BlackFoot Castle Mircea

Mircea stood quivering on top of the high stool too afraid to move.The riotous villagers surrounded her. So silent now she hoped if she closed her eyes tight enough she might imagine them not there. Someone rustled, moving and cursing under there breath. Mircea almost toppled over, fixing rigidly in terror as she realised to fall would only mean to be nearer the flames they would soon light.

It was a dark day, not just for Mircea. It had looked like heavy rain all day, an almost night time sky hung low and stifling in the muggy air. The stench of death seeped into everything, the closeness of it driving people insane.

Mircea had only tried to help but there had been too much death,grief and pain in the village. When panic broke out whatever was left of reason vanished and people sought  a target. So there she was, tied to the stake. Her curly black hair fell down her shoulders messily as if pointing to her enviably curvaceous shape, which did nothing for her cause amongst the women.

Mircea was not found guilty of anything. She was never accused. No one even need to know the envy that had started it. Fear held them all in it`s grasp. When the single white bolt of blistering hot lightning struck the ground behind her they stood mutely.

Rain poured over the village like the sky was tipping an ocean on them. Mircea sought to see through the water and saw, each time the crowd was smaller and smaller. Struggling even to breath in the downpour she sobbed just once finally daring to look down. She was perched over fast flooding stream.

She heard a wooden door bang to her left. Still blinking away the rain she saw an elderly lady shuffle out of her small house carrying a stool .Putting the stool down beside her she climbed up and untied Mircea, shouting

"Its`God`s will"

At the remaining villagers. She led Mircea inside her small home,gave her food and told her urgently to "Go."

"Go and keep going and don`t stop till you get to a place where the people have got more sense."

Mircea fled. Hearing heavy hammering on the door of the house as she ran.

They say all the doctors she has seen agree it must have been the smoke from the flames that caused her illness but she cannot remember smelling any smoke or being burnt by any flames.

If there was any one moment when i knew i would like Vladimir Edessimun it was  when i heard Mircea`s story. On his was back from England he found her. Having noticed a group of noisy children throwing things into bushes and poking it with sticks Vladimir went to look, suspecting an injured animal. He found Mircea. The villagers there thought her a simpleton and were trying to move her on. From the moment she spoke he knew it was not the case.She was someone who had been running so long she had become lost to herself.It did not occur to Vladimir that he couldn`t save her. So he did.