A Tamer's Tale

Jule bounced down the central dirt road of Verdant Hamlet. Her black hair bobbed up and down, a quartz rose given to her by her father rested on her right ear, pulling her hair away from her eyes. Her arms made wide swings as she trudged along. Her sun-kissed freckled face and dark brown eyes watched the adults work. Men and Women passed back and forth, varieties of tools, buckets, and barrels filling their grasp.

An older lady sat on her porch, rocking back and forth, waving to passerbyers. A wooden sign hanging above her head read, "Pots and Potions!"

Jule waved at the old lady, a straw doll in her hands flailing about in the air. Jule continued on, passing by adults, wagons, and various animals. One particular 6-legged cow stopped as Jule passed it, giving her a big lick on the side of her head. Her black hair matted together into a tangled mess.

Jule giggled, patting the cow on the head.

Eventually, she came across a small field at the edge of town, a single young pine tree erect at the center. Huddled beneath the pine, a gaggle of little girls were spread about, each holding a doll of their own. The little girls laughed and played, animating their toys with their hands, giving them personality and life.

"Hello, Misses Muffin!" a little blonde girl said, her childish voice attempting to go several octaves deeper than she was capable of. She held up an exquisite doll dressed in pale blue fabric, its head adorned with a top hat. She dragged the doll along short blades of grass toward another doll.

A redheaded little girl raised her own doll in greeting. It was dressed in stained white, and a petite baker's hat adorned its head. "Hello, Senior Blue! What can I get for you today?" the redheaded girl said in a higher-pitched voice.

The blonde girl raised the hand of her doll. "I would like 7 loaves of bread, Miss Muffin! My daughter is getting married today!" she said matter-of-factly, a swagger mixed with her words.

The redheaded girl couldn't help but smile, turning to grab exactly 7 stones she had stacked neatly nearby. "Here you go, Senior Blue! I wish her a happy Marriage!"

A couple of other little girls were spread around, each interacting with one another and moving to prepare for Senior Blue's daughter's wedding. Little girls stacked sticks, creating a small chapel of sorts. More sticks were laid on the ground intended as benches and pulpits.

The blonde little girl playing as Senior Blue guided and directed all the other little girls, making sure each and every detail was perfect and where it should be. If she saw a crooked stick or a chipped rock, she would demand they be replaced. Everything was under her precise gaze.

Then, from the corner of her eye, she watched a little black-haired girl trudge into the meadow. Her smile immediately turned into a scowl as she examined the newcomer. Her hair was a tangled mess, her clothes stained from dirt and mud, but the newcomer's doll was worse. The blonde little girl would describe it as a "Grotesque beast not fit to be a doll."

After a few moments, the little black-haired girl greeted them with a wave. "Hi, can I play dolls too? I brought my own!" she said, extending her arm forward to show off the straw doll she had made. As she did so, one of the dolls' arms fell to the ground. She swiftly reached down and picked up the arm, hiding it behind her back.

The little blonde girl scowled, "NO! Only pretty dolls can join my wedding!"

Jule's face formed into a slight frown. "But my doll could be anything!"

"Go away! We don't have any need for horses or cows!" a brown-haired girl shouted. She looked proud that she had come up with that insult all on her own!

The other little girls giggled, pointing at Jule and her doll.

The Blonde girl stood tall as she watched the newcomer's energy deflate like a balloon. "Ignore her, let's continue with the wedding preparations!" she announced. All the little girls were quick to turn their backs.

Jule stood quiet as she watched the girls continue to play, laughs and conversation bouncing between them. With her head hung low, Jule turned and headed back towards the Hamlet.

She looked at her doll, its other arm hanging on by a single piece of straw, a small tear welling up her eye. Blinking, the tear fell, landing on the doll's head. With a big frown and a couple more tears, she turned and threw the doll, stomping away. She had worked hard on that doll, and her mother showed her how she could create it! She was proud of her work, but even with her doll, they didn't want to play with her.

Jule trudged through town, barely holding back more tears. Soon, she found her way back home, plopping herself on a short stone wall that lined the front of her home. Next to her, a rose bush grew. Jule pulled out the quartz rose from her hair, looking down at the exquisite detail of the pedals and stem, stubborn tears occasionally watering the flower.

Even though nobody was nearby, she began talking, "Ever since Gabe started playing with Gavin, I've had nobody to play with."

"None of the girls want to play with me, and I doubt the boys would let me join their games." Jule pouted, her brown eyes glancing towards the rose bush. "What should I do?"

The rose bush swayed in the wind, its leaves waving back and forth. Even though Jule knew it was just a bush, she stared at it, trying to decipher anything. Relenting from her search, she whirled her head up, looking into the sky. The white clouds shifted and soared, constantly changing shape.

A voice came from behind, "You never know until you try. Go, play with the boys. They would be lucky to have you."

Jule turned; her mother stood at the door with her little brother Rue in tow.

Standing on top of the stone wall, Jule fully turned towards her mother. Though her eyes were puffy red, determination formed on her face. "Okay! I love you, Mom! " she shouted, giving her a bear hug. Waving goodbye, Jule darted down the dirt path leading to town.

Eliza shook her head, a gentle smile on her face. Looking towards the cobblestone wall, a delicate quartz rose lay. Eliza picked up the rose, heading back indoors. "What am I going to do with you." Eliza chuckled.

