Inspiration Struck at 11.50pm!

It is after midnight now, but after a few hours of thinking, I managed to write a little scene to bridge the gap between what I have already written to this point and where I want the action to go. I started it on November 5th, but am posting it early on the 6th! It's another short entry of nearly 700 words, but I am reasonably happy with it. Incidentally, after this post, "Forgotten Children" might need to take a break for a couple of days, while I write some material for an educational publisher in New Zealand. I will try to add a paragraph or two to this story too - but New Zealand are paying me, so they take precedence! In the meantime, here is the next scene...
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Back at her family’s cottage, Charlotte threw herself into her daily chores. It was comforting somehow to complete the mundane tasks that she performed every day. It made her life seem normal again. The regular routine forced her to concentrate on something other than the strange happenings of the past day or two and her fear as to what might be yet to come. But by the time the sun began to set later that afternoon, she felt her heartbeat quicken once more. She moved restlessly around the cottage, wiping her sweaty hands on the front of her shift.

“Charlotte?”
Charlotte jumped at the sound of her mother’s voice.
“Charlotte, what is the matter? You are jumping at shadows today.” The impatience of the morning was long forgotten and her mother now looked at Charlotte with genuine concern.

Charlotte shook her head. “It is nothing, Mama,” she said.
“You are lying to me, my girl. Are you not?” said her mother.“It is a sin to tell a lie.”
“Yes, Mama.” The answer came as a whisper. Charlotte hung her head and her eyes welled up with tears.
Seeing this, her mother took her hand and led her over to the wooden table. She sat down opposite her daughter, but did not let go of her hand. “Now tell me what is troubling you,” she said again.

The words came out in a rush. Barely pausing to draw breath, Charlotte told her mother about her encounter with the owl and the story of the strange ratcatcher that Troy had mentioned. She spoke of the supposed curse on the village and the music that she and Troy had heard on their way home.

When she had finished, Charlotte’s mother thought for a moment before replying. She moved her chair closer to Charlotte’s and gently pulled Charlotte towards her, until the girl’s head was resting on her shoulder. She reached up and stroked her daughter’s hair as she spoke.

“There has been a lot of unrest in the past day,” she began. “It is no wonder that you are feeling unsettled. But I believe that you have been affected by the superstitions and fears of the other people of the town. Troy was foolish to share such a silly story with you.”
“But the ratcatcher – “ said Charlotte.
“Is just a man who traded on the unhappiness of others. He is a trickster, a charlatan. I am glad that Troy’s father and the other members of the Council refused to pay him. So they should.”

“But everything has gone wrong since the ratcatcher left.” Charlotte was not convinced and persisted with her argument. “And what about the owl? It spoke to me, Mama. I knew I should look away from it, but I could not.”
“It was only a dream,” said her mother. “You did not really see the owl, I am sure of it.”
“No Mama, others saw the owl too,” said Charlotte. “I was not the only one.”
“Owls in this part of the world are perfectly common,” said her mother. “We have seen them before this.” She sighed. “It seems as if too many people in the village have been spooked by this ratcatcher and suddenly they believe themselves cursed.” Gently, she lifted Charlotte’s head from her shoulder and forced her daughter to look at her. “Listen to me,” she said. “Perhaps the screech of an owl cut into your dreams and caused you to imagine the whole encounter. The ratcatcher has gone and will not be back. You are safe and will continue to be safe. I do not want you to waste another minute on this nonsense. ” She stood up from the table. “Come on,” she said. “I need you to help me with supper.”

Charlotte did as her mother asked, but all through the rest of the evening, she worried. When at last she got into bed, she was sure she would not get a wink of sleep. What if Mama is wrong, she thought. How will I resist the owl if it comes for me again?