Lou

Slowly and gently, Lou walked through the grasses by the river and through the hot desert sand that burned his bare feet. He was used to it. Lou didn't have any shoes. He found the narrow wooden door in the city wall, which led directly into his house. The door was somewhat hidden, so it was not easy for possible intruders to find. It had once been walled up until his father sparsely renovated the former guardhouse.

The Wise had provided him with some material for this. In their opinion, Lou now lived far enough away from the other people of the city, because Lou had no neighbors. But he still lived within the walls. The Wise considered this to be the best, as they feared the wrath of the gods. He was the burden of the city. The burden of his family. They could not put him in front of the city walls and leave him to die. The wise men said Lou was a test. They had to prove their obedience to the gods. And as long as they did not ask otherwise, the cursed boy remained in the city.

Lou hated that.

He closed the wooden door behind him and walked slowly to his mat of reeds. Lou knew his house very well. But he saw a few colors that didn't belong in the individual room. Colors that came to him.

"Lou! My darling!" That was his mother's voice. She hurriedly and briefly hugged him. Lou didn't feel comfortable with the touch. "I brought you some bread. That's all I have today. And yesterday, I couldn't come here! Are you okay?" Her voice almost cracked as she spoke.

"I'm fine, yes. Thank you for the bread."

"It's on your mat. At the headboard."

"Ah! Thank you." Lou sat down on his mat and searched with his hands for the bread. He found it quickly. Hungry, he broke off a piece. His mother sat down next to him.

"Were you out of town again?"

Lou nodded as he ate the bread.

"I don't like it when you're so close to the river. What if you fall into it? And... It sounded like a dragon was nearby. Have you seen one?"

"Mom!" Lou rolled his eyes. "Seen?"

"Heard?" She sighed. "It probably wasn't a black dragon, but it's better to stay away from the whites either."

"I know. I heard the dragon, but nothing happened to me." Lou preferred to leave out the fact that he had also seen the dragon. Yes. He had seen him. Touched. Felt the warm scales under his fingers.

"Please don't go behind the walls!" Again she sighed. "Oh, Lou. What am I going to do with you? And now Nina is also giving me a headache. Your sister is in love."

"Oh. That's good, isn't it?" Confused, Lou ate the last crumbs of bread. His mother stayed unusually long. Why? That was strange.

"Yes. A nice boy. Unfortunately, he isn’t interested in her. Not in the slightest." She laughed softly and sadly. "Nina got it bad. She constantly tries to be where he is. His friends made fun of her... He barely helped her. Then he doesn't deserve her either. Nina is a lovely girl."

Lou nodded. "She'll find someone eventually. How's Louise?"

"Oh, she’s well, I think. She rarely comes home. Nina envies her. Louise now wears beautiful dresses. If I could, I'd buy some for Nina."

"Hm." Lou's stomach growled loudly. He was still hungry. But there was nothing left of the bread. "I would also give Nina beautiful dresses if I could. Did the storm cause any damage?" Lou hoped very much that there was no damage whatsoever. They would only blame him again.

"Oh, just little things. The temple was partially buried by sand. But I heard that everyone was fine. Currently, half the city is busy clearing the temple of the sand. I would help, or at least check on Louise, but you know... We are only allowed to go to the temple on special occasions. I'll leave then. Take good care of yourself, Lou." She touched his hand briefly, then stood up.

"Of course, Mom", Lou replied, frowning. She hadn't touched him for a long time. Why today?

Louise

It took hours to clear the temple of all the sand. Exhausted, Louise changed her clothes. Her tunic was full of sand, so she changed clothes. Satisfied, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. She liked her little chamber in the temple. The walls were wallpapered with turquoise fabric. In the small, round window stood a pretty vase full of flowers. The bed made of good wood was warm and soft. In a small closet made of dark wood hung fine clothes. Both the bed and the closet were decorated with golden paint and fine carvings.

Louise now possessed things she had always dreamed of as a child. A mirror, nice clothes and shoes. Even a beautiful, finely crafted doll was now in her possession. Although she was already too old for dolls, she had wanted this one. So she bought the doll that was now sitting on her bed.

When Louise worked in the temple, she wore a light, translucent white tunic decorated with beautiful beads and sparkling stones. Her private dresses were a bit simpler.

Louise wanted to check on her parents and siblings. She quickly packed a small bag of gifts she had bought. She hoped they were doing well after the bad storm. A few witches and sorcerers of the temple waved to her as she left the large property. She hurried along the streets and alleys of the city. People greeted her in a friendly manner. Louise greeted back. However, she didn’t let herself get involved in any conversations. Soon the sun would set. Before that, she wanted to be back again.

When she arrived in the slum, she could literally smell the poverty. The people here were dirty, mostly unwashed. The houses were old and broken. Nevertheless, she greeted everyone with love. This was still her home. In her dreams, she walked through these alleys and played in the rough sand with Nina. She often dreamed of going home and never returning to the temple. Even so, she was doing well in the temple.

It was not far to her parents' house. The small house had cracked walls and part of the roof was broken. It looked more shabby with each passing year. Her parents saw her through the window and Nina greeted Louise stormily.

Relieved, she found that they were doing well. The old house had survived the storm as well as possible. Her parents hugged her and asked about her work. They talked briefly. Louise gave Nina one of the gifts. A simple pearl bracelet. It wasn't expensive, but she knew that her family didn't even have money to spare for such a bracelet. Nina rejoiced and threw her arms around Louise’s neck. Her little sister had tears in her eyes as she put on the bracelet. Then she gave her parents some wheat and fruits.

Louise didn't stay long, as she still wanted to check on Lou. She missed her brother. But when she wanted to make her way to his hut, a few of her old neighbors blocked her way. They didn't want the precious witch to risk being cursed. Louise tried to argue, but in the end, she had to give up and went back to the temple.