Tears fell on the flowers she carried in her hand. It was supposed to be good luck for the bride to cry. Pearl was afraid, though, that no amount of luck could save her. Pearl stood at the fruit cart, trying hard to ignore the fact that she was only a stone’s throw away from the blacksmith’s forge. She tried to pretend she couldn’t hear Thomas’s booming voice as he greeted passersby. It wasn’t working. Chills danced up her spine. “Well, are you going to buy something or just stand there gawking?” asked the lady minding the cart. Pearl jumped and muttered an apology. She hurriedly picked out what she wanted, filled her basket with fruit, and paid for it. She started to turn, wishing to be away from the blacksmith, A stone twisted under her foot, though, and she fell headlong, apples spilling out across the ground in front of her. Stunned, she lay for a moment, willing the earth to open and swallow her.
