The Royal Deal

seen at any of the markets.
She needed to see if the fruit was edible and how it tasted.

As she was thinking about the strange fruits and the possibilities they might produce, Pauline and Erina walked into the café for their daily dinner visit.

“Auntie!” Erina cried, running over to give Amethyst a big hug.

“Erina! Did you have a good day today?” Amethyst asked.

“Yeah!” she said happily, taking a seat at a table.

“How about today?” Pauline asked.

Amethyst shook her head and shrugged.

“It’ll get better,” Pauline consoled her.
“I told a lot of people about the café at work.”

“Thanks! You’re the only one who looks out for me,” Amethyst said.

“Me too, Auntie!! Me too!!” Erina insisted.

“Yes, yes! Erina, you are the best!” Amethyst patted Erina’s head.
“Pauline, are the forests below the mountain at the back of the mansion the landlord’s property?”

Pauline thought about it and said, “Probably not.
If it was his, then the workers wouldn’t be able to enter them at their leisure.
Everyone goes into the forest to pick wild plants and mushrooms.
Why do you ask?”

“I was just curious.”

“Carol, if you decide to go into the forests, just make sure you don’t go in too deep.
There are stories of people who don’t return if they get too close to the mountain.”

“What do you mean people haven’t returned?” This news made Amethyst nervous.

“No one knows.
Maybe they got lost.
All I know is that everyone is scared to go deep into the forest.”

Amethyst had thoughts of the worst scenarios for the rest of the dinner.
She would have to be careful when she went.
After dinner was completed and cleaned up, Pauline and Erina headed for home.
There were still a few hours before dark, so Amethyst changed into clothes and shoes that were suitable for hiking.
Filling a backpack with water and snacks, she locked up the café and headed for the grove.

The Veolense mansion wasn’t far, but since she couldn’t trespass across the property, she needed to take the long way around to get to the grove.
The sun wasn’t overly high in the sky and there was a cool breeze, so the hike was quite pleasant.

Thinking about Pauline’s warning she wanted to make sure that she didn’t get lost.
She tied red ribbons to the branches of the trees as she headed into the forest, leaving a trail she could follow to get back out.