Shadows in the woods

Chapter 3

​William could no longer withstand the anger of the elements. The last of his rations had been used hours ago, or days when he had left his pack behind. Who could know with this weather? The very idea of food brought a longing ache to his stomach, but his mind kept willing him to walk forward, every step bringing him a metre closer to his destination, every metre draining his energy. The howling wind was repeatedly battering him with an icy blast, punishing him for a nonexistent crime. William knew that he would soon die of cold and hunger, and that it was only a matter of hours before he crumbled. The world around him started moving, the monochromatic trees looming over him while overgrown creepers groped their way through the tangle of bushes and fallen branches, across fields of lifeless leaves and the shadows that no longer danced, now just watching. Suddenly, he noticed a small shift in the darkness: a window had let out a small rectangle of light, like a door leading to heaven. William, almost frigid from the continuous downpour,half walked half crawled his way to what looked to be the door of a small, red brick cottage surrounded by a metre-tall thorny hedge. He wearily trudged his way through the unfamiliarly smooth cobblestone path. Strangely, the polished birch door had been left open, letting through a faint aroma of smoke and pine needles. Semi-conscious, the traveller walked into the house, locked the door and fell in a disorderly heap, the crackling of the fireplace and the tapping of the rain like a sweet lullaby coaxing him to sleep.