She lasted about six minutes, holding her head high. She was so focused on her posture and appearance that she failed to notice a rock as she nearly toppled over and hit the ground. This made a couple walking nearby laugh, so she lowered her head and quickly walked away. Even after walking for six minutes, she had yet to reach the town, but now she could see it more clearly.
The town looked modern and medieval in its design; almost all the houses shared this aesthetic. The roads were made of stone and didn't look worn out, although the complete lack of cars probably explained why. They saw people walking around, visiting shops, or talking among themselves. The houses were made of stone and wood; this place was enough to make you believe you were sent back in time on the look alone. But the lamp posts, electric poles, and people with their phones didn't let that image last.
It was strangely mesmerizing, almost like she had traveled back in time, especially with the architecture. However, people would pay to see something like this. So why wasn't it more popular? People would pay for stuff like this, so it should be a killer tourist spot. So why wasn't it? She would have loved to develop theories and speculations but chose not to dwell on her thoughts for now; she wanted to get to her new home and worry about it there.
She ran towards the town, and by the time she reached it, she was sweating quite a bit, but at least she was finally there. She rested against a wall, and a few people waved at her. She gave them a quick wave, focusing on catching her breath. The clothes the people wore, at least, were relatively modern; nobody wore anything like a tunic. However, another detail that stuck out was the number of little people walking about. Some were quite old, but others looked to be possibly teenagers or early adults. She couldn't honestly tell. At least twenty percent of the people walking around or she looked at had a chance to be a little person, although she didn't have a problem with it. Dwarfism was supposed to be rare, from what she understood, the mysteries continued to pile up.
She took a photo with her camera before walking off; from what she understood, her home was deeper into town. She tried at least to mentally map what she saw, like stores or noticeable landmarks. They seemed to have a park on the east side of town, and she could see a fence and kids playing inside. The stores here were all relatively small, and she hadn't encountered a single car, so it seemed she at least didn't need to look both ways before she crossed.
The most prominent building in the town was the mansion resting far back of the town; she hadn't seen it before. But as she went deeper into town, her path led towards the very back of the town. The tree line blocked most of the mansion, so only a few parts could be made out. It was strangely dark, especially for the day. The tree line seemed to block the sun; that might be where the mayor lives, and it looks like the type of significant building where someone of his status rests.
She was told her home was deep into town, so she kept heading that way. As she did, the houses grew scarce, and they seemed to change from being built of brick and wood to being made of only wood. They almost looked like cabins, except they were fancy two-story cabins.
As she kept walking and heading closer and closer to the tree line, a part of her worried that the mayor might have wanted her to stay at the mansion. That would be…quite intimidating, she had to admit. Sadly, her delusion was short-lived, as a sign in front of one of the cabins caught her eye.
"To our guest, make yourself home," read the sign. She approached the sign as if it would reveal more information. Sadly, it didn't talk to her or give her any hint about whether it was for her. Seeing no other option, she approached the cabin. The keys were left in the keyhole, which was worrying. How trusting this town was that they didn't worry someone would take the keys.
The whisper of voices interrupted her thoughts. She turned her head, and two kids with what looked to be their dog looked at her. Before she could say anything, one yelled, "He saw us! Run!"
They bolted away, and even the dog ran behind them. They ran into the forest nearby, which gave her a minor panic attack as she yelled at them.
"Don't run into the forests; you're gonna get lost!!"
She nearly took off after them, but a voice behind her stopped her.
"Don't worry about them; they know the forest like the back of their hand. I wish I had known you'd arrived so I could have helped you with your bag."
She practically jumped out of her skin, turning around with the key in hand as they pointed it at her like it would help.
"Whoops, I didn't mean to scare you. You're Avery, right?"
The woman in front of her spoke cheerfully as she raised her hands. She had short, red-colored hair, with the right side tucked behind her ear. She had amber-colored eyes with freckled cheeks. She wore a black blouse, tight-fitting jeans that seemed to help accentuate her figure and black sneakers. She looked to be in her early twenties, so the two were probably around the same age.
Avery blushed and coughed as she put the key down and nodded. The woman finally put her hands down, and the two stared at each other. Avery wanted to say something but was still embarrassed by her actions; seriously, why was she so jumpy?
"So…how was the airplane ride? Hopefully, it wasn't too bad; I haven't ever ridden one of those metal coffins."
Avery couldn't help but laugh at her comment. She smiled, and they patiently waited for her to build the courage to talk.
"It wasn't too bad; sorry for jumping like that. I'm just easily spooked. What's your name?"
Avery tried to speak confidently to salvage any image she might have left. She put the keys in her pocket and shook her hand, only to pull it back at the last second, realizing how sweaty it was. It was honestly her fault for wearing a sweater and sweatpants to this place. It was so hot compared to where she usually lived, and she would wear better clothes tomorrow.
