"Who is this girl?" thought Drew to himself, as he gazed perplexedly at the performance showing upon the outdoor Acting Guild stage "I am not sure if I have seen her before."

The girl with multi-colored hair moved across the stage with the grace of a jester. He supposed it was likely that she did so, as her part in the play was that of comic relief. Though he was enjoying her performance, it was nearing the end of the show and Drew was squirming at where he sat upon the crowd bench. There came a low growling churn from his stomach. Dinner, now five hours late, was calling to him.

"Aria and I still have to eat." he thought, as he looked up to the silky purple sky. It was twilight. Most places would be closed by now, and they still had a long carriage ride home. Drew looked over to his right; sitting next to him was his wife, Aria. She had a ear-to-ear grin on her face, from the hilarious acting coming from the stage. Drew tried to comfort himself where he sat. He knew that if she was enjoying the performance, then it would be a calm night. Food could wait a just little bit more, as long as she was enjoying herself, and it was nice to see her happy from time to time.

There was a little more downtime after the show ended, as people, both actors and attendants alike, gathered to converse with each other before the nightly departure from the Guild Arena. In the thick mess of the sold out crowd, Drew misplaced Aria’s whereabouts. Turning his head left and right, to view where she could have gone to, he then hastily turned around and came face to face with the girl with the multi-colored hair. They both stood for a moment, staring at each other for a brief second or two, before Drew finally smiled and stretched out his hand towards her.

"You did a wonderful performance!" he amply expressed over the very vocal crowd.

"Thank you!" she replied just as loud, reaching out to shake his hand.

There was another brief pause, as they both looked into each others eyes. The contact was short again, only a second, but seemed to last for minutes on Drew’s end. The rapid yet intimate ogling they had with each other seemed bonding in such a way that made Drew feel a sense of calmness, serenity and longing. He wanted to say more to her, but pulled his hand away, as he began to feel slightly awkward. He then looked down at the ground and walked away, mumbling "It was very good." He did feel as though her eyes were still on him as he headed away.

Aria finally made her way into Drew’s field of vision. He then headed over to her and, as not to intrude on her conversation with another attendant, he pointed his finger up at the night sky. She looked at him and nodded in understanding. It was dark and they both had a hefty ride home. Drew then made his way out to the lot, where the horses, buggies and carts were stationed, to prep their horses and carriage for the ride home.

As the horses galloped along, pulling the carriage behind them, Drew viewed the sky again. The sky was dark as they left the Guild Arena. Luckily, the moon was full and gave all silhouettes around them a bright blueberry hue. Off in the distance, a lantern from the town tavern flickered.

"Care for a bite?" asked Drew. Aria off in the distance towards the tavern.

"I am a but hungry." she replied "Do you have enough on you?"

"We should be good to go" Drew said, as he jingled the reins to hasten the horse carriage.

Perhaps he would be able to see that girl again, if she were eating at the tavern as well, for Drew knew that the Guild frequents the there after each performance. There was something strange about her, but he could not put his finger on it. If anything, it was nothing more than to just peek his interest in knowing someone knew. He knew he would never have a chance with her; he was a newlywed.

"Regardless, who would go out me him anyway?" he thought to himself.

One Hungry Pup was a rustic old tavern on the outskirts of town, which sold some of the best tasting dishes in the area. Their main hit, among all the locals, was their Stout-n-Steak Pie. As usual, Drew and Aria ordered one to share, along with a braggot, which is a beer made from honey, and Drew and a hard apple cider for Aria. Sitting at a table for two, and illuminated by nothing more than candlelight, Drew and Aria begin to dive into their meal. Drew, while forking his tender steak chucks into his mouth, occasionally glanced over to where the large crew of the Guild members where conglomerated together. Though he recognized a few friendly faces, there was no sign of the girl with multi-colored hair. He turned back to Aria who was smiling at and devouring her slice of pie. At least she was happy.

The rest of the ride home was Drew opened the front door of his house and walked inside. The horses were now back in their stalls, well fed, and the carriage was all covered up for the evening. He removed his heavy black cloak and hung it up on the jacket post. The fireplace was already kindled, as Aria stoked the hot ashes and placed a teapot over the flames.

"Lavender? Rose?" she asked.

"Lavender with honey, please." as he removed his boots and sat down at the kitchen table for one final sip of fluid before sleep.

The bed sheets were cold, but Drew preferred it that way. He enjoyed the thin sheets over him, almost cooling his body from the late summer heat. Fall was coming soon and he looked forward to the end of the year. Both he and Aria did. They loved the colors of the leaves, the cool drizzly breeze in the air and the earthy dirt smell that comes with the wet ground. As Drew snuggled into bed next to Aria, he could not help but think that earlier that evening. That introductory handshake. That brief, yet intimate, eye contact from both parties. That curiosity as to who she was and if she was pondering the same thing...and why; why this curiosity? This wild drifting mind of his kept him awake into the wee hours of the morning.

Next Chapter: Chapter Two