Fall of the Sparrow

He still held the rag in place even though from all indications the bleeding had stopped. He did not dare attempt to remove the rag for fear the blood would start to flow again. Hour after endless hour he sat there. The blood, which had ran down his legs had dried now and lay there hard and crusted upon his skin. Hard and crusted over like his emotions. He renewed his vow to go on, to continue his life even after this, this unthinkable assault upon his person, his manhood, his very being. “I shall erect a hard crusted shell around my mind, my heart, my very soul and no cruelty devised by man shall ever enter there. They may mutilate my body, but they shall never wound my spirit. For that belongs to me alone and no man will ever bring harm to that part of me.”

“Where do you go?” Toby asked.

“I have family in the south.” David replied, “I shall go there for I am known there. And you?”

“North. I may go north...for I am unknown there,”

Toby rolled his bedroll out close to the fire seeking the warmth emanating from it. Laying on his side he studied the flicking tongues of flame as they rose and fell licking away the darkness. As the constantly moving dancing flames drew him deeper into an hypnotic state he knew not if he was asleep or awake. There in the midst of the fire an outline of an unknown face began to appear. Slowly it became more distinct then it began to fade away as though to disappear from view. As he watched it came back into view like an artist’s drawing would appear on a piece of canvas. He could make out the eyes, brown eyes. He knew those eyes. The smile was there, that devastating smile. Rachel was there smiling at him from the flames and smoke of the fire. Her lips began to move, she was speaking to him and although there was no audible sound the words came to him as though she was speaking to his very soul. “I will always love you.” As he watched the image became distorted then it floated away and disappeared in the smoke and the darkness.

Toby worked his way down a little deeper into his bedroll and moved closer to the fire. Suddenly he was very cold . So cold and so alone.