The Coppice

9

He's come to the edge of the coppice. Shivers in the atmosphere of the fallen temperature. The air drops like God's breath. Sweat freezes to skin. Eyelashes stick together. Difficult to open them. Harder to see. Burnt cold as the wind hits him, hard like dull nails. Like he's a morsel in the winter of God's teeth.

Steps off the last stump and into the snow of the woods. Walks awhile. Frozen tired. Painful bare feet. Numb toes. Sets the boy down. The child walks a few steps ahead. The man tries to follow. Hits his face into something he can't witness. A barrier he can't break. Invisible to his sight. Presses against it. Digs his numb feet into the ground. Punches at it. Kicks at it. Rams shoulders and back and hips upon it. Pushes with all the might he's left. Adrenaline peaks. Feels the wall bulge for an instant. Shakes as his body comes to failure. His will fades. Falls back. Exhaustion. Trapped. Freezing to death.

"Let's go, daddy. It's night. I can't see. I need you."

"Sorry, son. Stuck. I Stuck."

"Where are you, daddy?"

"I'm righ here."

His son panics. Screams at him in the wrong direction.

"Where are you, daddy?"

The boy cries.

"I'm..."

He knows the boy can't hear him. The barrier won't let sound pass. Won't let him out. The barrier has silenced him to the ears of his son. His nudity slides down the wall. Kneels into the snow. Punches the wall. Cries. Cries like he can't remember. Feels his naked body burn in the deep freeze of the land.

A woman's longing voice cracks the cold. Calls the boys name through the forest. Over and over. She calls. Almost singing his name.

Hope softens his hard horrible thoughts.

"Yes. Witch. You horrible witch. Take em. Hear em. Take em. Take em to safety. Take em outta here."

Her knee high mukluks crunch through the snow.

"Mommy?"

"I'm here. Where's your damn father?"

"I don't know. I don't know. He found me. Now he's gone. He's disappeared."

"Open your eyes, son. Look at me."

He watches the boy open his eyes. He has eyes. He still has eyes. But they were hollow. How?

"It was dark back there. It was so dark. Now it's bright."

"Yes, my sweet boy. Now it's bright. Now you can see."

She embraces the boy. Looks directly at the man. Eye to eye. A frozen gravity slows time, but she's like ginger fire. She smiles. Her lips make silent words.

"Go to hell, huntsman."

She lifts the boy up. Holds him. Turns and crunches away. Watches her disappear like a lambent womanly torch through the Jack pines.

"Witch."