A trip to town.

Lili had tears in her eyes as she navigated the alleyways of Cold Creek, which now seemed dark and empty. The girl was trying to find her way back to the gate, beyond which lay the castle grounds. She was in for it now. This was her worst blunder ever since she was hired in the castle and she would be lucky if she could get away with being denied this week’s salary and a severe rebuke. More than likely she would be fired or even imprisoned. Lili was sure of that but the true reason behind her fear was of a different sort.

The words of mistress Alessandra rang in the housemaid’s head in between the pessimistic predictions as if the woman was right beside her. The mysterious and beautiful gypsy spoke in a hushed voice, barely hiding her disquietude. “Go to the town market. Fetch me a bottle of absinthe and a pin or brooch made of silver. Don’t ask questions, don’t speak about this with anyone and make haste, girl, for the night is coming and the full moon will soon demand its sacrifice. Go now. Time is of the essence.” Even if the maids were forbidden to leave the castle grounds without the castellan’s permission, the way mistress Alessandra had made her request left no option of declining it. Besides, the woman was said to be a witch (the margrave himself was supposedly under her spell) and there was no telling what she might do to those who defied her will.

And so Lili changed her clothes and hurried to town, hoping to return before anyone notices her disappearance. The path downhill was barely a half-hour walk and she knew one of the guards at the gate. Ralf was a jovial, good-hearted man, so when the pretty housemaid asked nervously if he could let her through without reporting it to anyone, he nearly laughed his head off. It seemed that every so often a maid or a manservant would sneak off into town; it was nothing unusual or frowned upon as long as they caused no trouble and managed to keep up with their duties. Lili managed, after some time, to convince Ralf that she was not going to some secret meeting with a lover (both guards laughed again when they noticed her embarrassment), nevertheless, the rugged gatekeeper made her promise not to stay out late. She liked him a lot; he cared for her like an uncle cares for his niece or an older brother for his little sister.

Anyway, once the red-haired girl passed the gate and entered Cold Creek she was nearly overwhelmed by the noisy, smelly, bustling town. She has only been here for a couple of hours before being hired as a housemaid, so she never really had the time to look around and the town seemed so huge, so colorful and lively compared to her tiny hamlet. Lili wandered about the streets, captivated by this strange, new environment. She spent hours admiring the beautiful gowns, stylish shoes, clockwork mechanisms and porcelain dolls that lay in the display windows of various shops. Time went by as she explored and enjoyed her newfound, temporary freedom. Little did she know that, ever since she stepped through the gate, she was being watched by a group of shady-looking men.

The sun was already hidden beyond the horizon when Lili realized how much time she had wasted while mistress Alessandra was waiting. The girl scurried back to the marketplace and noticed with dread that the purse in which she kept the money she was given was gone. That was when she panicked. She knew the purse was stolen but she had no idea when or how, for that matter. There were very few people left outside and most of them had a look in their eye that told the girl that drawing their attention to one’s haplessness was a very bad idea. Feeling powerless and with tears welling in her eyes, Lili began to run back to the gate, certain that mistress Alessandra would never forgive her.

As the girl's footfalls echoed in the almost empty streets the silver disc of the ominous moon shone brightly, visible even through the gathering rainclouds. Lili ran on, unaware of the fateful encounter that awaited her.