Role

Chapter 3

Gjeryxa was never sure why. She suspected, clever girl that she was, that
some sort of transaction was taking place for harboring herself and the other
children, but the motives remained a mystery. One thing which bothered her,
and was the cause of many sleepless nights, staring at the ceiling and
contemplating, was the fact that she had an extra toe on each foot, and an
extra finger on her left hand.

The Lady would sing to her, "Ten on the hand, ten on the toe, one more above,
and two more below," since she could remember, and while she wanted to ask
about the rhyme, she feared doing so, because something in the Lady's eyes
told her that to do so would be to invite more questions rather than answers.

Furthermore, Gjeryxa seemed to be elevated above the other children, treated
like a special gift, and while she had seen some of her brothers and sisters
sent off when they came of age, no one had ever asked her to leave. She
feared that were she to ask about her extra appendages, perhaps she, too,
would be married off, or sent away, and she did not want this. Gjeryxa was
content to explore the hidden places, to observe from afar or interact when
something or someone presented itself, and to continue living her current
life.