Don't tell her.

“A water sprite?” Fina repeated and frowned.

“Yes. I live in the waters of this forest.” The sprite looked proud. “I know every creek and every pond here.”

“That sounds great.”

“Yes, it is.” The sprite looked at the shivering girl. “You don’t have to be afraid of me. We water sprites try to protect all the peasants coming into this forest.” She glanced down at the creek. “And feel free to drink from the water, it’s pure and pristine.”

“What a relief,” Fina said.

The water sprite nodded, then suddenly vanished back into the water making a splashing sound. “Strange,” she mumbled and carefully stood up. Her legs shivered with the cold and her thin dress offered almost no protection against it. She gazed around, trying see anything in the darkness. The moonlight gave the canopy a sparkling look, but didn’t produce so much light. She looked down at herself. “If I had at least shoes.” Then she looked up again. “It might be better if I go to sleep now.” She slowly lied down on the cold ground. She curled into a ball and closed her eyes trying not to think about what had happened today…but it was impossible. The picture of those Kretchers kept popping up in her head and no matter how she tossed and turned, she couldn’t find sleep. But then she tried to think about the water sprite and it gave her a little bit of courage. Surely, the water sprite would try to protect Fina during the night. And slowly, she drifted off into a quite restful sleep.