Chapter 1
I can't really tell how I'm feeling right now.
Well, I can tell you my physical state. I just got off a bus filled with smelly people from a trip I impulsively did in the middle of an existential crisis about my whole life. I had no sleep, and my whole body feels sore.
Oh. I guess I can tell how I'm feeling, after all. Tired, if not exhausted, is the word to describe it.
I stumble forwards to the potholed sidewalk, my whole body aching for me to let my bags drop. It doesn't take too much for me to be convinced, and so the leather suitcases fall from my hands. I was holding them so tight that it feels like letting them go is the same as giving up my life.
"Uh... do you need any help, mister?"
I can't help but scowl slightly upon hearing the last word. Mister.
I mean, people often assume I'm a man from my appearance. I can't really complain, since I do have some fault in that. What can I do? I just look better wearing men's clothes. And I definitely pull it off better than them...
I lift my gaze from the ground and scan the person next to me. The man has gray hair and also gray mustache; he wears a green sweater, even though it's already spring and the snow has already melted.
"It's, uhm, it's miss, actually." I correct awkwardly, even though this is not the first time these words leave my mouth.
"Oh! Sorry about that," the old man quickly apologizes and gives me an embarrassed chuckle. "The offer still stands, though!"
To say the truth, I could give my body a break and let this friendly guy help me, but I don't think a chick in her mid-20s should be accepting physical help from an old man.
"Uh, no, I can handle this. Just some sore muscles... Thanks though."
The gray-haired man nods and watches me crouch with his hands behind his back.
"I'm the mayor, by the way. The name's Lewis."
He holds out his hand to me as I'm finishing picking up my bags from the muddy ground. The sun is right on top of his figure, and I have to narrow my eyes in order to make out his features properly, which might make me look like I'm giving him a glare.
I try my best to give him a smile, even though it is a tiny one, and sound as friendly as he is.
"Nice to meet you, Lewis. My name's Agatha. I assume you already know about me."
As soon as he notices I have both hands full, the mayor shoves his own into the pockets of his brown pants. I'm already making a great impression, I see.
"Oh, absolutely. Your grandpa and I were very close friends, you know. We knew each other very well. He was a great, great man."
We start walking to the thin trail that opens way into the woods, and I have a hard time trying to keep my steps as languid as his.
I just nod at his rambling, though he doesn't seem to mind my quietness and keeps talking.
"I'm glad he decided to give you his farm, though. It's been a long time since someone last took proper care of that big ol' terrain."
"Yeah, I imagined..." I mumble under my breath, sighing inaudibly.
"You don't have to worry, though. You'll get the hang of it before you know it."
He gives me another laugh, and I let out one myself. I can't manage to be the bitch now. I did come to this place in order to try and start acting like a person who is glad to be living another day. In a village named after a bird. But still living.
The two of us keep walking through the trees that eventually grow into a small clearing and leads into a dirt road that seems to connect what seems to be the townsquare to a more isolated part of the village that is more wooded.
Lewis turns to the right ahead of me and heads straight, and I'm left to just follow him through the road.