Northern Leafs
1
Yep, my first short story at W&F. A Fall-themed love story.
"Where am I", a man thought to himself. His eyes barely opened, and he closed them again He was exausted from his last week of travel. His face felt sweaty, and so did his mouth and arms. He reached for a clotch in his pocket, and realized he was shirtless. He felt down and noticed that he was pantless too. A flashback came to his mind, how he had falled into a river, chased away by tree-devouring critters, and twisted his ankle before catching a cold and noticing most of his food had been spoiled by water. His feeelings of stupidity and clumsiness hit him before finally realizing that the ground he was sleeping upon wasn't suposed to be soft, much less tender. The cloth which covere him had a sweet smell of age, not dirt. He opened his eyes abruptly and noticed he was in room with wooden walls.
He changed from a pleasant awakening slumber to a sdden horror. His terror was brought to the peak as he heard the creaking of a door outside the dark room he was in. Footsteps apprached. He remembered the travelers tales of cannibals, madmen, and monsters which had captured his imagination as a child. He resisted the temptation to feign being asleep for the sake of knowing who was his captor. His heart raced as the door of the room opened.
A dark figure ran at him. He tried to run, screamed, and tripped. Suddenly a window he didn't realized that even existed was there to let in the sunlight which he held so dear. His eyes watered in pain from the sudden light.The dark figure he dreaded seemed to be a woman, her head completely hidden with a veil of hair. Behind it, he thought he saw a grin and made the person made wierd giggle.
He changed from horror to a form of relief. She was wierd, that warm smile didn't seem too dangerous. She looked a bit crazy, but sweet. He sighed and breathed slowly.
"I'm Morazán, what's your name?, he asked.
She replied in gibberish followed with what seemed a warm smile.
"What? Clak? Jax? Um, what territory am I in? Why am I here".
She spoke even more gibberish and toyed with her hair, revealing her face. She was somewhere in her mid-thirties. Wide eyed, she began speaking what seemed to be a one sided conversation or a narrative. She paused every once in a while to make unknown gestures, which kept Morazán focused on deciphering what she said like the meaning of a painting or a book. After hours of talk, he felt awakening from a trance and remembered his hunger and cold. He made gestures to his chest and legs and she understood, pointing to a shelf above him. Tried making his way out of th cabin apologetically. At the door, she held onto his arm and pouted. He chuckled, as she looked so childish and tried making her let go of him. She looked at him with a look of anger. He made gestures to the outside, but she made gestures to the room. Maybe she thought he wouldn't survive, maybe she wanted company, or maybe she was crazy. Her angry face changed to a sad one. He stopped resisting and decided to stay for the night.
For the next two weeks, she wouldn't let him leave the cabin without her or she would begin crying. It was nightine, and he led her outsider. They sat on a rock outside, she looked puzzled. The decomposition of the leaves left a bitter-sweet scent in the air. He felt it was going to be late for him, for in this land, when the trees went orange, the world would freeze up and turn white. He started thinking of his hometown. Nothing charming, nothing pleasant, an unmemorable forgotten somewhat busyplace. He thought of the woman of the cabin, holding onto him. She seemed to be in her own world, yet making him enter it. Every time she spoke the gibberish and showed him things he had already seen, he wondered how she lived so long alone without anyone. Being alone for a long time meant that people would consider you dead. No doubt, there was probably a grave with his name back home, which nobody would remember who it had belonged to.
Drowning in is own thoughts, she grabbed his hand with her own. She gave him a form of light kiss on his head, something she began to do every time she saw him since the last two days. Her hand had thin hairs, which made him remember his home. He would see his mother removing the hairs off his sister and cousin before the festivals for better chances for them to attract a husband. He remembered his cousins rants about clothing wouldn't fit and chuckled. He looked back on why he even wanted to travel. He had been looking for heaven, literally. He had been charmed by religion as a child, that a heave existed somewhere on the world. The priest of course was either teasing him or perhaps he actually believed in it.
Suddenly he felt his face burning. He remembered how he easily fell in love easily with whoever even smiled at him. This childish woman, her being older than him and who was mildly abandoned, even to herself, had started to make his heart race. He was too late to go back town, the season had advanced faster than he could travel south again. He felt guilty living off this woman, he wanted to help out too. She was smiling brightly as always, she pointed to river, making gestures of upwards and downwards, maybe actually succeding in explaining the magic of life in her own language.
Resting his head on her shoulder, she looked at him differently, he had never noticed her blushing so much. Her wild appearance, her childishness, the innocence of what she was, was what he desired. He made his mind. He felt a horribke guilt thinking of leaving her alone, he had to stay with her until his last breath of life. The thought of leaving her made him feel that he would never see her again. The thought of making her travel scared him of whatever dangers she might face.
He felt the need to take a leap, he held her close. He grabbed her cheek, making her smile. He closed his ees slightly and gave her a kiss on her lips for the first time, they were dry from the cold weather. Her breath smelled, but still tasted like the dried fruits she must have ate a while ago, making it pleasant. Feeling that his heart would stop at any moment. They gave themselves to each other.
A new morning came. She was sitting by his side, smiling brighter than ever, and then she looked out the window. He sat beside her and took a glance at the world. The coldest time of the year had started. A time where the world dies and everyone dissapears. He looked into her eyes, she was the light of his world.
