Tobias walked through the village square and towards the butcher shop. He had come into town to buy enough meat to last a week, and he intended to do so and leave, before anyone noticed him. The villagers had never liked him much, especially not after his sister died.

She was the only reason they put up with him, and with her gone, there was nothing to hold them back. Everyone hated Tobias, and no matter what he did, that would never change. At the exact moment Tobias was born, a lunar eclipse had taken place. That in itself would have been enough to cause animosity towards him-the villagers were a very superstitious lot.

That wasn’t the worst of it. His mother had died while bringing him into the world – and to the villagers, that signified that there was something wrong with Tobias. That was the reason he wanted to get out of the village so badly – to avoid the glares, the whispers, the irrational hatred.

So Tobias hurried towards the butcher’s shop, and wished he didn’t have to go at all.