Marked • Tom Riddle

His Burden

Endless rain accompanied by raging winds clashed against the thin glass windows with such ferocity, it seemed as though they'd succumb to the pressure and shatter at any moment, all in the dead of night. However, that wasn't what had awoken from my sleep. No, not the wailing of the wind, nor the thumping of the rain, but the eerie flicker of a light shining through my bedroom window and into my eyes. Although feeling a moment of alarm, I was quick to overcome it and rush to the window to find the source of the light. Just as I reached the window, curiosity flooding my being, the light suddenly went out and I was left staring at my own reflection in the glass, almost like a black mirror. That is, however, a sudden clash of lightning and thunder lit up the sky to reveal a woman standing near the entrance of the garden, her dress, and long hair completely soaked while she stood very still, drowning in the endless rain before the light faded from the sky and she disappeared into the darkness once again.

Startled, the hair on my neck stood up as I was once again faced by my own reflection. I looked terrified and my heartbeat was quick to rise with my increasing uneasiness. Not because I was afraid, but because of the overwhelming sense that the woman in the rain was still at this very moment staring up at my bedroom window and at me. Was she alright, did she need help, I wondered. However, before I could come up with a logical answer to my questions, the light found it's way back up to my bedroom window and that was when I realized the woman in the rain was holding a lantern, still as a statue even now.

For a second, although I could not make out her face, I thought she waved me over like she was telling me to come down, but the darkness made it impossible to be sure. Swallowing hard, I made the decision to ring for Lucinda. Surely, a strange woman in the gardens would be a good enough reason to wake someone up in the dead of night. So, keeping my eyes glued to the woman, I carefully back stepped towards the bell-pull beside my bed and gave it a few urgent tugs.

As if the woman in the rain had known what I had done, she dimmed her lantern and turned her back to me, entering the garden and descending down the path walled in by large hedges. I immediately rushed back to the window with my hand held out as if to say, "Wait."

She was disappearing into the garden's depths, but from my position on the third story of the house, I was able to follow her dim lantern and count her turns - two rights and one left - before she finally disappeared out of sight, leaving me alone with my overwhelming curiosity and questions.

Who was she? Why had she waved me over? And where on Earth was Lucinda?

I knew the questions wouldn't let me rest or leave my mind for that matter, so rushing to my bedside table, I took ahold of my wand and slid into my slippers that I knew would do nothing against the rain I was about to encounter, but it was all I had time for. As I hurried out of my room with urgency and carelessness, the door hit the wall with a loud slam, but I didn't care to look back as I rushed down the stairs.

I knew I was being reckless. To follow a strange woman into the gardens in the middle of the night was far from safe. Especially when there were people out to hurt me. However, that was something that only made me more curious, because to even step onto the Dark Lord's grounds, you'd have to be given permission by the Dark Lord himself. So, whoever this woman was, at some point had been given permission, had encountered the Dark Lord personally and had been allowed to enter. Still, if there was danger, if she was dangerous, Grandmother's locket would inform Grandfather and he'd come to my aid.

There was no one guarding the front doors of the estate, and I wasn't surprised. To come without notice, you'd either have to be Grandfather or have a death wish. So, I was able to run out with ease, paying no attention to the iciness of the rain that bit at my skin with each drop, or the strength of the wind that almost knocked me to the floor as I ran to the gardens. The wind howled loudly against my ears and the rain impaired my vision, making it very difficult to navigate my way through the tall hedges.