Vacancy in the Heart -- my daydream extract

The female staggered, then fell onto her knees. She could no longer walk for she had no strength. A distant rumbling was heard, and it pushed her to stand up. Without walking more than two steps, she collapsed again. This time she lay still on the ground, still breathing, absolutely exhausted. She knew that she had to hurry if she wanted to live. Every cell in her body knew that. Despite that, her body would not move. There was too much fatigue. Totally, thoroughly, drain of stamina. Her mouth felt dry, for it was days since she last drank. The rumbling grew louder as the snow storm drew nearer. I and the dead, she thought. It was snowing again. Large flakes of freezing snow rained onto her. It was not long before she was totally submerged under the white substance. Then she heard the soft thump made by trotting horses. She wanted to move, to seek help, but her body felt numb. Help was so near, but yet so far. The thump stopped. For a moment that seemed like years, she heard nothing. Then gloves were scraping against the snow. Paws too. Soon, she was above ground. It was a man, with his dog. He carried her limped body onto he carriage, then started it. She was aware of her surroundings, but was too tired to react. Darkness ate away the corners of her vision as he eyes fell close.

There was not much to eat during the storm. The man did not have more that some antique bread crumb and sips of water. It was confounding. It took weeks to travel from town to town, and yet the man brought no food. She never saw him eat anyway. When she was strong enough to remember more then mere scraps of information, she found that she never remember seeing his face. He wore a cape with a hood, casting a shadow over his face, and a sword fastened to his belt, concealed by the cape. He spoke little, sheer grunts of orders. But his dog seemed to understand even the slightest grunt from him. it was as if he could talk to his dog. The carriage was in a cave, and the horses freed from its hold. The man didn’t seem afraid that they’ll run away. The man never spent more that five minutes in the carriage. He slept under it. The question of how he stood against the cold was never answered. Neither was the question of how and why he did not eat. They all remained as mysteries to her till this day, long after her death. Finally, the storm stopped. He brought her home and left without even looking back. It was not that she expected him to do so, but when ever she looked at the back view of the departing carriage, she felt a strange sense of belonging. She called out to hum, asking him to stop. Then she requested for his name. Without seeing his face, she felt the presence of a sad smile. “A shadow,” he spoke, “in your life. That’s what I am.” And so, he left. Reserving an empty, vacant spot in her heart. A shadowy, unsolved mystery in her mind.