Tales of the Grimmherson

Knock, knock.

Rosalind Grimmherson's grandmother only ever knocked twice. Waking up just at sunrise may be a hard thing, but facing the wrath of an elderly lady was definitely worse.

She shivered as her bare feet touched the cold surface of the floor. The tiny apartment was the same one where her mother had grown up, and it only housed two people. Rosalind's room was also her mother's, but the only remnants of her existence was the old bookshelf and the worn books on it.

Breakfast was quieter than usual, her grandmother's wrinkled face creased with worry. The tension in the air was almost tangible. "Grandmother-" Rosalind began, but her grandmother had risen.

"Rosalind, you must prepare," she said simply before silently clearing the table.

Rosalind didn't complain when her plate, still filled with food, was taken away. Her appetite had been dwindling in the weeks leading up to that day, and even the sight of food could make her nauseous. She laughed dryly to herself when she thought of cake, the typical food one would eat on a special day of the year - a birthday.

Fifteen years is special in the Grimmherson family. On the fifteenth birthday of the youngest female of the Grimmherson birthday, she would set out on a quest, bearing the responsibility of past generations. If she returned due to any reasons, it was customary to wait another fifteen years before setting out again. Rosalind's mother had set off on her second journey, coming back only for her husband. Rosalind had never met her father before, since he died before she was born due to a chronic illness.

Perhaps it was his death that caused Rosalind's mother to go out on her journey again. Or perhaps it was the call of the unknown that drew her mother back to the world. It didn't matter to Rosalind, who never knew any of her parents. Grandmother Grimmherson was her caretaker, and the stern woman was all Rosalind needed.

To her surprise, she found tears streaming down her face. Tomorrow was her fifteenth birthday, and she was leaving the one person she truly cared about. The enchanted gold-embroidered rucksack was a family heirloom given to the youngest female of each generation. It would serve as a vessel for her meager luggage and have use to aid Rosalind in times of distress.

She was forbidden to leave the house until it was time for her journey, so Rosalind decided to read a book. Electronics weren't allowed in the household, but Rosalind didn't mind. To her, books were more than enough. She spun around three times with her eyes shut and randomly pulled a book from the large bookcase. It was a simple method she had devised as a child to choose a book to read. Since she was a bit indecisive about choosing a book (all of them were her favorite), this method made the decision quickly and effectively.

<<The Book of Tales>> the cover read in glittering gold text. The name was not the most creative, but the contents consisted of dramatic and insightful tales from around the world. Rosalind smiled in anticipation despite having read the book many times. Fairy tales never failed to soothe her from the stress of the real world. Going into a world where the laws and restrictions of humans didn't apply, and she was free to dream about the impossible.

Before she knew it, it was dinnertime. Since she was homeschooled, it was not uncommon for her to spend the entire day reading. She gingerly placed the thick book down on her desk before entering the kitchen. The meal was silent as before. Rosalind was slightly relieved she didn't have to say anything, because she worried about what words would come out of her mouth. Her grandmother rarely talked about the days leading up to her journey, only talking about the highlights of the journey itself. Rosalind presumed it was something similar to her current situation.

Rosalind couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned, thinking of the "big day" tomorrow. Her hands clenched into tight fists as she thought of Grandmother Grimmherson being all alone in this tiny apartment. In an attempt to distract herself, Rosalind continued reading the book from before.

Rosalind woke up from a strange dream. Somehow, she managed to fall asleep sometime during the night. Still slightly shaken by the disturbing dream, she hadn't realized that her grandmother didn't wake her up. She scrambled to her feet, rushing down to the kitchen. She was about to apologize to her grandmother when she saw the empty kitchen. She glanced at the clock worriedly.

The clock turned to 6:00 just as she looked at it. She heard the creak of a door upstairs, followed by two short knocks.