Alone

This is a short story...

Sometimes the dust swirls and won’t stay quiet; and so up through the cracks came some to disturb the evening’s twilight where the distant smell of coffee was still in the air; and through the open window the rising moon danced the shadows of the leafy trees across the floor.

A gust of wind from the open doorway moved the dust in a mini whirlwind, and around it went momentarily amongst the moving shadows that had such contrast in the strong moonlight.

The gathering wind blew the dust from the house and took with it the faint coffee smell and as the woman began to wake from her after dinner nap she became aware of the wind chimes sounding in the garden and the surf resounding on the sand of the beach not far away.

A cloud obscured the moon and was joined by others and seemed driven to race across the darkening sky and as they did so the temperature dropped and the rain began, first as a spatter to hit against the glass of the windows and then as a constant lashing that threatened to soak the interior before the woman could close all the windows and doors.

Shutting the last window firmly the woman stared out into the downpour and saw the ten thousand faces of death staring back at her so startling in their lucidity, and then gone on the wind to leave her shaking her head and wondering at what she really saw.

A stroke of lightning had her stepping backwards and just as she did the door blew open letting in the wind that spat the rain across the floor.

A shadow of darkness slipped in through the doorway and shivered to send droplets flying out from it in a spray to land on the already wet floor.

Seeing the woman standing unmoving the animal padded over to her and put its wet nose to her hand and broke the spell that kept the woman frozen in place.

With a quick pat of acknowledgement to the dog’s head the woman rushed to the door and closed it against the elements and barred it from flying open again while the storm lasted, and stood there with her head to the door as if listening or perhaps wondering what next would happen.

The wind howled around the house and shook it so that it creaked like the ship it once was, but it was well made and stood its ground and seemed to revel in the storm’s embrace, and that somehow reassured the woman who relaxed and came away from the door to re-find her seat by the window, and with the dog by her feet sat there to wait out the storm.

Image from Pixabay