The Devil's Trap

Back Again

Silvana woke sometime after she had fallen asleep, groggily opening her eyes. She lay facing the wall, having turned over at some point in her sleep, her hair a mess and sticking to her face. She had needed the rest, and in the silence of the small village, she had gotten quite a nap. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Silvana yawned and sat up. She'd fallen asleep with her clothes on as well, but it had been bearable enough for her to get the rest she needed. Looking at her gloves, she could see that the one that covered her left arm had slipped down some. 

The small metal bands that protruded from its hem showed the beginning of the top of the smooth prosthetic metal arm that the leather concealed. Sliding the glove off, Silvana exposed the coppery finish to the dim light of the room. With a sigh, she set the glove aside, turning her arm over and flexing her fingers. There was a soft, metallic clanking as her fingers brushed against each other, though the movements themselves didn't make much sound. The shape of the prosthetic was much Silvana's original arm, though instead of flesh and bone, the man responsible for building it had used metal and machinery. Running her right hand over the metal of her wrist, she closed her eyes. Memories of the incident that had left Silvana without her arm began to flood in, her face twisting in anguish. A knock on the door broke her from her thoughts, her head snapping up and toward the door. "I'll be right there," She said, grabbing her glove and hastily pulling it back on to cover the metal once more. Getting up from the bed, Silvana went to the door. When she opened it, a young girl of about ten or eleven smiled up at her from the other side. 

"Hello! My father sent me to see if you were settling in well. He hadn't seen you leave your room after you checked in, and he just wanted to be sure you were alright," The young girl spoke.