Once I arrived, I quickly hopped off Lady and entered the bakery. Thankfully, Grandpa Ben was in. “Grandpa Ben!” I called as I rushed over to him. People stared with judgment eyes but I didn’t care. I needed to get to the bottom of everything. 
My voice was loud enough. It made Grandpa Ben turn to my direction. “Robert!” he smiled. He walked to me, wiping his hands with his apron. “I didn’t expect that you would be back so soon. It’s always a delight to see you.” 
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Grandpa Ben,” I returned a smile. “Your creations are something that’s out of this world. It has left me wanting more.” 
“But I know that’s not the main reason whenever you come and visit. Isn’t that right, son?” he asked, teasing with his look. I laughed nervously as I scratched my nape. It may have been too obvious, I supposed. Laura has always been the excuse for me to come here. 
“I can’t hide anything from you, Grandpa Ben,” I sighed. “You already know too much about me.” 
He crossed his arms as he smirked. “Your mouth can try and hide the truth. But your eyes give everything away.” 
I shook my head, chuckling. I was never born a good liar. And I thought I already took enough lessons to be better at it. Alas, I’m still terrible at it. “I don’t want to waste your time, Grandpa Ben. I can see that the bakery is full of customers again,” I said, looking briefly at the crowd. “I want to ask if you know where Laura’s been hiding.” 
“Hmm,” he rested his chin on his knuckles, thinking. “Have you tried looking in places where she could possibly go?” 
“Yes, I did. But she wasn’t there,” I said. 
Grandpa Ben started thinking once more. This town isn’t huge, which makes no sense as to why we don’t know where she was going. I’m at the point of defeat because there’s only one place in this town that we shared together. And that’s the field. 
After a while of thinking, he replied, “She probably visited the swamps of Dashury.” He then smiled at me, putting his hands behind him. 
“Dashury? I asked, baffled.
Dashury was once a flourishing village in the plains. It stood a few miles from this town. According to the stories, it was a utopia, a peaceful place. However, a mysterious fire destroyed everything. It left nothing behind but ashes. Since the day it was burnt, it was abandoned and nobody dared to live there again. No one would even enter, fearing that the former town has been cursed. 
Grandpa Ben nodded. “Laura has some kind of connection with the abandoned town. For some reason, she’s always been fascinated with that place. If she can’t be found within the town, surely she’s there.” 
“Thank you, Grandpa Ben,” I smiled. I then mounted Lady and rode to Dashury as fast as possible. 
♔♔♔ 
We finally arrived in Dashury and upon entering, the burnt remains of the town filled the air. My heart broke as we made our way through the entrance. Everything was nothing but ashes. Most of the houses were gone. A few remained but they were burnt entirely on the inside. Scraps of clothes scattered. Bones of the dead can be seen everywhere. 
This was once the most colorful place in this realm, some said. Now, it’s nothing but a forgotten memory, a myth that people are afraid to speak about. 
After a horrifying scene, I noticed a swamp behind a row of houses. I hopped down and headed towards it. As I reached it, a small pier appeared with a boat tied to it. I expected to see floating corpses or crocodiles on the water. But all I saw was the dark color of green that conquered the murkish water. 
I stood on the pier and called out. “Laura? Laura, are you here?” I waited for a reply but all I heard was my echo. “Laura?!” 
“Robert?” a soft voice spoke behind me. I turned my head… and there she stood. With her was a sack that was about the height of her legs. 
I immediately stepped down from the pier and rushed over to her. “I found you,” I remarked, relieved. “I can’t believe I finally found you,” I continued, unable to contain the happiness within me. I wanted to hold her but I didn’t. All I could do was look at her from top to toe continuously, satisfied that she’s now in front of me. 
“I didn’t expect that you would look for me,” she said, confused. “How did you know I was here? This place is very far from town, perhaps even from the entrance to your realm.”
“It doesn’t matter how I knew,” I replied, moving closer to her. “I rode all this way to find you… because I need to talk to you.” 
She took a deep breath, looking around us. “Would you like to go on a boat ride?” she asked, turning back to me. 
“Of course,” I nodded. I offered to carry the sack but she insisted on doing it. I didn’t argue with her and simply followed her onto the boat. I settled across her and she grabbed the oars, slowly rowing away from the pier. 
“I’m surprised this place doesn’t faze you,” she spoke, looking elsewhere but on me. “Most people are scared to even think about this place.” 
“I should be the one saying that,” I grinned. “There’s no one here. The nearest town is in mere miles. You should be the one who’s afraid of this abandoned town.” 
“Should I be scared of the place where I used to live?” she answered softly, looking at me. 
I was stunned. We remained silent for a moment as she continued rowing. How would she be able to live here? The people said this town was burnt ages ago. That would make her too old. “How is that even possible?” I asked. “The stories said this was abandoned even before I was born.” 
She chuckled. “People are still gullible with false information. Story-tellers would exaggerate the truth to make things even more dramatic,” she replied. “And in this case, that was done to make this place seem like it’s haunted. 
“But you said you were from an orphanage. How were you able to confirm that this was your birth place?” I asked. 
“Once I was tasked with scrubbing the library floor when I heard some of the workers talking about certain children in the home. Their conversation ranged from the eldest children and then, to the newest ones. I was one of them,” she explained. “They said that the people who brought me to the orphanage explained my origins. It was also explained to Grandpa Ben and he was kind enough to tell me the truth.” 
“According to the people who found me,” she added, “I was the only surviving member of this village.”