Peeling herself from the pillow, Mira crept across the floor like a silent cat. “Please keep the noise to a minimum,” the voice of Master Luke echoed in her head from yesterday as the wooden floorboard creaked with every step. Grabbing the sheet of paper that sat on the cupboard, she exited the room and made her way to the main lobby of the inn.

“Good morning Lady...”

“It’s Mira, what’s yours?”

“My name is Tres, Lady Mira.”

“Please, no need for the formalities, were both the same age and I’m not anywhere near to being a noble,” Mira said with a wide smile.

“Well, Mira, you're up earlier than expected and breakfast won’t be ready for quite a while, but if you're hungry now, I can go warm up some food from last night’s dinner.”

“No, that alright,” Mira said, walking over to a torchlit table near the edge of the room. Unfurling the paper on the table, Mira scratched at her head as she wondered what Master Luke was trying to tell her. “I need you to get these out tomorrow,” he had said when coming back from the tavern half asleep. After scribbling on the paper for a few minutes, he laid it on the counter next to Mira then slowly proceeded to trudge back to his bed and pass out.

“Tres, do you think you can help me figure this out.”

“What do you need help with,” Tres said while whipping down the tables.

“Master Luke left me instructions on this paper, but I have no idea what any of it means.”

Walking over to the corner table, Tres looked down at the paper, and after squinting at the random line criss crossing across the page, she walked over to the reception desk. Pulling out a half-used candle, she hovered it over one of the still burning torches and placed it next to the parchment.

“Oh, that much better,” Mira said.

“Any idea what any of this means?” Tres said, pointing to a set of random words.

“It all looks like children’s scribblings.”

Taking a bit of time to connect the dots, or in this case the crudely drawn squares on the paper, Tres pointed to a shape that somewhat resembled a star. “I think this is the map of the town,” Tres said, pointing to a bunch of different squares. “This must be the inn, and across the street with this weird line here, that must be the tavern. And… I think that’s the animal pen and the butcher next to it,” she said, darting her fingers across the page.

“Yeah, I think I can see it,” Mira said, redrawing some of the shapes on the map.

“What do you think the numbers in the boxes mean?”

“Um… I’m not too sure,” Mira said.

“Maybe he wants you to visit each one in order?”

“No, I don’t think that’s it. He told me he needed something delivered, but what exactly? Does he mean money?” Mira pondered.

“Does he mean those crates from yesterday? I remember seeing numbers on the boxes as I was loading the cart into the stable.

“Yes,” Mira said excitedly. “Tres what are you doing today?”

“Well… mostly cooking and clea...”

“Do you want to join me in delivering the crates? Those things are really really heavy and I don’t think I can do it myself. Also, you’re the only one that can kinda read this thing,” Mira said, pointing to the map.

“I’m not sure if my mom would let me do that.”

“What if you told your mom it was to help Master Luke.”

“Well… I could ask.” Getting up from the table, Tres moved towards a door leading to what Mira would presume to be the inn’s kitchen. After a few minutes, Tres came back looking quite excited. “She said yes.”

Hitching the horses to the cart, the two made their way towards the middle of town. Pulling out the map, Mira pointed to the tavern. “Looks like Master Luke has already delivered to the tavern. The next closest building seems to be that one.”

“That’s the smithy,” Tres said.

“I’m surprised such a small town has a smithy.”

“This town used to serve as a trade depot during the war. While they don’t make many weapons anymore, they still make lots of tools for farming and crafting.”

After a short ride, the two girls hopped off the cart and scoured the back for the correct box. “Here it is,” Mira said, pointing to a box with the number four carved into the wood next to the latch. With their combined effort they pushed the box off the cart with a resounding thump as it landed in the snow.

Exiting the building, a towering man that was a head higher than Mira paced over to the box. Extending his arm, he gave Tres a huge as he wondered why there was a large box sitting outside his smithy.

“Hey, Uncle Berry. We have a package for you from Master Luke.”

