly, a knife and the heavy sound of a man breathing attacked my senses before everything went black. My sight was restored later and I saw rugged men standing in a semi-circle before me. The two men directly in front of me stepped away from each other as another rugged man came into the half-circle. This young man (not as young as Darius, but still young) was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt under a black vest while wearing baggy black pants with a long red belt. I was so busy admiring his looks that I jumped in shock when I felt his warm finger rubbing my chin.

While rubbing my chin, the man cooed, “Hello, my little prisoner!" He then introduced himself as the Romani King, making my pulse rise in fear about how his people would treat a foreigner such as I, before taking me on a tour of his kingdom. As he danced with his stunningly beautiful sister, I looked around and noticed that the Romani kingdom was just across the stream from the village where Darius lived. After the Romani King finished dancing with his sister, he noticed my longing gaze toward the village and sternly warned that if I ever tried to leave the kingdom, I’d be banished. I agreed and swore that I’d never escape the kingdom, but I wondered why he’d do such a thing.

That night, the Romani King took me along for one of his favorite evening activities: sneaking into the village and causing havoc there. We crossed the bridge and crept over to a familiar-looking treasure chest: the Highwayman’s, which was guarded by Darius, who was unfortunately asleep. When we reached the chest, something struck a chord within me, making me grab the Romani King’s arm as he reached for the lid with one hand, point the arrow in his face with the other, and growl, “Don’t you dare steal from this chest, Sir! This chest contains some very important treasures, like the necklace my mother wore on her wedding day!” Well, that must have knocked some sense into the fool’s head, because after I growled at him, I let go as the Romani King turned on his heel and ran off towards his kingdom, leaving me to the chest. I found my bundle on the ground, got a drink from the well, and slept next to the chest.

After having sweet dreams that I haven’t had in a while, I was startled a couple hours later by a finger tapping my shoulder as well as a familiar voice calling my name and telling me to wake up. Since I had been away, the voice sounded like an angel, but I guessed that it was Darius calling me. Once my eyes were opened, I realized I was right when I found myself gazing into his soothing crystal-blue eyes, which twinkled as he sat next to me and passed me a plate of hot sausage and eggs. While I ate, Darius signaled for all the other villagers to come see who he’s with. The next thing I knew, I was being picked up and was getting my hair messed up by a familiar strong hand: the Head Villager’s.

After explaining to everyone where I was when I was gone and how I came back to the village, I thought I should ask the Highwayman if he was my birth-father. I turned to him and asked in a voice loud enough for all to hear, “Sir, do you realize what’s in your treasure chest?” The Highwayman took a step back and answered, “Not really. Why?” Everyone could tell that my anger was at fever-pitch inside by then, because I immediately grabbed the cloth wrapped around his neck, gave it a tug, and as he landed on his front, I growled, “You knave! You don’t even realize that the necklace my mother was wearing in her wedding picture is in there!” As everyone else gasped, the Highwayman got up on a log near the fire and quipped, “Your mother? Surely, you’re joking!”

Somewhere between fumed and ticked off, I ran to the chest, opened it, grabbed the necklace, and rushed back to show him what I meant. As he looked at the necklace, still disbelieving that it belonged to my mother, I reached into my pocket and took the photo of my mother out of it. When I took the picture of my mother out of my pocket, the Highwayman lifted his gaze from the necklace, saw the picture, and gasped, “I know that woman! Are you saying that she’s your mother?” I responded, “Yes, Sir! You took her away from my real father on Branagan’s Moor! That reminds me: how long ago was it when you seduced her?” Terrified that he’d hear that question, he fell onto his knees and admitted that 18 years had passed since that day. He then told me that since my birthday was that day, he’d give me anything as a gift.

Pleased, I grinned and hissed, “Oooh! You’d really give me anything as a birthday gift? How about, since I simply cannot wait a whole week for my eighteenth birthday, I give you a gift instead?” The Highwayman seemed surprised that I’d give him a gift instead of the other way around, but he nodded before holding out his hands and closed his eyes, thinking I was going to place the gift in his hands. Well, I gave him the gift, alright! Thanks to him having his eyes shut, he didn’t see me rear back and let my right fist sail across his face. Before he knew it, he was on the ground once more, out cold and unconscious this time. I then found the arrow and stabbed his chest with it.

