It was the same woman, the same time of day. But now she was married, with several children. Her husband had asked her for sugarbuns in the morning, and she loved him so. So even though it was late, and the market closing, she went to the market anyway and paid an extra high price. The sugar and flour on her arm, she walked quickly and nervously through the dark. A door opened, light spilling across her tight features. She remembered that day, long ago, when Artemis had saved her, and flinched. An older man came out, dressed in velvet stretching across his potbelly. He grinned and came over to her, reeking of alcohol. She shrieked and ran, but she could not run as fast as him in her skirts.
“Artemis!” she screamed, but she knew the goddess of maidens would not help her.
“Mark! Mark!” she then cried. But her husband was sleeping, several blocks away.
“Please sir,” she gasped then. But the man only grinned ferally. In the shadows, a cat sadly shook its head and faded out of sight, called by a maiden for help.