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With renewed energy, Jule headed towards a large field north of town. Two groups of boys stood opposing one another, with two bigger kids standing out front as they argued about who would start with the ball.

Jule stomped onto the field, a determined look plastered on her face. She approached the boys, "Let me play!" She said rather loudly, getting the attention of the two boys out front.

They both looked towards Jule, one smirking, the other scoffing, seemingly fed up. The fed-up one spoke up first, "Girls don't play Griffle. Get out of here, missy!"

Jule was quick to refute, "Let me play! I'm old enough to keep up."

The boy who smirked began to chuckle, his black hair shining in the sunlight. "Let's give her a chance."

"Yeah, she can be on our team!" a little boy shouted from within one of the groups. Out came Gabe, who stood confidently in front of the older boys. On his side, a smaller but highly energetic boy buzzed up and down. "Yeah!" Gavin echoed.

The black-haired older boy shrugged. Glancing at the resolute girl, he said, "It's decided, she is on my team then." Looking back towards the other Captain, he said, "It's your guy's ball."

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Elias sat outdoors, his back against the cobblestone wall surrounding his home. His feet kicked up and down as he watched birds fly overhead, some perched on top branches jutting out from the surrounding pine trees.

Elias was happy to be outside. Ever since he had been reborn into this world, he had been stuck in his home. Eliza feared he might get lost or hurt, so she only allowed him to be outside briefly. He still relished the moments.

He wasn't too worried about getting hurt. His body, though 9 months, resembled more of a 2-year-old. The constant baptism of his increasingly potent soul ocean continued to accelerate his body's growth. Each day he felt as if his coordination and balance became better and better. But even as his body grew, it was still a child's body. Thinking back to the last few days, he had killed two more spiders. They just kept appearing, infesting his home.

Shaking his head, he looked across the field near his home. Usually, he would just watch the rhythmic flow of the wind, pushing and pulling the growing grains.

Today was a bit different than usual. Sometimes, he could watch Jerimiah work the fields, Billy, his tamed beast, chasing down squirrels and all varieties of rodents. But today, Elias watched as two men approached Jerimiah. They waved at him, each looking like they were about to discuss a serious matter.

Curiosity getting the best of him, he crouched and hid in the golden grains growing around his home, trudging towards the two men and Jerimiah.

As he approached as stealthy as a toddler could, he began to overhear their conversation.

"Jerimiah, there has been an increase in theft. People keep reporting lost trinkets and jewels."

Jerimiah responded after a short pause, "Do you have any leads? Could it be bandits, or is it one of the residents?"

"That's the weird part, we can't find nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Yep, nothin."

"Okay, I'll send Billy to sniff the town. Show him where some of the thefts took place. Maybe he could catch a scent." Jerimiah concluded

"Thanks Jerimiah, we owe you one."

Jerimiah grunted, ordering Billy to follow the two men. After the two men left, Jerimiah glanced at an inconspicuous patch of grain. He smirked before glancing away. "Hmm, I wonder if there are any munchkins nearby."

Jerimiah began whistling, leisurely walking. As he stepped nearby the suspicious patch of grain, Jerimiah's footsteps disappeared alongside his whistling.

Elias slowly peeked over the tall stocks of grain, looking for Jerimiah's figure where he last expected him to be. Just as he popped his head up above the grain, a pair of hands grabbed him from behind. Elias let out a shriek, but Jerimiah laughed his head off as he raised Elias into the sky.

Bringing him back down, Jerimiah rubbed Elias's head with his knuckle. "Watcha doing out here, Rue? Mom will be worried sick."

Elias calmed his racing heart, scowling at Jerimiah. A pout etched on his lips. "She said I could go outside for a little bit."

Jerimiah nodded, "You are growing quite fast."

"You got that from me! My mother used to say I grew like a weed when I was your age." Pinching Elias's right cheek, Jerimiah continued, "Let's get you back to Mom. We don't want to worry her, do we?"

Elias nodded his head. If he scared her, she might tighten the restrictions on his outside time.

Jerimiah set down Elias, "Let's go, kiddo, it's about dinner time anyway."

With Jerimiah in tow, Elias marched back through the golden grain to his home. They made it just as Jule and Gabe mosied up from the dirt road. They both looked exhausted, their clothes covered in dirt and wet from sweat. Jule had a giant tangle of matted hair on her head, with the occasional rock and pebble within.

Gabe looked just as bad. His hem shirt was ripped on the side, evidence of blood on his elbows.

Jerimiah looked them up and down, waving his hand underneath his scrunched nose. "Did you guys fight a Bareth? Cause you both smell."

Jule beamed a smile, "Nope! We played Griffle!"

Jerimiah raised an eyebrow, scanning his children up and down. A proud smile formed on his lips, "Looks like you guys won too." Patting them both on the shoulder, he motioned them towards a trough by the side of the house. But even winners need to take baths. No dinner until you are clean."

"Aw, crap," Jule muttered. Looking over at the door, she saw her mother standing at the entrance.

"Your father is right. Bath first, then you can eat." Eliza repeated, pointing towards the corner where the trough was located.

Glancing back and forth at their parents, Gabe and Jule trudged over to the trough.

Elias and Jerimiah greeted Eliza, entering. 'Dinner, here I come!' Elias thought.