Childhood Friend – Lena’s Dream
Early in the morning, in a small house without even a dining table, Lena and her parents sat on the floor, scraping their bowls clean.
‘Where should I go today?’
Lena looked out the window and saw that the weather was overcast. On days like this, it was better to work indoors.
After breakfast, she bid her parents farewell and stepped out. The village, bathed in the soft light of dawn, was alive with the sounds of livestock demanding their morning meal. All belonging to other families, of course.
Lena made her way to the only bakery in the village. They were always short-staffed.
“Oh, Lena! You’re here! Never one to disappoint, are you?” chuckled Mrs. Hans from inside, her face breaking into a knowing smile as she prepared for the day’s work.
Truth be told, Lena, with her lively spirit, preferred foraging for food in the woods and fields. The confines of indoor work didn't sit well with her.
The bakery was the sole exception. The aroma of baking bread was simply irresistible.
Mrs. Hans welcomed her with open arms. Though Lena only showed up on gloomy days, a hardworking girl like her was always a blessing.
“Hehe… Haven’t started kneading yet?” Lena asked with a sheepish grin, settling down and reaching for the flour with practiced ease. Mrs. Hans clicked her tongue, watching the girl.
“Tsk, tsk. Such a spirited girl, wanting to be a priestess of all things.” It was a thought that crossed her mind every time she saw Lena.
While priests occasionally traveled for missionary work, they spent most of their time confined within the church walls. Their duties were numerous, leaving them little opportunity to venture out.
Firstly, priests had to perform daily rituals. Imbued with divine power, they were responsible for guiding their flock towards the divine through prayers and hymns.
They were also healers. When illness struck, the villagers turned to the church, where the priest would expend their own divine power to bestow blessings of healing.
It was a practice made possible by the small size and close-knit community of Demos Village. In the cities, healing came at a steep price.
Education also fell under the priest’s purview. In a village this small, there were no dedicated teachers. Imparting knowledge of history and theology was considered an integral part of a priest's duty.
Their days were undeniably full.
Mrs. Hans believed that priesthood was neither a suitable profession for Lena's personality nor a practical choice for her poverty-stricken family.
Yet, becoming a priestess was Lena’s cherished dream.
The sight of the village priest, bathed in a gentle radiance, tending to her father’s severe injury when she was a child, was etched deeply in her heart.
That warmth had drawn her towards the path of priesthood.
Oblivious to Mrs. Hans’s thoughts, Lena kneaded the dough with gusto. Her hands worked tirelessly, transforming the water-soaked flour into a smooth, elastic mass. Soon, beads of sweat dotted her forehead.
“Whew!”
With a final sprinkle of flour, she subdued the now-pliable dough and paused to rest her aching arms. As she caught her breath, her thoughts drifted.
‘Leo’s been acting strange lately.’
He was a man of few words, taking after his father, but recently, he barely spoke and rarely smiled. His gaze often drifted into the distance, lost in thought.
‘Ah! Wait a minute…’
‘Wasn’t it recently the anniversary of Leo’s mother’s passing?’
It had to be. She had momentarily forgotten, distracted by Leo’s maturity beyond his years. His mother had passed away two years ago. He must be feeling down, reminiscing about her.
‘I need to be there for him.’
With renewed determination, Lena grabbed a handful of flour and resumed her task, her hands moving rhythmically as she kneaded the dough.
By the time a bead of sweat trickled down her nose, she was finished, giving each lump of dough a satisfying pat.
Mrs. Hans handed her a generous amount of bread as payment.
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy this.”
“I’m the one who should be thanking you. Come again.”
As Lena made her way out, already anticipating the next cloudy day, an unwelcome presence materialized as if summoned by her thoughts.
“Lena! Hey!”
A shadow fell over her heart. There was another reason why she avoided frequenting the bakery.
“Finished working already? Looking lovely as always.”
“Uh, yeah. Thanks,” she mumbled, trying to slip past him.
But Hans, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, fell into step beside her. Lena suppressed her discomfort and shot him a sideways glare.
Hans was a lazybones. His family's bakery was always bustling, leaving his mother toiling away alone on days when no one came to help. Yet, he, her own son, never lifted a finger to ease her burden.
It wasn’t like he had any other responsibilities. He didn’t participate in the communal tasks expected of the village youths. The boy was clearly up to no good, idling his time away somewhere.
‘Why is he like this, with his height and all?’
Oblivious to her thoughts, Hans continued to chatter away.
“I went to the big town the other day, you know? There were these two people fighting in the marketplace. So, I went up to them, and it turns out…”
Lena was forced to endure his pointless stories and advances until she reached her doorstep.
- Hey! Get lost! I don't like you!
She wanted to shout, but what good would it do to quarrel with a neighbor in a tiny village?
Clinging to the teachings of Namer, the God of Patience and Dedication, Lena finally reached the sanctuary of her home.
“Thanks for walking me back.”
“It was my pleasure to be of service, milady!” His cheerful voice nearly made her forget Namer’s teachings.
Thankfully, years of diligently studying theology at the church since childhood hadn’t been entirely in vain. Namer remained by her side.
Humming a merry tune, Hans departed, leaving Lena to shove the bread into the basket with uncharacteristic irritation. Stepping back outside, she let out a sigh.
‘Haa… Where to next…?’
Her heart yearned to lose herself in the pages of a book at the church, but she had to resist.
‘I can’t be lazing around, being the only child and all. I studied hard last weekend, so I have to work hard until next weekend. You can do this!’
As she mentally psyched herself up and scanned for her next destination, a familiar voice called out from behind.
“Lena!”
A smile bloomed on her face before she could stop it. Even without the voice, she would have known. Only one person in the entire village would call out to her from her neighbor’s house at this hour.
Turning around, she found Leo, as expected, peering down at her from his window.
“Leo! You’re home already?”
“Yeah. My brothers and I are going… um… bellflower hunting tonight. So, I was going to take a quick nap.”
“Pfft, it’s ‘bell-FLOW-er.’ Your pronunciation is hilarious!”
Bellflower was an edible root vegetable that pushed its way through the earth to bloom at night. The flowers emitted a faint glow, making nighttime harvesting more efficient.
“Hehe, my tongue slipped. What are you up to today?”
“Well, I just got back from helping Mrs. Hans at the bakery. I was thinking of heading over to the village chief’s place. If there’s nothing to do there, I’ll probably just go to the church.”
Lena moved closer to the window, leaning against the wall as she snuck a glance at him.
She liked Leo.
Since they were children, Lena and Leo had embarked on countless adventures, hand in hand.
The eerie outskirts of the forest, the boundless fields, the icy-cold creek! Each escapade ended with the sweet reward of foraged treats.
She missed the warmth of his hand in hers. As they grew older, they had stopped holding hands somewhere along the way.
‘When did we stop?’ Lena wondered, counting the years on her fingers behind her back.
‘Was it around the time I told him I wanted to be a priestess?’
Priests were forbidden from marrying. It was probably out of respect for their sacred position… but did it have to be so strict?
Lena pushed down the knot of complicated emotions in her chest. While she missed holding his hand, she liked Leo just fine even without the physical contact.
“You know, after you left yesterday…”
Lena spent a good while chatting with him by the window. Leo listened patiently, never once showing any sign of annoyance. He was such a good guy.