As I put the arrow in my side pocket, I thought somebody was gonna punish me for killing the Highwayman. Instead of angry heavy breathing, though, I heard the sound of someone saying something along the lines of, “Thank you, Lord, for creating a beautiful killer like Little Fawn.” I turned around and saw the Head Villager sitting with his head in his hands. I ran up to him, placed my hand on his shoulder, and asked, “What’s wrong, Sir? Why are you so thankful about me being a beautiful killer?” The Head Villager looked up and sighed, “I’ve always wanted to kill the Highwayman, but I wanted to be known as someone who is always kind. I’m so glad to know a lady who hides such a powerful punch behind all her beauty."

Seeing how puzzled I was, he then asked, "May I please see the photo of your mother?" I nodded and handed him the picture, but what he did next didn't surprise only me, but everybody! As he held the ripped photo in his large hand, he stuck his other hand into his pocket and took out another torn photo. He put the photos together, looked up at me, and started crying. I ran up behind him, peeked over his shoulder, and gasped at what I saw: when the two photos were put together, they made my parents' wedding picture. The Head Villager then dropped the photos, turned around, and wrapped his arms around my waist.

Shocked at his mannerisms, I exclaimed, "Why are you doing this, Sir?" The Head Villager let go of me and said, "Don't you recognize the man in the picture?" Looking into his soft blue eyes, I suddenly realized that I was in the presence of my actual father, the one whose wife, who he later killed after I was born, was taken away from him by the Highwayman on Branagan's Moor! I never thought this day would come, but everybody cheered as I wrapped my arms around my father's neck and cried on his shoulder. When I pulled away, I asked him, "How could you have lived in this village with the Highwayman here?" Dad put his arm around me and said, "Well, I decided to test my patience and try not to kill him when he arrived at this village."

He then changed topics and asked, "Do you still want me to name you 'Little Fawn'?" I looked at him and giggled, "Yes, unless you have a better name than that!" Dad smiled at me and chuckled, "Well, since I've always wanted a child whose name started with the same first letter as mine, how about your name being Geraldine?" Now, I didn't really know about my father, let alone his real name, but another villager piped up, "That's a perfect combination; Georg and Geraldine! What do you think?" I thought about it and giggled, "I like it!"  Dad hoisted me into the air and announced, "From now on, the girl we all knew as 'Little Fawn' will be going under the name 'Geraldine'!" Again, everybody applauded as my father, who I used to call "Sir" but I now call "Dad" or "Daddy," set me on the ground.

Just as I was being set down, Darius shouted, "The Romani are coming! The Romani are coming!" I ran to the nearest tree and climbed it in fear because sure enough, the Romani King pounced across the stream and searched for the Highwayman. With all eyes on him, the King called, "Where's the Highwayman? Has he run away?" As I was sitting on the branch directly above his head, I decided to play around and say in a hushed voice, "He is not here, for I have killed him!" Puzzled, the Romani King looked around and asked, "Who are you, and how did you kill him?" Still playing my role, I giggled and answered, "It is a simple spirit that answers you. I killed the Highwayman with one blow across the face."

Amazed, the Romani King called out, "Show yourself, simple spirit, so I can thank you for killing my rival!" I giggled once more before landing behind him, and the impact made him turn around and chuckle with a grin, "It was YOU all along! I should've known!" After chuckling at his reaction, I took the arrow from my pocket and pointed it in his face as I snarled, "You have two choices on how to die; this arrow or my fist!" Stunned, the Romani King shrugged, but I wouldn't let a simple shrug work as a response in this situation. In a rage, I let my fist sail across his face, knocking him onto the ground. To the cheers of everybody else, including the members of the Romani caravan, I took the arrow and stabbed him in the forehead.

Once I checked if the Romani King was really most sincerely dead, I was pulled onto my feet by my proud father and warmly embraced. He then set me down on a tree stump and, as everyone else sat down, asked, "Do you realize that there's a young man in this village that loves you?" Surprised, I gasped, "No! Who is it that loves me?" As if planned, Darius stepped forward with a bouquet of freshly-picked flowers and chuckled, "I do!" Now, I was quite thrilled to hear that the first villager I met had his eyes and heart set on me, but I couldn't believe that he'd admit it to me so soon. It then hit me why Darius would give me those glances while we were hunting the day before: he was smitten about me!

