Alone

 

 

The night was dark.  The cold wind lifted her dress every step she took, making her tremble as the bitter air caressed her legs.  She had no coat, no scarf, nothing to keep her warm as she stumbled through the dark forest.  She gave a small thank you for the light of the full moon that illuminated her way.  But she was frightened.  How long could she keep walking without succumbing to the cold?  Would no one help her? 

She had stopped at a farm a while back.  The warm light coming from its window beckoning her to its flame but she was turned away rudely by the farmer’s wife when she opened the door and realized the beauty of the woman that stood before her. She couldn´t permit such a one to be in the same room with her husband, to have him lay his eyes on the both of them and find his wife wanting in every way. 

            She stumbled over the root of a dead tree and as she laid her hand out to prevent herself from losing her balance, a dark form emerged as if from the very essence of the tree next to her.  She had no time to scream, no time to utter a word.  What difference would it have made?  No one would miss her.  She had been cast out.  As the dark form enveloped her in its pestilent smell, she heard it whisper in her ear: “Don´t worry, I want you.  I am always hungry”.