“Ah...,” Berry said, shaking his head knowingly. Grabbing the box by one corner, he easily pushed it through the door. “Come in girl, you must be cold.” Setting out two cups, he grabbed a pitcher that was sitting above the furnace. Pouring a dark brown liquid, he pushed the cups into their hands.

“So where is Luke? Shouldn’t he be delivering the packages instead of two young girls?”

“Master Luke is still sleeping,” Mira said. “He stayed up all night drinking.”

“I remember, the town does go a bit crazy once he delivers the booze to the tavern,” Berry said, popping the box open. “Ah, he remembered.” Pulling out a freshly cut apron, he quickly discarded the old one he was wearing which had so many holes in it, Mira questioned its viability to guard against anything. Digging deeper in the box, he pulled out multiple sets of shiny new smithing tools. Neatly setting them on a small countertop next to his current set, Berry patted at Mira’s shoulder.

“Luke always treats me so kindly, since he’s not here, please give him my thanks.”

“I will,” Mira said, finishing up the bittersweet drink. “We have a lot more boxes to deliver, so we must take our leave.” Hopping back on the cart, Mira reopened the map. “Looks like we have a few options.”

“What about this one?” Tres pointed. “This one is taking five boxes. When we drop these off, it should make the cart a lot lighter for the horses.”

“Good thinking.”

Riding towards the edge of town, Mira was somewhat bewildered by the large building. Unlike the all wooded buildings in town, this one had a large circular brick tower set in the middle of a wooden structure.

“That used to be the old fort. After the war, it was repurposed as the town’s orphanage.”

“Why does a small town like this one have an orphanage.”

“The death of the demon king twenty years ago caused quite an uproar,” Tres said. “Monster and demon from all around came seeking his territory. Many towns were destroyed as a result of the rampage. While not every monster was slain, a majority of them have been taken care of by the king’s army. It has only been a few years since this town has seen peace, and while its a small town, there are a number of towns near this one that have seen the same ruin. Due to having such a large unused building, our town decided to convert it to an orphanage because of the safety it grants while also being able to have children help maintain its upkeep.

“Makes sense,” Mira nodded.

Pressing forwards, they pulled up to a moderately sized wooden building, its body cut into a hollowed-out semicircle as it met the stone building in the middle. With two quick knocks, the door gently opened to a woman dressed in a thick leather coat.

“What can I do for you?” the woman asked, her voice raspy from age.

“We're here to drop off some packages from Master Luke,” Mira said.

“Oh, is Luke not here for that?” the woman asked.

“No, he’s still asleep at the inn from yesterday's drinking,” Mira repeated.

“You girls come in, I’ll get some of the boys to help bring in the boxes.” Calling out a couple of names, four boys came rushing down a spiral staircase in the back of the brick building. “So what is your name?”

“My name is Mira.”

“What a lovely name,” the woman replied. “My name is Barla, It’s so nice to see such a fine young lady helping out Luke.”

“Thank you,” Mira said, feeling a bit sheepish from the compliment.

“Were done,” one of the boys shouted. The large hall of the fort now brimmed with noise as dozens of children rushed in from multiple different corridors, several of them looking like they had just jumped out of bed. One by one, they all started to get into a neat row, each one starting at Mira with anticipation.

“Go on dear, hand them out,” Barla said, pointing to one of the boxes.

Not sure what to make of this, Mira walked up to the box numbered one of five and slowly unlatched the basic lock. Inside the box were weird looking paper packages that came in a variety of shapes and colors. Pulling out one, she noticed a small set of text scrawled on the front. “Amilda,” she quickly read out as a little girl around the age of ten exitededly rushed up to her while holding out her hands.

Taking this as a sign, Mira handed the package to the girl. Like a monster, the girl tore into the wrapping and produced several different items, some of which clattered onto the floor. Screaming in excitement, the girl held out multiple different assortments of new clothings along with a small stick that to Mira looked like a wand.

