Lisette gazed across the water at her next victim. He looked innocent enough with his soft pale skin and big brown eyes still filled with wonder for the world.
But this was the assignment, she knew she didn’t need to question it. The punishment would be swift, commensurate with the crime. This is where she got to take creative license. An ironic sentence for those like her, those who hadn’t believed in anything while they were alive.
She made her way over to him as he gently flipped the coin between his fingers. He had stolen it from the monastery and no one even knew it was gone. He didn’t really want it that badly, but he knew it would impress his school friends. Now he didn’t want to keep it, to hold on to it, because he thought it was bad luck.
He got up, he better get back to the bus before they missed him. He didn’t need to draw more attention to himself. He started a slow trot down by the water.
She watched closely as he picked up speed. It was a small movement, not enough for the naked eye to see, but suddenly a small branch crept out and tangled under his feet. The boy went flying through the air, the coin flew out of his hand and plunged into the water as he hit the ground chin first. He gasped to catch his breath, the wind knocked out of him. He propped himself up with his arms and as he came around, he tasted blood in his mouth. Instinctively, he reached up and felt the warm blood drip down between his fingers and on to his crisp white shirt. His grandmother wasn’t going to be happy. Upon further inspection, he noticed both his knees scraped up, as well.
She came out of nowhere and knelt down to offer him a hand up. Her long, flowing silvery cape draped elegantly around her. She smelled good, of vanilla and honey. He deeply inhaled as he allowed her to help him to his feet. His eyes flooded with tears, but he didn’t want her to see him cry.
“You’re okay,” she said in a motherly tone. She looked at him with wise eyes, her arms held him in a warm embrace. “Did you lose something?”
He looked at her wide-eyed, did she know? He slowly nodded his head, unable to lie. He so rarely received this kind of attention.
She pulled the coin out from beneath the folds of her cape and held it up for him to see. “It’s okay, I’ll return it back if you promise it won’t happen again.”
Stunned by her beauty and clairvoyance, he silently agreed.
“There are better things in store for you, my love. Don’t forget it.” She gave him a gentle hug and turned him around to continue back to the bus.
When he looked back, she was gone.