ASPEN- Chapter Three

Chapter Three-Aspen
I sort of walked around for a while, trying to get my bearings. I might add that I was so loud I couldn’t hear anything when I was walking. There were bushes and shrubs everywhere. Then, at one point, I saw a deer. Me! I saw a deer. It was only about 20 feet away from me so I stopped moving and just stood really still.
It was interesting just watching it go about its business. Occasionally looking up and around then going back to eating from a patch of grass.
Then an arrow came whizzing through the air from behind me and hit it right in the chest. I gave a startled cry while I whipped around to see who shot it. “Sorry you had to see that, miss,” said a guy just about my age while he walked past me to the deer. He was about 6 feet tall and strongly built yet quick and nimble. He had dark hair and light eyes and was slightly tanned.
I just stood there for a moment. I was stunned first of all because I have never seen anything more than a bug die in my life. Second, this guy was weird! I mean he had an old-fashioned arrow and everything. Along with the full out green costume. “What leads you out here?” he asked. “No one comes to these parts, save for Robin Hood and his men,” the stunned look on my face soon turned to a confused grin.
I laughed, “You’re kidding, right? I mean you aren’t serious about the whole Robin Hood and merry men thing?”
“I am completely serious,” he frowned. “What strange dress. I’ve seen none like it before,” he said gesturing to my flip-flops and t-shirt along with my jeans and purse. “It is all very... colorful,” he laughed.
“I don’t see anything to laugh at,” I said crossing my arms and standing very tall. I relaxed, thinking about how hungry I was. “You don’t happen to have any food? I mean, besides that?” I said slowly, pointing to the doe before me.
“Oh, how rude of me. Here, since you do not seem to believe me, I will show you my Robin Hood and his merry men to boot. And yes, we do have food other than this,” he held out his hand. I looked at it. “Sorry, madam, but you did not seem the most graceful back there,” he was right. I took it, letting him guide me through the underbrush to his camp.
I was amazed at how organized the camp was. And how authentic everything seemed. I did not think that I was at the lake, or anywhere near it for that matter. “And this here is the one and only Sir Robin Hood himself,” he said with a flourish. Robin stood up. He was exactly how I would have imagined him. Oh, he was so tall and strong and handsome! He had bright, green, laughing eyes, and sandy hair, and he was wearing his famous hat with a feather in it. I think I melted at the sight of him.
“What be the name of our beautiful visitor?” he asked me.
“A... Aspen. Aspen Rose,” I managed to stammer.
“A charming name for a charming girl,” he said as he glanced at my clothing with a not-too-well-hidden smile. “Do you wish to have new apparel? I don’t mean to insult you, but those are the oddest things I have ever seen on a human, and they are ripped to shreds,” he sounded like my mom. He laughed as I rolled my eyes.
“What do you have?” I asked. I really was curious now because I had never seen anything like this... different world. I figured, hey what do I have to lose?
“Well, all we have really is extra men’s clothes, but they are clean and in good shape,” I thought it would be fun to sort of play dress up since I was here. Don’t ask why, but I got a sort of childlike mentality all of a sudden and I really wanted to see how I would look in old fashioned Robin Hood clothes. They set up my own tent and everything. It was actually pretty nice. Not really what I would have thought. I had so much fun making the green tights and shirt look feminine. In the end it was a knee-length dress that had the tights cut at mid-shin like leggings and a belt going across my middle. I cut the top to drape across one shoulder. And don’t forget the green shoes. They were like cute little moccasins. I was very pleased with myself indeed.
“Now for food,” I said as I walked back to Robin and the others. They had boar’s snout, roasted hare and pheasant, and the King’s venison. I opted for the candy bar in my purse. The name of the one I had met earlier was Leland Turner. I turned to him once to find him looking at me. He turned away quickly, blushing, I looked down and smiled. Maybe spending a while here wouldn’t be so bad.