Endra's Fate

Prologue



Oontha was a village that specialized in farming. Wheat farming to be precise. Oontha was set on ground that was formerly a volcano, so it was very fertile, and Oontha had the best wheat in the country. The mayor was a very nice man, with a bald pate, and a cheery disposition. All in all, Oontha was a very pleasant place to live. Endra hated it.

Endra, or En, as she was called, was tired of the day after day routine of waking up, eating breakfast, grabbing her scythe, and going out into the field to harvest wheat in the late summer, and sowing seeds in late winter. The only exciting day for her was Market Day, when the traders from across The Wolf's Teeth came and sold goods from afar. She wanted action, adventure, something to shatter her family's boring routine. little did she know, she would soon get her wish.



Chapter One
Getting Ready
"En, can't you milk the cow right? "En, Can't you feed the pigs without spilling the slops? It's hard enough cleaning up after them without your mess!"

En hated her family. She hated the way they whined when she did something wrong. She hated the way they whined when she went to play with her friends. She hated the meager living they scraped from the few coins they had, what with its watery cabbage stew, its leaky roof, the fleas in the bed, the scratchy sheets, and all the other things she could think of. She knew she was whining too, but she couldn't help it. She just hated her life.

Finally, Market Day came. Endra was very excited. She had worked long and hard, but finally she had managed to earn four gold coins. She had coveted the gold, hiding it under a loose floorboard that no-one knew about but herself and Cuddly, her teddy-bear.

As they loaded up their wagon, she couldn't help but think what fancy things she was going to buy! Maybe she could buy a necklace, or a diamond! probably a speck of a diamond, but still--"En, you better not be daydreamin' again!! You'll end up dropping sumthin' and then you'll get it from Mum!". She sighed. No daydreaming today, just work, work, work. She gets to watch the booth while the rest of the family goes to market, which meant that her older siblings got to play with their friends, and her parents got to go and bargain for food to survive the cold winter.


Chapter Two
The Amulet

When at last it was her turn to go to market, she didn't know where to start. Should she go and look at jewelry? Or pottery? Or perhaps swords? She didn't know. She decided to look at jewelry. As she looked, she saw diamond necklaces that put her fantasies to shame. But as she passed one stall, she noticed an amulet that twinkled in the sunlight, and it seemed to beckon her, so, almost against her own will, she walked over to the stall and asked the man how much the amulet was.
"How much do you have?" he asked.
"Er, four crowns." she said nervously, sure he was going to laugh.
"Give me them and its yours." he said nervously, pulling at his collar and looking around nervously.
She gaped in open astonishment. "Really!?"
"Yes! Give me the money! Quite glad to be rid of it, actually, it's brought me the most horrible luck." He snatched the crowns away and shoved the amulet into her hands, pushing her away."Get lost before anyone sees you!"
Hardly believing she had gotten something so beautiful, she put it on, and she heard someone close by whisper "Yessssss, she issssss the one!". She looked around wildly, but there was no-one in the alley. She looked at the amulet. It was glowing faintly. She dismissed it as her imagination. When she reached their stall, they were gone. It was empty. Furious at their having left her, she stomped her way home. when she reached the gate, she flung it open, and to her surprise, it flew across the yard and into the pig pen. In a big rage now, she marched up to the house and gently pushed the door open to avoid another accident, but it still flew open as if by a large gust. Everyone was asleep, so, deciding not to create further contention, she walked past the fireplace to her room, and as she did, the fire flared in the grate, licking into the room. without knowing why, she said "Stop!" and it guttered out immediately. Before she went hysterical, she walked past her mother and father's bed and she saw in her mind her father standing among huge piles of gold. Crying silently now, she got into bed and went to sleep immediately. Her last thought before dreaming was *am I insane?* then she was unconscious.

Chapter 3
The Test


She woke up early the next morning, having forgotten yesterday completely. the hung around her neck as she walked into the kitchen, and her sisters gasped. "En! Where did you get that beautiful amulet?" "Its sooooooooo pretty! Can I have it? Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasse?"

Endra looked around in confusion, "What amulet?" she asked.