Taking the next package, Mira called out another name. Another girl, her name Tara from the writing on the packaging, came up, but unlike the little girl, she looked a bit older than Mira. Mira watched as the girl took the package and made her way to the back of the room where she meticulously, and without damaging the wrapping, pulled the parcel apart. Inside the parcel was a small white envelope along with a gleaming white and blue coat. Continuing to hand out the packages, she focused her vision on the girl, wondering what was inside the envelope. Soft whimpers, muffled by the excitement of the other children, came out as small dots of tears came flowing down from the girl's face. Closing the letter, she placed it neaty atop her pile as she made her way down one of the corridors.

After completing the first box, Mira shuffled over to the next one and unlocked it. After a few more names, the box was empty of packages, but was still filled with an assortment of other items. Taking one out, Mira could see that it was a book filled with bright pictures and a small amount of text printed at the bottom of each page. “What is this?” she asked, looking over to Barla.

“Those are picture books for the kids. Luke wants to make sure that all the orphans here have every opportunity to succeed. Having them be able to read at such a young age, will help them to procure apprenticeship once they decide to leave,” Barla said, taking a handful of books from the box and walking them over to an already moderate collection of books on a shelf.

“When do the kids leave?” Mira asked, taking her own handful of books.

“Usually around your age,” Barla said. “While some kids decide to stay longer to help run the orphanage, a majority of them leave to find a better life for themselves.”

“What in the other boxes?” Mira asked, after emptying the second box of its contents.

“Mostly food and a few necessities like candles and such,” Barla said, rushing over to two boys who were in the middle of a heated battle with their newly obtained wooden swords. “Will you girls be joining us for dinner?”

“We can't,” Mira said. “We still have a bunch of boxes to deliver.”

“Ah, usually Luke saved this delivery for last since he spends quite some time with the kids. When you get back with him, give him my thanks, and tell him to drop by when he has the chance.”

“I will,” Mira said. Saying goodbye to the kids, the two girls hopped back on the cart and made their way across town delivering several more boxes.

Getting to the last delivery, Mira pondered why Tres hadn't received anything. “Did Master Luke give you anything?”

“He did,” Tres said, showing the same excitement as the kids from the orphanage. Untying the straps of her leather coat, Tres showed off a bright pink under shirt with different odd looking designs dotting the front. “He got me a bunch of new clothes, and he got my mom a whole new set of cooking utensils for the inn.”

“When did he do that?” Mira asked.

“Yesterday while you were taking a bath. Why do you ask? Did you help him pack all the boxes?”

“Honestly, I had no idea he did any of this. Most of the time he just loungest around the shop. I can't grasp when he would have any time to pack so many boxes.”

“That’s kinda hard to believe,” Tres said, her shoulder playfully bumping into Mira.

“If we had more time, I could tell you several days worth of stories that you would not believe,” Mira said, as the cart came to a stop in front of the inn. Entering the warm dining room of the Inn, Mira's whole body slumped down over the table.

“Do you want something to eat, it's already lunch time,” Tres asked.

“How was the delivery?” Luke asked as he hobbled his way down the stairs.

“It was good, Tres helped me navigate the town.”

“Good afternoon Master Luke, would you like something to eat?” Tres asked.

“Please,” Luke let out, taking a seat next to Mira.

Mira had so many questions she wanted to ask him about the deliveries, especially about the girl at the orphanage, but decided it was better to not bombard Master Luke with such questions while he is still feeling groggy from yesterday's event.

“Get plenty to eat, I’m going to be relying on you to drive the cart once we're done eating,” Luke said.

“We're leaving already?” Mira said. “A bunch of people really wanted to meet you before you left town.”

“Don’t worry,” Luke said. “I’ll greet them properly on our way back. I have a meeting I don't want to miss, and if we don't leave now while the sun is still up, we're going to have to drive all night in the freezing cold.”

“Alright,” Mira said, hoping they could stay in town just a bit longer as she really enjoyed her time with Tres.