Oscar pulled back the hat on his head, rubbed the sweat off his forehead and looked at the field around him. Today had been a good day of work, but good days of work were tiring and he was looking forward to resting quietly at home, with dinner. 

That seemed a good plan until his daughter Jael walked up to him. 

“There’s someone at the edge of the field,” she said.

“Oh? What do they want?” 

“I don’t think they want anything,” answered his daughter. “Or, I mean… maybe they do?” 

“What does that mean?” 

“Come and see,” she said. “I can’t really explain.”

So, very intrigued, Oscar followed his daughter to the edge of the field. And, indeed, it was hard to explain what the stranger wanted, if they even wanted something. Father and daughter stopped among their growing crops, looking at the creature who had crouched in the small ditch on the edge of the field.

The stranger wore a dusty yellow coat and a tall collar, the sort that was suited for travel even in this warm weather. They also had a digging stick in one hand and a smaller, thinner stick in the other; they were using the first stick to make a hole right at the edge of the field. 

Oscar looked at Jael. Jael motioned towards the strange, who had yet to react to their arrival. So he cleared his throat, but the stranger didn’t look up. 

“Can I help you?” he asked. 

The stranger made a shushing noise but was otherwise completely still. They seemed to be laying in wait for something to happen, perfectly still as they stared at the hole they had dug up. Not that there seemed to be anything in it other than dirt and a few exposed roots.

Until they suddenly stabbed the ground with their other stick and twisted, exposing the pink coils of a worm. Expertly, they trapped it between their thumb and the stick, before starting to roll it up with both hands. The worm was soon wrapped around the stick, trapped before it could escape, and unbroken on its entire length - it was quite long too.

“Good worm,” said the stranger with a nod.

And they dropped it in a small bucket near them, right among other wiggly worms. Then they looked at the pair towering over them with their wide, bright red eyes. 

“Good worms come from good fields,” they said. “Congratulations.” 

“Thank you?” said Oscar.

“Bad worms are also tasty,” they continued, “but then that is all the farmer eats during the dry season… the worms eat the crops, the farmer eats the worms.” The stranger sighed. “Not poetic.” 

“Found any bad worms?” asked Jael. 

“Plenty, that I did, but not here.” The stranger stood up and rose both of their hands, showing their fingers. “My name is Ten, just Ten, because I used to only have my ten fingers to my name, but now I also have a few worms. I’m a lady traveller, and also a cook when it counts. Who are you?” 

This had to be one of the oddest introductions Oscar had ever witnessed, but that Ten lass seemed harmless enough. He offered a polite smile. “I’m Oscar, and this is my daughter Jael. Nice to meet you, Ten.” 

She nodded. “I will remember your faces.” 

Then she picked up the bucket and didn’t say another word as she walked away, down the path where she seemed to have come from. Oscar and Jael looked at each other, their eyes full of questions, but they wouldn’t get any answer until later.