I fled down the hill and into the snow trying to erase what she had said. I ran kicking up the ice and inhaled. Gulping and running down into the gully, I had to get away from her. She can’t find me right now, no. Not while I had tears blinding me and my head aching. My hands were wet and freezing and heavy.
“David!” I ignored her. How could she say such things? I meant nothing to her. Did she just come to the realization this morning while we had breakfast? She was so beautiful and smart and vivacious. Now she didn’t want me. Maybe she never cared at all.
The woods were deep and covered in white, luscious cold blankets of unforgiving wet. I was up to my shins and running. south I think. I heaved in gulps of frozen air and felt the pang of terror. What if she follows me to try to smooth thing over? What if she wants to be friends?
I could never be friends with someone who so casually ripped my heart out. Could I? She would be oh so condescending and outline what friendship is and what it isn’t.
I could hear her somewhere in the distance yelling my name and I tried closing myself off. She was ringing in my ears, “David!” But I wouldn’t listen. I dare not listen. She would make me weak. My heart was ruined and things could never return to the moment before she broke-up with me.
I stopped running so I could catch my breath. The snow was coming down in layers of fluff and I turned to look for my tracks. I hadn’t even brought a jacket on my haphazard trek down into the deep woods. I was freezing.
My tracks were almost completely buried. What was I thinking? Running off in the middle of a terrible snow storm? I started to run back up the hills and in Cynthia’s direction, but I no longer heard her yelling my name. I could only now see what was in front of me.
A small cabin.
It was dark and lonely and unpainted and the wood looked layered and unfortunate. There were no lights or movement and I needed to get out of the storm. I fixed my gaze on its deep meaning and knew it meant salvation.
The cabin in the dark snowy woods.
TO BE CONTINUED.