The Missing Hunter
by K. A. Williams
It was almost dark, and I was waiting at the edge of our village for my husband to return from hunting. The other hunters came out of the woods and hurried past. Orcas, his closest friend, was the last one out. He came over to me. “I’m very sorry, Tayron, but I have bad news. Harus is dead.”
Tears welled up in my eyes. “What happened to him?”
“We were hunting near the river, and I saw him slip and fall in. I ran along the riverbank looking for a way to catch him but I was too slow and he was carried downstream. I saw him disappear under the water.”
I wiped the tears from my face. “That doesn’t mean he’s dead.”
Orcas put his hand on my shoulder. “There is a waterfall downriver. He couldn’t have survived the drop.”
“Well, I’m not giving up,” I said. “I’m going to look for him.”
“I would go with you if I thought there was a chance he is still alive. But I need to hunt all I can now before the weather grows cold and the animals hibernate.”
“I’ll search alone then; I don’t believe he’s dead. He’s strong. He could have fought the current and got out before the waterfall.”
“Go if you must but be watchful of the big animals. The river runs along on the left side of the trail which ends at another village. My cousin, Syntak, owns a tavern there. Tell him of me and he will give you food and shelter.”
* * *
I started out just after daybreak. The trail was clear and close to the river, but I left it to search along the riverbank. I rested several times, sitting on downed trees or stumps. Luckily, I didn’t see any large animals, just squirrels and birds.
It wasn’t until I was in sight of the other village that I noticed something caught in a tree branch which hung low over the river. It was brown and looked like it had been torn from the clothes Harus wore.
I would no doubt find him in the tavern chatting with the barmaid and spending coin he’d gotten from selling furs. When I entered, the men sitting at tables with their tankards stopped talking and stared at me.
A man came over before I had a chance to look around. “I’m Syntak, the owner. Women don’t usually come in here unless they’re looking for their husbands.”
“I am looking for my husband. My name is Tayron. I came from the village upriver. Your cousin Orcas said you would give me food and shelter.”
Syntak smiled. “Did he now? Of course I will. How is he?”
“He is well.”
“And do you see your husband in here?”
I looked around and with much relief said, “Yes,” and pointed to Harus. “What is he doing behind the bar?”
“He came in here last night with a knot on his head and no memory of who he was or where he was from. I let him sleep in a small room we sometimes use for storage and gave him a job today.”
“Thank you for taking care of him,” I said to Syntak, then approached the bar.
Harus smiled at me warmly, something he hadn’t done in a while. “Hello. You’re the first female customer I’ve had. I hope they all will be as pretty.”
He hadn’t called me pretty in a long time. Syntak had followed me. “Do you remember this woman?” he asked Harus.
“No, sorry, I still can’t remember anything from before last night.”
“You were hunting with others from our village when you fell in the river. They believed you had drowned but I didn’t. I’ve been looking for you. I’m Tayron, your wife.”
Harus smiled again. “I’m glad I have such a lovely wife, but I’m sorry I don’t remember you.”
Syntak called the barmaid over and introduced us. “This is my wife, Gilet. Tayron is the wife of our stranger. Everyone but her believes that he drowned in the river. She has come from my cousin’s village.”
Gilet said, “You must be exhausted.”
“Please sit down, Tayron.” Syntak indicated a close table. “Gilet will fix the four of us supper.”
* * *
I enjoyed the company of the tavern owner and his wife. Harus was mostly quiet through the otherwise excellent meal, and I wondered if his memory would ever return.
Afterward, Harus and I went to the tiny room where we lay on a bedroll, and I lied when I told him how happy we had been together. I loved my husband even though I was sure he no longer loved me. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have spent so much time in our village tavern when he wasn’t hunting. Also, I had seen the way he looked at my friend Beris who was newly widowed.
When Harus fell asleep, I listened to the tavern sounds grow quieter as I lay thinking. I made a decision and stepped back into the main room where I saw Gilet. “I know you are tired, but I wish to speak with you a minute.”
She yawned and said, “Please make it quick. I need to get some sleep. Our tavern seems to be busy all the time now with it being hunting season. And now my bartender is going home when we could use even more help, like another barmaid.”
“I’ll be your new barmaid,” I said.
She was surprised. “Why don’t you want to return to your village?”
“We weren’t happy together there, but maybe we can be here. Syntak can pass along a message to Orcas later that we’re both okay and living here. It’s up to you though: will you hire me, too?”
She smiled. “I will talk with Syntak and I am sure he will say yes. And you can live at our tavern for now. Both of you deserve a new life.”
Copyright © 2021 by K. A. Williams
