KEEPER OF THE DESERTED ISLAND

THE FIRE

Lady Carolyn took the little baby into the town and went to her house where she grew up before she was sent to the palace to work as a court lady. She took the care of the child upon herself and told everyone that she was her baby.

The baby began to grow and walk, she named her Gaia. She began to exhibit the powers of both her father and mother side. She could walk faster than other toddlers, speak faster and learn better, she has great hearings and can run at a very fast speed, she could read mind and also do many other things better than her age mates which made them all jealous of her

Lady Carolyn realized over time that she was allergic to any product made with beans. Anytime she was fed beans, she would cry all night with all her body swollen and it would take up to three days before she gets well so she stopped feeding her anything related to beans or bean product.

She went to the market one day to get some things needed at the house when she heard that the house next to theirs was on fire

“What are you talking about? Which house is on fire?” she asked grabbing the shoulder of one of the women discussing it

“the house near yours, the one by the right side where the kids gather to play” the woman replied her although she was clearly annoyed at the way she pulled her shoulder suddenly

“What happened? Why is there a fire at a perfectly fine house in just how many minutes?” she questioned further and the lady sighed

“Do you think fire has a notification before it breaks out? The kids at the house were playing with fire near the hay at the back of the house and it caught fire, what do you think will happen when hay meets with fire?” the woman replied almost raising their voice

“What of the kids? Are they safe? The people living in the house too?” she asked with worries so evident in her voice

“If you are worried about that then you should go and check it out yourself, why are you still here interrogating me like I was the one that set the house on fire or I am the one rescuing people, you have a knack for annoying people” the woman yelled at her making her come to her senses and turned to run home instead

she ran all the way back home with all her might to see if her baby was unharmed since she dropped her off at their house before leaving for the market, she got there and scanned everywhere but couldn’t find Gaia

“Where is Gaia? I dropped her off here before going to the market” she asked holding unto one of the occupants in the house

“I don’t know anything about her, maybe ask other kids or their moms” the person replied leaving her alone on the spot to attend to other things

“Gaia… Gaia where are you?” she mumbled as she searched through the place where the kids were kept for safety but couldn’t find her

“Do you know where Gaia is? Have you seen her? Why is she not among you all?” she cried holding unto the kids who started to cry because of the way she was raising her voice at them, one of the kids’ mother saw her and came to intervene

“why are you looking for Gaia here? You should check around or look inside the fire if you can’t find her among the other kids, why are you here bothering the poor kids and making them cry?” the woman yelled at her and pushed her out of the shed

“In the fire you said? Why will she be in the fire? My baby can’t be there! She can’t be alone in that scary and hot place so what are you talking about?” she yelled and ran towards the burning house

“Gaia! My poor baby! Gaia!” she shouted running to the house but was quickly held back by the men

“I have to go inside there, my baby is waiting for me. She’s waiting for me there, she wants me to get her out” she sobbed in the hands of the men who held her back

She was about breaking free when someone shouted from the back that Gaia has been found

“Gaia is here, the one you are looking for is here” the woman notified her and she turned to look at her with immediate effect

The woman was carrying her in her hands and Lady Carolyn ran to retrieve her immediately with smile amidst her tears

“Oh my poor baby! You were alive, thank goodness” she muttered clutching her to her chest and rested her chin on her head in happiness while the poor kid just blinked continuously in her arms

“Where did you find her from? I have looked for her everywhere” she asked with a thankful voice

“She came out of your house with her own feet, she was sleeping all through the commotion but I guess the noise eventually got to her and she woke up to see what was happening” the woman narrated and Lady Carolyn sighed

“I really thought she was left behind in the fire” she stated before bursting into fresh tears

“Thanks for being alive, thanks for making it out of there alive” she cried hugging her the more while Gaia just went silent in her hand

The fire was put out and everyone dispersed to their various houses. Lady Carolyn prepared a meal for Gaia and herself and set it on the table so they could eat since she was already capable of eating by herself even though it was still messy. She fed her to the fullest and made sure to ask several times if she wanted more but Gaia shook her head that she was filled up, she packed the plates, washed and arranged them before coming back to meet Gaia who was just staring at the moving spiders on the wall.

She sat down beside her gently and pulled her closer to herself so she could sit on her laps, rocked her softly for a while before clearing her throat

“About today’s incident, don’t you have anything to tell me?” she slowly asked and Gaia looked at her slowly before shaking her head

“Don’t be afraid to speak my darling, I am your mother who will always understand you so you don’t have to be scared of anything. Feel free to tell me what happened” she replied trying to cajole her and she slowly belched before opening her mouth to talk

“What exactly do you want to know?” Gaia asked looking at her

“what happened back there? How did you get out of the fire? You were definitely inside the house” she asked and Gaia just flashed her two front teeth

“The big wolf led me outside before the fire got to me at the shed” she replied and Lady Carolyn raised her brows in confusion

“The big wolf?” she asked again and Gaia nodded to confirm