Well, perhaps not a legend. But she will be missed by her family.
---
Sanguivre Kenobi climbed into her great-grandmother's lap as the old woman closed her eyes and sighed. "Grammy," the girl said, "you don't look happy."
"Grammy's getting old," the woman said, giving the girl a tired smile. Tepeu's grey eyes now had a deminished light in them; as months passed, the once bright eyes became cloudier and cloudier as her eyesight worsened.
"Don't start that again, Tepeu."
Tepeu and her great-granddaughter looked up to see Obi-Wan. He was carrying a tray of Eggo Waffles.
"Ben," she said, "we're both getting old and you know it."
Obi-Wan set the tray down on the coffee table and began stabbing the waffles and transferring them to plates with a fork. He remained silent but fixed his wife with a reprimanding stare.
"How old are you, Grammy?" Sanguivre asked.
Tepeu thought for a moment. "Seventy-six," she said at last.
The five-year-old giggled. "That's really old!"
"Yes, well, your Grampy is eighty-nine, now."
The little girl laughed harder, nearly falling from Tepeu's lap.
The doorbell rang and Obi-Wan, who was already standing, went to answer it. He walked back in a few minutes later. "Sanguivre, your daddy is here," he said. Voltan, Tepeu's oldest grandson, followed Obi-Wan into the room.
"Come on, Sangha, it's time to go. Leave the old bats in peace," he said, smiling good-naturedly.
"Old bats?" Tepeu asked, standing. "Old bats? I'll have you know, Volt, I can still kick your a--booty," she corrected herself, "at anything you throw at me."
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "Just a moment ago you were going on about how the end was near..."
"And it is!" she said. "I feel fine, but the end is coming. I saw it in--" she cut herself off, biting her lip and looking down at the little girl who was still staring up at her with expectant eyes. She knew Voltan had wanted to raise his kids without them knowing of the Force, or sixth senses, or anything of the sort. "Never mind. Just an old woman's ramblings."
After walking Voltan and his daughter to the door, Obi-Wan turned to Tepeu. "The end isn't near," he said. "Not for you or for me; we're both in great health."
"I never said I was going to die of old age, Ben."
He sighed. "Don't tell me you still believe in that witch and her eye..."
"It was real! I saw it! Obi-Wan... the first time we met... when Smithy and Logan saw Episode I... remember I told you I avoid grapes?"
He looked at her incredulously. "You choke on a grape? That's how you die?"
Tepeu shook her head. "No..."
A cluster of six children, the oldest twelve, the youngest seven, made their way through the woods on the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp. Among them were a young Tepeu Geyumaz and her little brother Gucumatz.
"Tepeu, I don't like it here, I want to go home!"
"Shut up, Guc. You wanted to come."
"Keep him quiet, Tepeu!"
Tepeu raised a hand in a threat to slap her brother if he didn't keep quiet. He winced, sniffled, and kept walking on. The group continued on silently, with the occasional shushing if one of them dared to utter a word.
They finally stopped in front of a house that looked about ready to collapse, and their leader, the oldest, turned to face Tepeu. "This is it--the witch's house. She's got a glass eye, and if you look in it, you see how you're gonna die."
Tepeu's grey eyes lit up, gleaming almost catlike in the darkness. Her brother whimpered slightly. "Have you ever looked into the eye?" she asked.
"Course not. None of us has. But that's why we're here." The blonde boy gave a smirk. "You're the new kid, so you get to go get it. She keeps it in a jar on her table, I heard."
Tepeu nodded. "Right." She stood up straight and walked through the rusted, open gate and up the overgrown path. She paused once, startled, when a black cat darted out in front of her, but continued on. A few moments later, she stood in front of the wooden doors. She reached out a hand to open them, but before she could even touch the latch, the door was jerked open and she stood face to face with the witch. The witch was an old hump-backed woman with a patch over one eye.
Tepeu stood staring at the witch and watched as the old crone's good eye looked over her shoulder to where the others were crouched. The witched gestured with a gnarled hand for Tepeu to go back to where her friends were. Petrified, not knowing what else to do, Tepeu did so. When she got back to the others, she managed to say, "I got the eye."
She stepped to one side and the witch peered at them with her good eye, then lifted the patch over the other one, showing her glass eye. The children stood, transfixed, then she dropped the patch back into place. The kids ran off, with the exception of Tepeu.
Tepeu hadn't looked into the eye, but as she walked with the old crone back to the house, she began to wonder. At the door, she stuttered, "W-wait, I... I wanna know how I'm g-gonna d-die."
The old woman gave her a knowing smile and raised the patch. Tepeu stared into the glass eye for a moment, confused, disbelieving. That couldn't really be how she died, could it? She managed a small, "Thank you," before darting away from the house to catch up to the others.
"That still doesn't tell me how you're going to die," Obi-Wan said after Tepeu had finished her flashback. They were now sitting in the living room, eating the Eggo Waffles. "Besides, I don't believe in all of that swamp witch stuff."
Tepeu was silent for a moment. "You know... the witch, now that I think of it, reminded me somewhat of Yoda..."
"You're getting off-subject."
"I have the glass eye," she said. "I'll make you a believer."
"You have the witch's glass eye?" he asked. "How?"
"I... am not really sure. I just have it."
---
To be continued.
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Sangha Guivre
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