She walked down the winding cobblestone street, her clasped hands shaking, clutched to her chest as she attempted to calm the overflowing nervousness that threatened to whisk her away from her purpose. The clouds shrouded the early morning sunlight transforming the street into a dark, cold, and fearfully terrifying place. There was no chance she could run and she knew it.
'No, not now. I have to try to be strong,' she sighed deeply as her train of thought began to become obvious in her actions, as her body stilled. 'I wonder when the courage left me, when the sense of strength, disappeared. Was it when I left the comfort of my home, was it when I had begun to walk down this chillingly dark street or was it never there, was the courage I believed I had, never there.'
She stopped suddenly in the middle of the quiet street. Her breathing had increased due to her panicked train of thought. Slowly she brought her face to her knees. Hiding from the freezing wind, as it bit and cut as her skin like a snake.
For a short while, she stayed holding herself tight, letting her breath return to its almost normal state. Slowly she reached out and putting her hands on the cold frosted ground, pushing herself up.
'I will be okay', She repeated to herself in a mantra. She was shaking now. Her eyes began to the search the street, finally seeing clearly she noticed the numbers on an ancient-looking red door.
"This is it," she said barely above a whisper.
Cautiously she walked to the door, the closer she came to the large red door, the more detail she could see. The paint on the door was chipping off and the timber was splitting at the edges. She placed a hand on the door, the wood worn soft from age. Taking a deep breath, she brought her pale hand to the antique door knocker.
She wrapped her ashen hand around the gold door knocker and knocked, once, twice, and as she went to knock for the third time the door swung open. She jumped slightly at the sudden movement, nerves not yet settled.
The doorway opened to reveal a short, silver-haired man in a checkered black and white suit with a bright magenta pocket square. Without a doubt one of the most eccentric outfits she'd seen in a long while.
She was surprised that the one opening the door was not the woman she was looking for, but she continued to feel hopeful.
"Yes?" said the man greeting her with a gentle smile.
"Um, hi. My name is Cora and I was wondering if someone by the name of Elle Carne currently lives here?" She asked, remembering to smile as she didn't want to seem rude or untrustworthy. The man's smile slowly began to fall as he gave her a saddened look. His shoulders slumping slightly as he frowned.
The old man took a deep breath in and uttered quietly, "I apologize she is no longer here. She passed away recently."
"Wh-What do you mean she must be here," Cora begged for the small words not to be true, "she has to be here." Tears began to form in the young woman's eyes this couldn't be right, all this time she had spent searching and now to find out she was dead. Cora didn't say a word as she attempted to hide the shock on her face.
The old man raised his arm and placed it on her shoulder. "Would you like to come in for a while? I could make some tea?"
Nodding in silent agreement, she slid silently into the apartment as the man moved to make way for her to enter. The old man began leading her through the corridor when she quickly remembered.
"I don't know your name," she said, her voice calmer than she felt.
The elder smiled slightly the sadness lifting from his face slightly, "My name is Horace Iwa, but please call me Iwa I prefer that."
Noticing in the corner of the room a piano covered in old and new papers, Cora smiled at the happy memories that filled her with the warmth of her happy childhood. She remembered the soft sound of her playing the piano, the calm that would always wash over her whenever she played. But now that would never happen again because she was dead, the only one she had ever had. She touched her wet face and felt the warm tears that had been falling from her glossy and shinning eyes. Quickly wiping away the tears not wishing to show so much emotion to a stranger.
Iwa pointed to a lonely couch facing an evergreen chaise lounge. Moving to sit where he had directed, she watched as Iwa make himself comfortable on the opposing sofa. Cora sighed as she sank into comfortable couch, she continued to sink into it with grief. Tilting her head to look at Iwa she was surprised when she saw him waiting patiently for her to do something. The nervousness rising once more, as she fiddled with her hands.
Her eyes flicked to the object behind him.
"You have her piano," Cora said wistfully, watching his reaction. Iwa confused tilts his head in question but then smiles slightly as he understands her statement.
"Yes, I do. It was much too beautiful to give away, too many happy memories attached to it." They both smile, childlike remembering the past. Cora looks to the past remembering the music that came in the middle of the night. The sweet soft melody that would lull her to sleep every night. She remembered the forts they would make out the piano and several of the blankets and pillows from every room in their home. Leaving the beds bare, but hearts full.
"How did she did die?" Iwa looked up eyes wide as he woke from his dream. "If she is truly dead, then I need to know," Cora's voice hardened as she demanded with an unwavering iron stare "How did she die?"
Sighing, Iwa looked down as he began his version of Elle's death. "It was last year in autumn. We had gone out for drinks at the café La Vina Chi. We had been having a wonderful time when Elle suddenly began running. At first, I didn't know what she was doing so I followed her and then I noticed the direction she was running in. There was a young child in the middle of the road about to be hit by a bus. I yelled for her to stop she could get hurt but she wouldn't listen so strong headed she was. And she jumped encasing the child in her arms and the bus hit her. And everything just stopped, it was as if the entire world had paused to watch the most kind-hearted person I knew die.
Ever since then the world has never been so bright. But at least the child survived."
I tried to stop the tears in my eyes but there was no way, the floodgates had already been drawn.
"How did you know her Cora?"
I brought my knee to my face as I tried to hide in the chair. Holding my hands for a sense of comfort.
"She was my Mum. My real mum I never knew her but I wanted too, if only I found her earlier," Cora choked on her own tears "maybe it would have been different. Maybe she would still be alive and it could have been her that answered the door." Cora sobbed into her hands, struggling to gasp for air.
"And she was my best friend, she was my family, but at least now we have each other, now we can be each other's family."
