Chapter 3

Ella was stumped by the kind words the carriage driver said to her but she knew that they were just kind words, not true. Exhausted and sweaty Ella thought for a moment about the offer and climbed into the carriage with a grateful smile.

It felt cool and accommodating, riding in the carriage in such hot summer. Ella was thankful and felt lucky for having talked to a person other than Gode, after a long while and also riding a carriage after years. She was grateful for the old man's offer.

Ella opened the ties of cloth in the basket and took out two fresh and delicious smelling sweet mangoes and two big reddish yellow Apricots. Tying up the cloth again, she dusted the fruits with her little napkin and waited for the carriage to take a stop.

Once reaching the destination, Ella pulled her hood up and tied a cloth from the nose till the down of her chin to cover her face. The fruits she took out, she smiled and gave them to the old driver and thanked him profusely for his great help.

"People call me, Dale." He offered his name with a little shrug.

"I'm Ella." Ella replied softly expecting a violent reply but the old driver just smiled and nodded.

"I know, Dear one." He replied yet again with one of his knowing smile and walked away from there, leaving Ella stumped.

Composing herself, a few seconds later, Ella walked inside the market carefully, step after step, measured and cautious. Carrying a large heavy basket and trying to cover herself was not an easy task for a puny looking Ella. She stumbled many times on her way to her cart.

The market is flowing with many people in and around from many villages. There were many travelers and guards who were waiting to buy liquor in a long line.Women were busy purchasing provisions and children are running around towards a sweet chips cart. There are jewelry and hair supplies carts that are buzzed with young women buying different color ribbons and decorated pins for hair.

'Ah, how she wanted to have a carefree and relaxed like those young ladies' Ella thought to herself.

She pulled her cart from the narrow alley and arranged the fruits and vegetable on the cart. She was feeling nervous and anxious about being in the midst of many people after long years of living in solitude.

What if someone recognize her? What would happen if people throw eggs and tomatoes on her again? Will anyone ever care if she's here? Would anyone buy her goods?

She was feeling all the negative possibilities swirling in her mind and why wouldn't she think negative, when she went through a lot of pain, betrayal and has been a pawn of selfish deeds?

Tying the scarf around her face tightly, she waited for people to stop by her cart. Three hours passed but no one came to purchase from her. All the vendors around her were brimming with coins selling away their goods almost in an hour. Expect her.

Her harvest is untouched and un-approached. Not even one person looked at her or her goods at all. Standing in the hot sun in hope of earning a coin turned out to be more than nightmare to her given that she's hiding her identity.

"Hmm ?you, lass." she heard a slurred voice from her right side and turned towards the source to see if she was being called. A man of five and half foot tall covered with dirt patches on face and clothes stood in front of her, drinking liquor directly from a large glass bottle.

He was looking at Ella evilly and smirked at her displaying his yellowish black teeth. The dark liquor was rolling down from either sides of the mouth disgustingly. He was swaying back and forth and laughed malicious at Ella.

Ella sensed the danger oozing out of the strange man who was looking at her like she was one tasty piece of meat. Looking around to find someone for help, Ella found no one near the perimeter of her cart as all the sellers from that side of the market has already left after successfully selling their goods.

"Looking for someone, lass? Do not be troubled, I will take better care of you." The drunken stranger laughed vicious and inched towards the shivering Ella.

Ella was in a fix as she couldn't fight nor could she call someone for help. She wore too many layers of clothes on her that her arms and legs are not supporting her to at least fight back. She was getting anxious as the evil man was eyeing her from head to toe like she was a sweet ball that you would find in carnivals.

Ella started walking back and was looking around to see if there was any way to find an escape but seems like her luck was at it's worst like all the other times as she was cornered by the drunken man.

"What are you d-oing? Please. Please stop there. I'm already married and my husband would hurt you if you touch me." Ella tried to trick the man in the name of her husband. In all the haste of trying to escape from the evil drunk man, Ella stumbled upon a large root of the tree that was behind her and she fell on the ground sporting a huge gash on her elbows.

"Ah, so you are beautiful looking married lass, I see. Your husband would not mind sharing something this pretty with others. Like I said, I would take good care of your pretty body." The evil man whispered in her ear, lowering himself to her level. That was when Ella noticed that her scarf was not its place and her face was quite visible clearly.

"Please Help. HELP" Ella yelled for help seeing that there was no other way to escape from the strong grip of the man.

"Ah, that sweet voice!" The drunk man closed into Ella and caught her small frame in his dirty shivering arms and leaned his face into her shoulder and bit her there, making Ella cry out loud.

Ella flailed her arms and legs in an attempt to push the drunken man from her but he was too strong for her. She was crying loudly and calling for help continuously but not a person came to help her.

"No please, stop." Ella begged the man and tried hard to shove him away only to have him pull off the cloak around her.

"Ssh, no one would come to save her. So quit flailing and give in." The man said pulling the hooks of her dress one by one.

"NO!" She yelled and suddenly her eyes started to blur and slowly darkness was invading her. "No... st-s-top" She whispered in the haze of fainting and just as the conscious complete left her, she felt the evil man's body was lifted from her.

She could see a dark figure looming above her from her state of partial consciousness but couldn't figure out who the person was. She tried to open her eyes complete and see the person that must've helped her however the last bit of her awareness slipped and she was embraced by peaceful oblivious and the last thing she hallucinated was hearing a soft whisper, 'You are safe, love'.

~~~~~~~

"How are you feeling now, dear?" Ella heard a soft voice and groaned lowly as she opened her eyes. Fluttering her eyes, she slowly opened them. As soon as she opened her eyes, she found herself in the old carriage that she rode that noon.

She looked around confused as to how she was in the carriage and slowly all that happened in the market hit her like a tornado. Tears rolled from her eyes and she wrapped her arms around her as if to protect herself.

"You are safe, dear." Ella looked at the source and found the kind old driver, Dale, smiling down at her warmly.

"How am I here? That... t-that man ?He was... he tried to ? Thank you for saving me." She stuttered trying to frame a sentence in her scared condition.

"You are safe. And I'm not your savior. Your savior is someone else who would not allow any threat near to you again." Dale's words confused Ella to a great extent.

What does he mean by that?

Why would someone save her willingly? she was untouchable and a bad luck?

What does he mean by not allowing threat near her?

Why does she feel that somehow there is a connection between this and the feeling of her being watched?

Did her life really started to change like Dale said?

Only time can reveal all the mysteries of her life.