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I edged down, keeping low and out of sight--unless, of course, there was so out the , in which case, I was totally busted But nobody spottedes growing along the side of the cottage

I stole a peek She was old, eathered skin that’d been so thinned by the years, it see from her bones Row after row of mud-brown cloaks billowed in the breeze, and she worked her way down the line, reaching in her basket, pulling out a cloak, pinning it up, stepping over, reaching down, and so on Each robe was the sa down the back They looked like soht’ve worn

She huave e to show es "Excuse me…hi?"

Her wizened face burst into cartoonishly wide-eyed shock, her nearly lipless andblack hole She looked like a witch carved froesture of Relax; it’s cool, but unfortunately she wasn’t acquainted with universal gestures, because she shrieked the kind of shriek generally associated with haunted house tours

Crap I put a finger tofor her to be quiet "Sorry, sorry It’s okay" I stepped closer "I’m sorry I scared you I was--"

"Oot nooo" She waved at , "Oot Oot nooo"

Was that even English? I spoke slowly, just in case "I don’tfor--"

Frantic, she shook her head, looking like a ain, so I sped it up The last thing I needed was for this wo ht happen then

"Shh, please don’t scream Do you know--" Ronan, I’d wanted to say, but I stopped myself at the last second For all I knew, this wo off half-cocked through the countryside was exactly what he’d warned me about "Do you know the way back to the beach?" I asked, in the la at er back tohere I’d come from "Ye best oot nooo"

I best out now? Was that what she’d said? Apparently, teeth were for --they also really helped with the whole diction thing

What a twisted, isolated world this was I should’ve learned my lesson with the janitor--old didn’t necessarily mean kindly But now that I was here, I had to know et closer "Who are you?" I brushed ers over the brown fabric "What are these?"

"Fer auld ones Nae touchin’!" She waved her hands at er a ho at her stuff "Shoo!"

Old ones Noere talking I took a tentative step forward "The old ones? Youthe irises expand till her gaze was all watery red and pale blue The vaain, I touched one of the robes--the texture was coarse, like burlap--and she snatched it from me "Antonsmas," she shouted "Antonsmas oonly Dinna touch"

Antonsiven to the festival

I heard men’s voices in the distance Sound would carry across this valley--how far aere they? I spoke quickly "They wear these for the festival?"

"Shoo," she hissed Panic had seized her again but, tellingly, she quieted her voice to a frantic whisper "Go, you Away," she pleaded "Right away"

I heard the voices again The clatter of tools A faraway sla I’d never spot Ronan here, and if I did, would he even clainize uns and dined on girl flesh Later, I’d be sad I hadn’t gotten to see hiun

And so I shooed