The Haunted Traveler Vol 1 Issue 2

found a patrol of several colonial soldiers approaching
the house upon her return. She stopped in her tracks.
Taking a moment to assess the threat, Sarah considered
bolting to the brook and running off with Hannah.
They wore makeshift uniforms but were
cleaner than the Hessians. A soldier stepped away
from the rest of them, waving for the others to stand
fast. Glancing up at the chimney, he stared at the
white brick with black trim around the top layer. Sarah
dropped the bucket and started to flee.
“Wait!” he called. “We’re not here to harm
you.”
His voice wasn’t threatening. Sarah stopped
and turned to look him over. The soldier’s rifle remained
strapped to his back. She noticed that the others
were lingering about carefree, seemingly waiting
for him to finish some sort of inquiry.
“What is it that you want?”
“Just need to ask you a few questions,
Ma’am.”
“Alright then.”
The lead soldier stepped a little closer while
the others chatted on the path a ways from the house.
They were going out of their way to not appear threatening,
as if under some orders. Sarah walked toward
their leader and stopped ten feet away.
“Have you seen two Hessian soldiers come
through here lately?”
“There’s nobody that come through here.”
The soldier canted his head in disbelief. He
looked into her eyes carefully, searching for the truth;
his gaze was soft and kind. “What happened to your
9