"It's Maria; it's nice to meet you, Avery. I haven't ever met a guy so jumpy before. Usually, every guy around here is calm, cool, and collected. Well, other than the children, their little devils."
Maria didn't seem to mind that she pulled her hand back, but there it was again. She was confused for a guy again and had to figure out what was happening.
"I'm…a girl. If you don't mind me asking, what makes you think I'm a guy?"
Maria's eyes seemed to go wide for a second as she stammered to get a response before bowing and apologizing.
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to insult you; it's just that the clothes you are wearing and your hair make it a bit harder to discern you are a girl...Not that there's anything wrong with how you dress; it's just different!"
Avery tried her best to reassure her that it was "alright." Still, she kept apologizing. It was a good thing they were so far from town. She would hate to become well-known for making someone apologize to them so adamantly on their first day.
Eventually, when she finally got her to stop, Maria made herself scarce, leaving Avery alone. She sighed; what a long day. It was her first day in this town, and she had already managed to create a scene, although at least it wouldn't be spread around, and she had her answer for why she kept getting confused for a guy. She had a few ideas on what to do to prevent further confusion, but that was better saved for tomorrow.
She opened the door and walked into the cabin, locking it once she got in. She had to find a room and unpack it. The good news was that the house she had gotten was cleaned quite nicely. The floor was spotless as she removed her shoes at the entrance. Before doing the boring unpacking, she should explore her new home for the month.
A few feet in front of her, stairs led upwards. Two doors were to her immediate left and right. The door on the left led into the dining room. The kitchen was next to the dining room; it had a refrigerator, a gas stove, and an electric one. Knives and a cookbook were placed nearby. Checking the cabinets showed her different types of cooking utensils and pots. She checked the fridge, but sadly, it was empty. She had to do some shopping tomorrow.
She walked out and checked the door to her right; the living room had two leather couches in the middle. A rug had been placed under the couches, and a table was placed in front of both couches. They were facing the television, which had a DVD player connected to it and a few DVDs in a clear case. She turned the TV on, and it seemed to have cable, and you could connect to the video streaming services. She turned it off since she wasn't playing to waste the day away watching TV. There was a window showing the outside nearby, and she saw some silhouettes vaguely move about. She walked over and closed the curtains as giggling rang out; the kids must have returned—nosy little devils.
Two more doors were nearby; one led to a bathroom, and the only thing that excited her was the fact that it had a bath. She had to take one before going to bed. The other door led outside, but she ignored it; returning to the entrance and going down the hall, she found another door that had an empty room. Flicking the lights showed her two full-sized beds with sheets and pillows neatly placed. Two cabinet drawers were placed against the wall between the two beds; this was most likely a guest room. She was guessing, but this definitely wouldn't do for the amount of clothes she brought with her.
That only left upstairs; she would close the door carefully before running upstairs. She was getting carried away by emotion and excitement, but she didn't care. She should enjoy it for now cause tomorrow it was all business. There were three doors left to explore: one down the hallway to the right, another to the left, and one directly in front of the stairs. She decides to go left first, opening the door to reveal another bathroom. This one didn't have a bathtub since it was smaller, but it did have everything else.
She closed the door and did a little spin before heading to check the door on the right. This one was empty, but despite being empty, the room was clean, much like everything else in this house. When she found out who cleaned this house, she would thank her. She closed the door and began hitting an imaginary drum as she walked towards the last door, speaking in a jolly tone.
"Now, folks, behind this final door will not only reveal the final mystery of this house, but it will also be the last enjoyment we get before I have to put everything away. Let the tension build!"
She kept hitting her imaginary drums for a few more seconds before opening the door and gasping. There was a king-sized bed with soft blankets and a tiger design; two giant pillows were placed against the headboard. A closet was built into the wall; three cabinet drawers were placed near it, which were enough for everything. Each could hold a different part of her clothing: pants, underwear, socks. This was the room she was going to stay in. Sadly, this also meant that her fun was over, and it was time to put everything away.
She headed downstairs to collect her briefcase and begin putting everything away. This room had enough space for everything; she also learned she might have overpacked slightly. Still, she didn't regret her decision; it was better to be over-prepared than under-prepared. By the time she was done, the sun had begun to set. She wanted to drop down onto her bed and pass out; she was also a bit hungry. Sadly, there wasn't anything in the fridge, and she wouldn't go shopping right now.
She grabbed some pajamas from one of the drawers and headed downstairs to take a bath; suffice it to say that the bath helped a lot primarily because the kind people of this town provided some excellent options for enjoying the bath. By the time she got out of the tub, she felt like a new woman, a tired new woman. She headed upstairs and dropped onto the bed, and like a snake, she slithered under the blankets and passed out soon after.