Across The Interstice

Unforeseen Rendezvous

With the violent rustle of the leaves bringing forth strange premonitions of an oncoming storm within her, she traipsed, seeking a place of shelter and solitude. The sky was unearthly dark, waiting and watching to cast upon the earthly soil its own unleashed raging storm.

Her feet strode through the tall grass as the wind caused even the thick trees of the forest to sway back and forth. The grove, seemingly peaceful, even well flourished in the daylight now took on a grim, ominous tint that arose in her a threatening sensation of danger.

The animate trees were conspicuously similar to the eerie woods depicted many a times in her childhood books. The often exaggerated features of spindly branches protruding from tree trunks, presented in such works of fiction, which immensely resembled bony hands, sprung into life before her and now seemed to obstruct her path, holding her captive within the forest. The ever-growing dark of the sky only fueled the chilling atmosphere.

The inhabitants of the forest held up their heads and twitched their noses, breathing in the moist smell of imminent rain in the atmosphere, as though they could sense the foreboding notion that hung in the dense air. The rabbits scurried to their burrows and the deer dashed to seek shelter. Successively all the animals fled to safety, wishing to save them of the tempest that brewed in the sky.

She could feel it slowly taking form. Absentmindedly rubbing her stomach she attempted to imagine to the best of her capability, peaceful thoughts of the impact that the newest edition to the family would have on them. She envisaged him, for her instinctive nature had led her to firmly believe that the three months old growing sprout within her would be a boy. She imagined his first words, his first steps, his first day of school, a peaceful, normal life, all the while hoping to suppress the feeling of fear that began to swell up within her.

The thoughts of a future of tranquil and happiness were soon disrupted by a raging flash of lightning above. The skies roared with malice, threatening to purge the world of all its wonders and plunge it into eternal darkness. The rude but necessary awakening instantly brought her back to the present. Now petrified, for both herself and her unborn child she sped through the grove, the tall grass, plants and bushes seizing her lengthy white skirt at every given opportunity, feeding the frustration that had been seething inside her.

In due time, she came upon a clearing in the forest, allowing her to feast her eyes on the thundering chaos above. Bordering the clearing she could see the dark silhouette of what looked like a barn. At a closer inspection the barn looked to be shabby and ancient, no doubt, left to withstand the cold winters and wet monsoons. With a seemingly caving red roof, a hanging front door and decaying wood for walls, it did not present a particularly safe looking environment to take shelter in. However as the miniscule pellets of rain began striking profoundly against her head, she had no choice but to enter the run-down barn.

She scurried into the shelter. Oblivious and undiscerning of the dangers that lurked in the darkness, particularly on a day of violent storm, she welcomed the comfort of the unexpectedly warm barn as well as the diminished sounds of heavy pitter patter courtesy of the rain striking against the valiant roof that stood unmoving against the overbearing wrath of the sky.

She leaned on the door, breathed out a loud sigh of relief and proceeded to evaluate her surroundings, her eyes wide with wonder. The entrance door now firmly shut and locked in place, donned mysterious carvings of intricate symbols and designs, many of which she could have sworn she had seen before. At closer inspection, she could see that they extended past the doors and onto the walls.

Whosoever owned this barn was extremely rich, she thought. Her murky brown eyes scanned the wooden floor as she looked up, taking in its enormous height. The barn exuded a feel of vintage elegance. The ceiling, a bright crimson, sported a large chandelier that illuminated the surroundings with an angelic white light, a direct contrast to the dark gloom that was the sky.