"Come down, little bird," the long-haired man called to the girl in the tree. "We won't hurt you."
"No, you will." She was young, not stupid. She tried to pull her legs into her robe.
"Alright, we will. But not too badly, and not for long. Maybe just for a night and a morning. Then we'll be on our way.
Or, better yet, we could take you with us. How about it? Six strong husbands and a way out of the city?" The long-haired man smiled as he spoke, then attempted to climb the large tree.
"No, thank you." The girl wanted to cry, but she told herself that staying calm might do her some good.
The long-haired man jumped onto a thick, low-hanging branch. From there, he was almost high enough to reach her feet, but she scrambled higher.
Climbing was much easier for the girl than for the long-haired man; she was far lighter than he was.
If this were a game, the girl would surely win. But unfortunately, this was no game.