Overcome with emotions, I got onto my feet, threw my arms around Darius' neck, and he put his arms around me. He then surprised me as he placed his lips on my cheek and made a sucking sound. I waited until he pulled his lips away before I turned to face him and asked, "What did you just do with my cheek?" Flashing a super bright smile, Darius asked, "Have you ever been kissed before?" Puzzled, I shook my head and answered, "Not that I recall! Can I give you one?" Still grinning, Darius nodded and I kissed his cheek. As I pulled my lips away, I would've loved to stay in his arms for the rest of the day, but we backed away and decided to get back to work.

When we were about a foot away, though, daddy put one hand on Darius' shoulder and one on my shoulder as he asked, "You really like each other, don't you?" Darius and I nodded as Dad looked into Darius' eyes and said, "Do you want to ask her the big question?" After Darius nodded, Dad turned to me and said, "You might want to sit down, Geraldine!" Not wanting to disobey, I sat on the stump and watched daddy stick his hand in his pocket and pull a small round object out of it. He then gave it to Darius, who got down on one knee, looked into my eyes, and held out the object as he boldly asked, "Geraldine, I always wanted to ask someone this, but will you marry me?" Well, there was no way out of this situation, so I gulped, looked into my true love's eyes, and nodded as I giggled, "Yes, I will marry you, Darius!"

After the villagers cheered loud enough for the heavens to hear, Darius picked me up, twirled me around, and once he set me back down, he whispered in my ear, "Looks like the wedding's gonna be pretty soon! We better get ready for it!" With that, we stepped away from each other and while the guys were getting Darius ready for the wedding, all the other ladies gathered around me and started getting me ready. Once I had a flowery veil placed on my head and a chain of daisies around my neck, a ram's horn was being blown, signaling the start of the wedding. I turned around and found myself facing an aisle between two columns of tree-stump chairs, which were already filled by everybody, both the villagers and the Romani. In front of the aisle was an awning built of tree twigs and leaves, decorated with a chain of roses, daisies, and sunflowers.

One of the girls went to the awning, pulled out her flute, and began playing a melancholic tune. As another girl slowly skipped down the aisle with a basket of flower petals, tossing a handful of them to both sides, dad linked arms with me and slowly led me down the aisle, tears falling from his eyes. I then looked up and noticed that under the awning stood Darius, who looked oh-so-dashing in his freshly-cleaned shirt and pants, with tears also streaming down his boyish face.  When I was close enough to step on Darius' foot (and he wouldn't have really minded, since everybody there was barefoot), daddy let go of me and walked behind us as Darius took my hand. After everyone sat down, dad asked if Darius would take me as his lawfully wedded wife, and after Darius gave him a straightforward "Yes, " he turned to me and asked me if I'd take Darius as my lawfully wedded husband.

Nervously, I listened to every detail of his question, gulped, and answered, "Yes, dad." Understanding how nervous I was, daddy winked at me and announced to the crowd that they were no longer in the audience of Darius McGinn and Geraldine Donalson, but from now on, I was a McGinn! After Darius slipped the round object, which happened to be a ring, onto my finger, dad said, "Darius, you may now kiss your bride." Well, Darius didn't hesitate when he wrapped his arms around me and dipped me while giving me the biggest kiss I've ever received!

Looking back on all the years, I think I had quite an adventurous experience while growing up. I also think that the best thing that ever happened to me was marrying Darius. Just a couple years ago, daddy died and we buried him in the same area where he revealed to me that he was my father. In my opinion, that was one of the saddest days of my life. At least he was around to see my children whenever he wanted to, since Darius and I never moved away from the village.

As I write, Darius, who has been gaining major muscles since we married, is teaching little Kennedy and Ryder how to hunt birds for dinner. Kennedy is a usually calm and strikingly-handsome child with medium-length hair while Ryder is as adventurous as the Romani King (I'll tell them about him when they're older!), and both boys have the same twinkling blue eyes that their father and grandfather. I'm very proud of my boys, as is Darius, but we both hope that the next child (which is "in the oven," as folks say) is a girl.

The boys are coming back home, which means that I've got to make dinner with whatever they caught. Thankfully, I can quickly make rice and corn for the side-dishes tonight. One of these days, I'll teach my children how to eat wildflowers, but I'll wait until they're a little older.