;; a different path to atonement

"Oh!" Vasilissa exclaims, jumping graciously to her feet. She quickly inspects the area and brushes a fold of her dress, in case - you never know - someone is watching. Getting her composure back, she relocates the unfortunate hedgehog she was about to sit on and, finally, manages to sit down.

Tiredness took its toll. She has been rowing upstream for a week now, right from the sea, but she got distracted by a pool of shiny fishes and smashed the little boat against some rocks. From a distance, this place looked like it was inhabited - food, warm bed, a bath and mayhaps aromatic massage...but now it seemed to her there will be no such thing in this poor place.

But Vasilissa is not the type to get discouraged nor upset. So she waits. Surely, something good will come her way; if not, she'll go find it on the morrow.