Soon he drifted off to sleep, had he been awake he would have seen the young maiden with golden locks and blue eyes arrive. He misses her since he is napping.

  The maiden approaches the box slowly.  She is afraid when she sees the handsome man asleep nearby.  She opens the chest.

   She smiles when she sees not one, but two letters for her.

   She takes them out and reads them. Something falls at her feet.

   "What is this here?"

  She gasps in surprise when she picks up the object. It is a lovely necklace. She puts it on making sure to hide it under her dress.

    She reads the letters.

         "So, someone named Luka responds to me."

            She wishes she could thank him for the gift.

         Maybe some other time. She places something inside.

  She runs and hides in the shadows.  

       She sees the strange being awaken. She watches him from afar.

          She can't help but notice he looks confused and alone.

        Why does she feel sad now that he is awake?

        She watches him look around.

         What troubles this dear soul?  This Luka has made her dare hope that there is a way out of the unwanted marriage to the Duke.     

         She would speak to him but is too shy.

         Someday, I will be here and I will introduce myself.  Luka, wait for me, she keeps her thoughts to herself as she returns home on a different path than the one she took to the beach.

          She returns to her room glad no one saw her leave. She would be in serious trouble if anyone ever found out. She hid Luka's letters inside a circle box she kept hidden inside a secret compartment in her room.  She glanced at the necklace and sighed. 

       How would she keep anyone else from taking it from her?

      She had a feeling it was a precious heirloom. 

    The next day, she woke up to hear a thud.

  what was that dreadful noise?

  She looked outside and saw the dark sky, full of thunder, and lightning.

       "Keep Luka, safe." She whispered a small prayer to God.

The story continues in Chapter 3  The Correspondence Continues

 Until then,

bye-bye, little owlets!

Summer out!