Revenge is Best Served… After Reborn

The summer night breeze was blissfully cool. I was strolling ahead, and Griffinnoveldrama

was just a step behind me. By this hour, the entire village had settled down for the night. The path was all ours, just Griffin and me, with not another soul in sight. He kept a respectful distance, about a meter away, like a personal bodyguard shadowing my every move.

I was trying to come up with a plan to send Griffin on his way. But he was like a shadow, impossible to shake off. Eventually, I stopped and turned to face him. He halted too, and maybe feeling a bit too close, took a step back.

He was tall, towering a good two heads above me. But he looked so thin and frail. Had he skipped meals for days?

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Let me get you something tasty."

Griffin looked a bit taken aback. In these parts, the watermelons were ripe and ready, and there was some corn too. I dashed into a neighbor's field, grabbed a watermelon, and plucked a couple of ears of corn, handing them over to him. He ate swiftly, yet managed to keep a certain grace about him. Not like the villagers, who devoured their food with gusto, without a care for appearances.

Resting my chin on my hand, I asked, "Where are you from?"

He hesitated, the question seemed to stump him.

"Is it far?"

He nodded.

"What about your family?"

Silence.

"Do you not have any family?"

Still, no answer.

"You don't have anywhere to go, do you?"

He nodded slightly.

"Have you thought about where you might head next?" I gently coaxed, hoping to get some insight into his past.

But Griffin set the corn down, his voice soft, "I'll follow you."

His words caught me off guard.

"Follow me?"

"You saved me, so you're my master now. I'll stick with you."

With that, Griffin placed the corn aside and kneeled before me, saying, "I'll do whatever you say, whatever you need."

"Why are you kneeling?" I quickly helped him up, thinking, oh boy, this is going to be a challenge. Was he trying to attach himself to me out of gratitude? Griffin, however, seemed to find nothing odd in his actions. He continued, "You're my master, this is my way of showing loyalty."

"Kneeling shows loyalty?"

"I could cut off a finger."

He raised his hand earnestly, and that's when noticed he was already missing a pinky. Realizing he was serious, quickly pressed his hand downl never said I wanted to be your master, nor did I ask for any sacrifices!"

"From today on, I only listen to you."

Griffin's eyes were clear and sincere, with not a hint of doubt. I wanted to tell him to leave, to order him never to return. Another mouth to feed in the village was a burden, especially when I could barely support myself.

"You can stick around, but there are conditions," I said, my mind racing for solutions. "First, I can't pay you."

"Okay."

"I'll provide meals, but you'll have to work for it."

"Okay."

"Sleeping space is tight, you'll have to make do on the floor."

"Okay."

"At home, you must behave and not stir up trouble."

"Okay."

"That's it, I'll handle the rest."

"Okay."

As Griffin agreed to each term, I realized I'd walked into a bit of a predicament. Aunt Mary wasn't the easiest person to win over, and bringing Griffin into the fold felt like inviting trouble.