I waited patiently, watching everything that I could. The men came and stood at their posts. Hours later the shift changed, and another man would show up. Each one cared even less than the last.

The same guard from the previous evening appeared the next night, a large balding man whose stomach pushed against the buttons of his shirt. Before long he was snoring with his chin resting on his chest. This time I tested my luck. I opened the door and stepped outside as quietly as I could. My guard didn’t move at all. I looked around, taking stock of the other soldiers, where they were and what they did. Only a few yards from my cabin was a pathway into the forest. I could take it, heading south to where I hoped the rebel forces remained encamped.

A westerly wind swept through the still village. I raised my head and took a deep breath. Something was stirring, I could feel it as the hairs on my arms began to stand up on their own. I slowly walked away from the house.

Keeping to the shadows, I crept farther and farther away. My steps quickened once I reached the path. I briskly walked at least four miles. My feet swelled. The muscles in my back seized. A pinching sensation shot up from the right side of my pelvis to my shoulder blade. I jammed my thumb into one of the aching muscles in a vain attempt at relief. Just when I thought I couldn’t carry on, I spotted a cottage in the distance. I ran to the door, praying that someone would be home and they would take pity on me.

“The devil himself better be on the other side of that door.” An old woman wrapped in a dressing gown clutched a shawl to her chest as she opened the door. Her sleeping cap was tilted on her wild, graying black hair.

“I may not be the devil, but I do need help,” I begged.

“Estella, who is at the door? Is it the devil?” Another woman appeared behind her. She had similar features as Estella, only more delicate.

“No devil, just a woman.” Estella looked me over, finally resting her eyes on my stomach. “And she’s pregnant!”

“Well, bring her inside, don’t be such a totó,” the other woman said.

Estella pulled me inside as I continued to ramble. “I’m running from the Imperial army. Can you please let me rest for just a little bit? I promise I won’t stay long.”

Estella made a noise. “You’ll stay the night.”

“But the soldiers—”

“The soldiers will be looking for you no matter where you go. Might as well fill your belly and get a good night’s sleep.”

“Estella, is she staying the night?”

“Yes, Lydia, get the ham out,” Estella responded.

“Get the handle to what?” Lydia asked.

“HAM! HA-AM, Lydia, she’s famished!”