She lived life as it was doing chores and playing in the field and flowers. Always helping her ma and pa when given the chances or asked of her.
Three years had passed. It was a Sunday morning in the beginning of August, with the family living happily and prospering well on their farm, until...
Ma was out tending to the sheep and goats. It was her chore that allowed her to look up towards the forest. She got this yearning feeling unlike any feeling she had had before. Similar to Doyia, Ma felt like the forest was calling for her and it needed her to come to it. Unable to overcome this feeling, Ma wandered into the forest without hesitation.
She was gone.
Dolyia was cleaning up the breakfast dishes and the cottage. When she was finished, she went outside to look for her Ma. She was going to ask if they could make a blanket together. But when she got near the sheep's padlock and didn't see her Ma, she instantly felt something was wrong. She ran around into the barn yelling her Ma's name with no replies. She went back outside and gazed out into the fields, still no sign of her. Worry filled Dolyia's heart. She ran into the cottage to find Pa resting in his chair near the wooden stove. Panting and out of breath, Dolyia asked Pa…
"Have you seen Ma? I've looked all over the farm and she isn't here." She finished with a heavy sigh and stared at Pa.
"No, I haven't. Are you sure she isn't on the farm or in the fields?" Pa asked as he stood from his chair.
Dolyias eyes got wide with fear. "Yes! But I guess I didn't look near the tree line or end of the field." ~I was too tired and scared to go that far~ she added in her head. She didn't want Pa to know how worried she was.
Pa stood there with a pondering look to his face. "Well, I suppose she is out there somewhere. She knows not to go into the forest willingly and she wouldn't go. But go grab the oil lamp and meet me in the barn." he gave these instructions in a light manner.
Dolyia did as she was told but wasn't sure Pa felt or was as worried as she was. So she tried to calm her mind as she grabbed the lamp and a shawl. She went out to the barn to find Pa waiting for her with their herding dog named Sam. Sam was Pa's dog since before Dolyia was born and stayed to himself in the barn unless Pa needed him.
The two set off around the barn and Pa took the lamp and led them towards the back end of the field.
~I know she went into the forest. I just know she did, but I don't want to upset Pa by telling him.~ Dolyia kept worrying that Pa wouldn't think or want to look there. And if she said anything it's surely make Pa mad and he wouldn't look into the forest.
They got to the end of the field after searching the nearby areas and the entire tree line for hours into the dark and still hadn't seen her Ma, Dolyia was now officially scared and unsure of what to do. Only being eleven by this time, she knew she was too young to even make a slight difference and wouldn't be able to find Ma on her own.
"She isn't here, but I'm sure she'll be back soon, Dolyia. We should head back before the light fades out." Pa glanced down at Dolyia with more concern for his wife on the inside than he let on.
They went home and made plans to search again tomorrow, Monday morning. Dolyia went to bed early that night without supper, same as Pa, who did not have an appetite to eat. Praying that her Ma would be there when she awoke, Dolyia spent the night tossing and dreaming horrible dreams about the forbidden forest and her Ma. Pa woke Dolyia up earlier than normal and instructed her to quickly do the feeding duties and ready herself to search for her Ma. This was a change in pace since the night before. Dolyia got up quickly and dressed faster than ever. She was out the door in no time and had the chores done faster than she had ever done before. She also had time to pack meals for her and Pa, and a treat for Sam.
They met up in the barn again, Pa was there with a pack of his own and a new walking stick. There were two other men with him. They were farmers from the neighboring farms, the older one was taller than Pa and the other gentleman had his eye sunken in from exhaustion and many years of farm work. His clothes were dirty and saggy; the ankles cut on his denim overalls were too short for his legs showing his ankles above his raggedy shoes. The shorter man was a grumpy looking man, with puffy cheeks and a fatter stature to him, his dark brown eyes made him look like he had no soul. But he honestly had a sweet side to him. Pa explained to them earlier the plan so they were packed and ready to go.
The four of them and Sam set off again, but this time Pa led them directly from the sheep's padlock to the forest line. He had a swift pace about his walk and seemed focused. The two other men split off together heading west leaving Pa and her with Sam heading east.
They searched for hours, even into the night, just like the night before. When it got too dark and cold they headed back to the farm. They gathered up inside the barn and had a small meeting about what they didn't find and what the next plan was.
"We'll come back tomorrow with another group so we can search further in a shorter time." the older men said to Pa before they left to go home. Dolyia was happy they came to help.
"Pa, thank you for having those men help us. I hope we find her soon." Dolyia said with tears in her eyes.
Pa saw the sadness in his daughter, with his strong arms he hugged her. Then he walked her into the house to her room, and promised they would continue to look tomorrow. With hopes of finding her Ma, Dolyia got ready for bed and fell fast asleep. She dreamt of ways she found her Ma, both alive and dead... Time passed fast after that. She woke up every morning, did her chores quickly, and searched for her Ma. As time passed things changed a lot...
About two years had gone by, and Dolyia was now almost thirteen and there was still no sign of her Ma. It was late July and the air was getting cooler as Fall season was going to begin soon. Most of everyone assumed she had died and was gone for good by this time. They were pushed into giving up on the search for her mother and focused on the farm's needs. These were rough times for Dolyia and her Pa, Dolyia ended up having to do extra chores around the farm and house. She was always so busy that she never had time to think or grieve over her mother's disappearance. She worked hard everyday so her Pa could try and relax by the end of each day.
Though everything she did never seemed to help Pa.Instead it made him more resentful towards her. In these times there had to always be a wife to help run the home while the husband worked on the farm, and made trades in the village. This in turn caused Pa to prepare to find himself a new wife. On a rainy Monday morning, Pa came up to Dolyia with a tense but sad look on his face.
"I'm going to head to town and won't be back until the morning of Saturday'' he said, "You are to stay on the farm and do your normal chores." He gave her one last look of true sadness that time before turning his back to her and walked out to the barn to pack up the carriage and horse for the trip.