The coffee shoppe was busy as usual, the regulars for the afternoon filing in to place their orders. Trays with donuts and warm beverages sat atop the counter awaiting to be collected by the customers. The odor of fresh pastries, cocoa, tea, and coffee filled the air and clung to the soft sandy yellow walls of the cafe, completing the calm atmosphere.
Off to the corner, a young with silky blonde hair sat snugly nestled into the booth, the mossy green vinyl fabric was faded and soft from use. She traced the striations of the worn maple varnished table, her mind sinking elsewhere. Her soft blue eyes seemed to glass over as she stared out the window, the rain beating against it in a gentle pit-pat rhythm as it fogged up slowly. Though gentle, it echoed in her mind, resounding louder and more obtrusive with each looping pattern. As if deeming it not enough, more sounds joined in the harmonious cacophony of her mind: the squealing of tires on the road, the hissing of water against hot metal, the ringing of the door as someone new stepped into the shoppe. She stared down into her tea, the bitter taste of indecisiveness left upon her tongue. Trembling, she wrapped her fingers around the mug, the warmth doing little to ease her shakiness. All she wanted was for the noise to stop and everything to be quiet again.
Whenever there was too much noise; she could hear it all again: the echoing of sirens, the hissing of water is it evaporated on impact, the cracking of wood beneath her feet. She couldn't help but shudder, biting her lip painfully as the memory loomed over her. She remembered the cold feeling of waking in a white room, with an IV and breathing tubes shoved into her body. Confusion plagued her mind. The black smoke and smoldering embers of the fire surrounding her were the last things she recalled before darkness consumed her.
It had almost been two months since her home caught fire, and it was still a mystery to her as to how she was saved. She recalled seeing a male face hover over her own for several minutes, with what seemed to be shadows dancing about behind him. Yet, no firefighter, cop, or neighbors said they could claim the honour or her rescue, for she was merely found amidst the bushes in the next yard over. Rather, it was assumed that she jumped from her window and walked aimlessly for a few feet before collapsing. That would sound great if it was true, but the only problem was that is wasn't true. She knew that for certain, but...she couldn't explain why. Her stomach flip-flopped as she tried to remember - for what seemed like the millionth time - how exactly she got there. The only clue she had was something strange her sister told her. It was something that resonated within her, and seemed to beckon to a place within her soul that she had long forgotten over the years,
"The man with the wings of ash saved you"
YOU ARE READING
Man with the Wings of Ash
Fantasy"The man with the wings of ash saved you" At least.....that's what Kate's kid sister Mia had told her when she woke from a coma. With her childhood home mysteriously burned to the ground and her best friend Aiden is reported missing only days later...
