The pair walked in silence for a time. A few crows cawed, circling above them in the cloudless sky, and Pollyanna took in the hot smell with a ragged breath, smelling fire, even though there was no fire to be found. Eventually, Deforest said, “So… do you remember anything?”
Pollyanna searched her memories, and found that she did have a brief, fluttering memory. Her eyes scrunched up in a genuinely warm smile. “I remember a young man… he was an imp—he had blonde hair, crooked teeth, and brown eyes…”
Deforest turned his nose up at the tone with which she had said it. “Yuck. Maybe he was courting you.”
Pollyanna chuckled. “Maybe. What about you? Do you remember anything?”
“I remember… being warm.” Deforest shrugged, unable to explain his memory further. Pollyanna shook her head. “Real specific.”
Deforest giggled, nudging Pollyanna’s thigh. “Shut up. I wish I did remember something else--if I did, I would tell you." Deforest looked up at her with wide eyes. "You really are tall, lady. I was really scared of you when I first saw you. Why are you so tall? Did you drink lots of milk when you were a kid?”
Pollyanna smiled down at the boy, wondering if he was being witty or if he was just at an age where he thought milk really had such powers. “Oh yes. I drank oodles of milk and I grew as tall as the mountain because of it! Make sure you drink your milk, too, kid.”
Deforest gasped. “Whoa… if I can grow up to be as big as you, then of course I will!”
Silence returned until Pollyanna spotted a big cave in the distance. From there, Deforest ran on ahead. “This way, Pollyanna, this way!”
Pollyanna smiled, dashing after the boy. She decided she liked his company, even if it was only because she hadn’t seen anyone in so long. “Slow down, you goof!”
The boy had dashed into the pitch-black cave. Pollyanna paused for a moment just as she was about to enter the cave.
A whirlwind of cold air whistled out from the cave. Inside, she heard a rasp voice and dripping water. She was tempted to turn back, but she pushed herself to enter. “Deforest? Where did you go?”
“I’m over here!” He called.
Pollyanna stumbled her way through the dark cave. Something crunched under her feet. She looked down.
Eggs? The golden yolk shone in the dark. Pollyanna gulped.
She followed the sound of Deforest’s voice as he called for her again. She bumped into something, and realized that it must have been him. “There you are, kid. What’s with these eggs?”
“These are the Spider’s eggs.” Deforest answered as he continued walking.
“The Spider’s eggs…” Pollyanna repeated. “No babies inside, though. So, is this spider we’re meeting an actual spider?”
“Well… you’ll see.” Deforest answered.
Wind whipped and whistled through the cave again. It was the coldest thing Pollyanna had felt on her skin since she had arrived in the deset. It would have felt nice if it wasn’t biting into her bones. She and the boy scuffled further into the darkness until, finally, Pollyanna felt someone’s breath on her face. She backed up in surprise.
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