The Village (16th-17th Century)

[ravebloodnymph]

Evangeline picked up a potato from one of the stands and turned it over in her hands. It seemed big enough, she supposed and she didn't see any imperfections. She placed it inside her basket along with the other two and moved on to the onions.

Many of them had already turned brown in the hot August sun but Eva dug deep and found two pure white ones all the way at the bottom. She placed them in her basket as well.

“Now to just get a slab of venison from the butcher and we can have a good supper tonight," she thought. She paid the vegetable man and turned away. Forcing her way through the large Sunday crowd, Evangeline found her arm bumped by someone. She nearly dropped her basket and turned to scowl at the man.

He simply kept walking and Eva huffed in frustration.

She made it to the butcher's without any more trouble but before she could go inside there was a loud commotion behind her.

"Look! Look at the sun!" someone yelled. Eva glanced up swiftly just in time to see a big dark shadow cover the sun.

"An eclipse," she whispered, fear choking her. Eclipses were thought to be bad omens, especially when it covered the sun. It usually meant that something bad was coming, something evil.

Eva, forgetting about the meat, continued to stare at the sun with the rest of the village.

[lexi luthor]

"Eva! Eva!" Crystal yelled the name of her older sister Evangeline. She ran giggling towards Eva, who didn't seem to notice her. Her black curls bounced up and down as she ran. She had eyes more golden than brown and young girlish features. Crystal was only 5 turning 6 the next day.

Once Crys was standing next to her sister she tugged on her shirt and looked up at her. "Whats wrong?" She asked her sister who seemed to be zoning out or something.

Crys turned her head to look where her sister was gazing, the sun seemed to disappear slowly right out of the sky. She gasped, "Eva whats happening?" her voice was shaking. She looked around and saw many frightened faces looking up at the sun in wonder as it disappeared.

Crys tugged again on her older sister's shirt signaling she wanted to be picked up. She always did that whenever she wanted to be picked up so she knew Eva would understand.

[ravebloodnymph]

Eva turned to look at her little sister and scooped up her quickly. "I thought I told you to stay home! Do you want to get trampled by a horse!?" she snapped. She was usually a very gentle and mellow person, but the eclipse seemed to be putting everyone in a bad mood.

Eva raised her green-gold eyes, unlike Crys's golden ones, to the sun again. The big black circle seemed to be slowly moving across the sun, disappearing gradually. The market was in chaos, doors slamming, OPEN signs turning to CLOSED, horses whinnying in fear at the sudden dark.

"We have to get home, Crys. Right now." Eva looked down at her sister and then back at the sun. "I never did get the venison..." she muttered before she turned and began to run home, her deep red curls flying behind her.

[lexi luthor]

Crys gripped tightly onto her sister as Eva picked her up. " I know, but I got bored!" Crys whined.

"What's going on?" She asked looking around at the chaos that was unraviling around them. Not knowing what to do and feeling help Crys broke down sobbing.

"Evvi Im scared!" she whined then hiccupped, "Why do we have to go home? I want Mommy and Daddy!"

Her whole body shook against her sister's, frightened and upset. She ran her tiny fingers nervously through her older sister's curly red hair as Eva hurridly rush towards their house.

[ravebloodnymph]

"It's nothing, darling, just a little...um...trouble in the market. Hush, now, okay? We're gonna go home and you can play with your brothers and sister." Eva hurriedly shushed the child and checked on her basket. Despite her running, the onions, potatoes, and corn were staying firmly in their cloth-lined prison.

The little girl's cries for her parents nearly broke her heart. Eva's and Crys's parents had died when Crys was born. Her mother had died during childbirth and her father, in despair, had run away from his children. A few days later, they received a letter saying that their father had died. He had been riding his horse up a mountain when the cliff he was standing on broke into pieces. He and the horse had tumbled into the ravine below, the rocks crushing them.

Eva was the second oldest of six and had been fourteen at the time of their death. Her older brother, Simon, was sixteen, and she helped him milk the cows and make the cheese their father used to sell for their money. Eva sold the cheese at the market now every other day. Simon, now twenty and married, worked at their stand on the days Eva did not.

Eva had four younger siblings, Crys being the youngest at nearly 6. Then there were the two twin boys, Andrew and William, at 8, and the oldest of them being Sarah, who was 15.

She opened the door to their small house and placed Crys on the floor. "Sarah?" she called for her younger sister. When the girl appearing in the kitchen, Eva said, "Take Crys in the other room to play with the boys."

[lexi luthor]

Crys hmmped and walked into the other room. What they didn't know was that she was actually going to walk back and eavesdrop on them. Crys tip-toed back towards the other room when she heard her one brother's voice sound, "Crys!! What are you doooooing?"

Then she heard her other brother say, "Yeah, whatcha doooin'?"

"Shut up!" Crys replied.

"EVA!! CRYS TOLD US TO SHUT UP!!" The twins said at the same time.

"Uugh..." Crys grumbled and plopped down on her bottom waiting for Eva to come in and reprimand her. Then she stood up remembering how sweet her sister was. Sarah suddenly walked into the room and Crys plopped back down onto her bottom. Sarah wasn't quite as sweet.

[ravebloodnymph]

Sarah frowned at Crys. "Now Crys, be nice please?" she said. She came back to talk to Eva.

Eva said in a soft tone, "There was an eclipse, Sarah. It's such a bad omen!" Sarah gasped softly.

"Don't tell the children. I don't want them to get scared," Eva said.