-Aldona’s Mindspace-

When Aldona opened her eyes, she was looking at the open sky and branches. The leaves were covered in snow, and she was lying on the ground. This wasn’t her bedroom; she wasn’t lying in bed with Azuloas.

She was in the forest; the same forest was just outside the village’s walls. The winter time made it look so beautiful, but it wasn’t winter now. It was Spring, the forest wouldn’t be covered in fluffy snow. The same snow, she and Azuloas could play with for hours without getting sick or frostbite.

Sitting up, she spotted a metal cage with thick metal walls behind the iron bars. An outline of a fox with its tail around its front two paws, sitting and staring at the spot she was sitting. Aldona couldn’t read, yet, so she didn’t know what the writing around the fox said.

Walking closer to the cage, she could see thick layers of frost on the bottom of the bars, frost that slowly went under the metal walls. Azuloas could panic if she didn’t make it back to their apartment, but she had been told to stay in one spot if she was lost.

But she wasn’t lost, but she didn’t think the Apsauga would know that. Azuloas wouldn’t know that, so it was better if Aldona stayed where she was. That way, someone from the Apsauga would find her before the drunks did.

“So young, I’d hope you’d be older,” a woman said when Aldona turned, she saw someone who shared her colouring.

“I’m Aldona,” she told her, Katė told her it was polite to give your own name before asking for someone else’s. “And you are?”

“Jadvyga,” she told her.

“Where are we?”

“We’re in your mind space, Aldona,” Jadvyga told her waving her hand towards the cave, the fox glowing a soft purple. “Your mind room, it shows your safe place.”

“What’s in the cage?” Aldona asked her, pointing at the cage that was next to them. It sounded like something was breathing behind it, almost as it was locking something away. Something that wasn’t good, something that had hurt people.

“A burden, Aldona, a curse you must now bare.”

“A curse.”

“When you’re older, I’ll tell you,” Jadvyga promised, putting her arms behind as she kept an eye on the cage. A faraway look in her eyes, something told Aldona she was merely with her in body, but not with her entirely. “You won’t understand, no three-year-old would understand.”

“Okay,” Aldona told her.

“Life will hard, Moja córka, but keep your head up.”

“I have Azu, Azu and I can do anything as long as we’re together.”

“That’s the Vitkus spirit!”

“Why am I here?”

Jadvyga looked at her sadly, bending down and taking her arm into her hand. Slowly tracing the bruises, almost as if it was her fault that they were there in the first place. “There are many things you won’t understand, Moja córka, about your family or your bloodline. I’ll train you use the Vitkus bloodline.”

“Can I show Azu?” Aldona asked.

“He’s part of the Vitkus clan, Moja córka, of course,” Jadvyga told her. “Tomorrow, we’ll start your training, even pranks are great training.”

“Pranks.”

“Stealth, Moja córka, stealth.”

“Okay, Jada.”

“To leave, just close your eyes. You’ll be back in your apartment with Azu.”

Aldona nodded her head and closed her eyes, when she opened her eyes again. She was back in her bedroom, safe in Azuloas’ arms. Smiling, she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

Jadvyga was going to teach her new tricks! Tricks that she could share with Azu!