The Stranger

You, John Doe of the village of Strawford, have lived a humble 18 years of life, having left your humble village only once to sell grain in the big city for a week. You didn't like it.

No one ever comes to your Strawford, besides the occasional lost caravan looking for the road to the pass between the mountains, and that's just how you like it. It's calm, no surprises, just cows and grain.

That is, until he rolled in to town.

It was a warm spring, with the sweet-smelling air promoting a sense of laziness over the entire town. After finishing your chores on the farm, you went down to the fountain in the town square to spend the day watching the slow traffic pass by. You do that every day, but it never gets old.

After a little while of saying the same usual crowd pass by--the blacksmith and his wife making their deliveries of repaired farm equipment, Mary Brickenden off to visit her sister for weekly tea, and more--when, suddenly, you see something horrifying.

Someone new.

You nearly fall back into the fountain at the sight of the large brown horse and it's rider. You can't tell much of anything about the stranger thanks to his long coat and wide-brimmed cowbow hat pulled low over his head, but he seems to be male. His coat bears no insignia so he's not military, and he carries no gear besides two small bags on his saddle.

"You see him too, huh?" A voice says from next to you, startling you so much you very nearly fall into the fountain again. Once you regain your balance, you turn to see Thea Rowntree, a young woman you've seen around before but never really spoken to. Her parents work as bakers. "I was worried I imagined him."

"Yeah, I see him," you respond, standing up. "Maybe he's lost like that caravan last week?"

"I don't think so," Thea responds, shaking her head. "He seems to sure of himself."

You watch the mystery man together for a moment, and you notice other people doing the same, but soon his horse moves around a corner and he's gone. You're tempted to follow him, but that could seem creepy...