"Where am I", a man thought to himself. His eyes barely opened, and he closed them again He was exausted from his last week of travel. His face felt sweaty, and so did his mouth and arms. He reached for a clotch in his pocket, and realized he was shirtless. He felt down and noticed that he was pantless too. A flashback came to his mind, how he had falled into a river, chased away by tree-devouring critters, and twisted his ankle before catching a cold and noticing most of his food had been spoiled by water. His feeelings of stupidity and clumsiness hit him before finally realizing that the ground he was sleeping upon wasn't suposed to be soft, much less tender. The cloth which covere him had a sweet smell of age, not dirt. He opened his eyes abruptly and noticed he was in room with wooden walls.
He changed from a pleasant awakening slumber to a sdden horror. His terror was brought to the peak as he heard the creaking of a door outside the dark room he was in. Footsteps apprached. He remembered the travelers tales of cannibals, madmen, and monsters which had captured his imagination as a child. He resisted the temptation to feign being asleep for the sake of knowing who was his captor. His heart raced as the door of the room opened.
A dark figure ran at him. He tried to run, screamed, and tripped. Suddenly a window he didn't realized that even existed was there to let in the sunlight which he held so dear. His eyes watered in pain from the sudden light.The dark figure he dreaded seemed to be a woman, her head completely hidden with a veil of hair. Behind it, he thought he saw a grin and made the person made wierd giggle.
He changed from horror to a form of relief. She was wierd, that warm smile didn't seem too dangerous. She looked a bit crazy, but sweet. He sighed and breathed slowly.
"I'm Morazán, what's your name?, he asked.
She replied in gibberish followed with what seemed a warm smile.
"What? Clak? Jax? Um, what territory am I in? Why am I here".
She spoke even more gibberish and toyed with her hair, revealing her face. She was somewhere in her mid-thirties. Wide eyed, she began speaking what seemed to be a one sided conversation or a narrative. She paused every once in a while to make unknown gestures, which kept Morazán focused on deciphering what she said like the meaning of a painting or a book. After hours of talk, he felt awakening from a trance and remembered his hunger and cold. He made gestures to his chest and legs and she understood, pointing to a shelf above him. Tried making his way out of th cabin apologetically. At the door, she held onto his arm and pouted. He chuckled, as she looked so childish and tried making her let go of him. She looked at him with a look of anger. He made gestures to the outside, but she made gestures to the room. Maybe she thought he wouldn't survive, maybe she wanted company, or maybe she was crazy. Her angry face changed to a sad one. He stopped resisting and decided to stay for the night.
For the next two weeks, she wouldn't let him leave the cabin without her or she would begin crying. It was nightine, and he led her outsider. They sat on a rock outside, she looked puzzled. The decomposition of the leaves left a bitter-sweet scent in the air. He felt it was going to be late for him, for in this land, when the trees went orange, the world would freeze up and turn white. He started thinking of his hometown. Nothing charming, nothing pleasant, an unmemorable forgotten somewhat busyplace. He thought of the woman of the cabin, holding onto him. She seemed to be in her own world, yet making him enter it. Every time she spoke the gibberish and showed him things he had already seen, he wondered how she lived so long alone without anyone. Being alone for a long time meant that people would consider you dead. No doubt, there was probably a grave with his name back home, which nobody would remember who it had belonged to.
Drowning in is own thoughts, she grabbed his hand with her own. She gave him a form of light kiss on his head, something she began to do every time she saw him since the last two days. Her hand had thin hairs, which made him remember his home. He would see his mother removing the hairs off his sister and cousin before the festivals for better chances for them to attract a husband. He remembered his cousins rants about clothing wouldn't fit and chuckled. He looked back on why he even wanted to travel. He had been looking for heaven, literally. He had been charmed by religion as a child, that a heave existed somewhere on the world. The priest of course was either teasing him or perhaps he actually believed in it.
Suddenly he felt his face burning. He remembered how he easily fell in love easily with whoever even smiled at him. This childish woman, her being older than him and who was mildly abandoned, even to herself, had started to make his heart race. He was too late to go back town, the season had advanced faster than he could travel south again. He felt guilty living off this woman, he wanted to help out too. She was smiling brightly as always, she pointed to river, making gestures of upwards and downwards, maybe actually succeding in explaining the magic of life in her own language.
Resting his head on her shoulder, she looked at him differently, he had never noticed her blushing so much. Her wild appearance, her childishness, the innocence of what she was, was what he desired. He made his mind. He felt a horribke guilt thinking of leaving her alone, he had to stay with her until his last breath of life. The thought of leaving her made him feel that he would never see her again. The thought of making her travel scared him of whatever dangers she might face.
He felt the need to take a leap, he held her close. He grabbed her cheek, making her smile. He closed his ees slightly and gave her a kiss on her lips for the first time, they were dry from the cold weather. Her breath smelled, but still tasted like the dried fruits she must have ate a while ago, making it pleasant. Feeling that his heart would stop at any moment. They gave themselves to each other.
A new morning came. She was sitting by his side, smiling brighter than ever, and then she looked out the window. He sat beside her and took a glance at the world. The coldest time of the year had started. A time where the world dies and everyone dissapears. He looked into her eyes, she was the light of his world.