Garden Of Poison

Amidst the cheerful chirping of birds outside the window, a young woman sat at her desk, penning a letter.

"Catalina, where are you?" a voice called from outside the house.

"I am here!" the woman responded, and the door to her room swung open.

"Writing letters again?" Isabella asked, coming to stand beside her. "I told you it was unsafe to pass messages like this. You don’t know if he is an old man, or someone deceiving you."

Catalina offered a smile in response to her younger sister’s remark, and she said, "I don’t believe he falls into either of those categories, and I have been careful to not share my real name, but use an alias instead, in case he does prove to be crazy. But I am thinking of giving him my true name when we meet."

"And you don’t even know how this man Dante looks," Isabella pointed out before picking up the letter to read it. "He says he knows how to cultivate land, and chase sheep. Have you fallen for a shepherd or a farmer?"

"Does it matter?" Catalina asked, taking the letter back and folding it. She was aware that a connection had developed between them, even if she hadn’t openly confessed her feelings. "From what I know, he seems to be a man who articulates his thoughts well and is straightforward. He said he wants to meet me, and he plans to visit in three weeks."

Isabella hugged her sister, and said, "Well, there’s no one here who suits me, so I might as well move when you do. You won’t send me away, will you?"

"Why on earth would I? I am sure you will find someone suitable wherever we end up," Catalina assured her, adding, "Let me go and post this one."