  
|
|
|
||||
|
by: Anonymous 
Chapter 1 - The Journey Epilog No sooner had I entered the wagon and closed the door was the convoy once again underway, my new driver wasting no time in the storm. Across from me sat a young child, a girl of about 6. She was dressed in a gown of white and brown. Her hair was tied behind her back and on her head she wore a white veil which fell down to her shoulders and covered her face. And with her a companion, to young to be her mother yet to much her elder to be a sister. I took my rain soaked cloak off and shook it lightly, "It is cold as sin out there in this storm." I said to my new travel companions and laid my cloak over my lap. "Yes it is", it was the companion who spoke, "The weather has been quite evil for the past few days." I watched as the child curled up to her almost in protection from the rain, or perhaps from the new stranger sitting across from her. The companion put her arm around her and she continued speaking, "Where are you off to this evening?" "Whitestorm," I replied, "I am on my way home, and yourself." "Praxis, we are heading home as well. Let fortune guide us that no more delays keep us from the journey." The storm had grown much worse in those few passing minutes and the first bolt of lightning struck to lit up the sky. The woman whispered something into the child's ear who quickly took cover in the fold's of her companion's robes with her hands hard pressed against her ears. No sooner had she taken this position then a loud monstrous thunderclap echoed though the forest. Each time a lightning strike was seen the companion would whisper into the child's ear, exactly what was said I could not hear but each time the girl would take shelter in the robes of the woman and cover her ears just before the thunderclap echoed through the forest. I could tell that the storm scared her but refrained from commenting. We continued with small talk for some time, then it came to that faith filled moment when engrossed in a conversation about the farmer's crops, a bolt of lightning struck near us, but so distracted was the woman she did not whisper to the child and a crash of thunder echoed throughout the woods and through our wagon. Caught off guard and scared by the latest strike from above the child clutched onto her companion with all her strength, shaking and shivering, but never saying a word. Whether her shivers were from the cold of the rain or the fright of the thunderclap I did not know. I spoke to her, "Do not be afraid of the storm. For if you hide from the rain you will never see the rainbow." The child buried her face further into her companion's robes and wrap her arms around her. The woman sighed and stroking her hair said, "I am afraid that this cowardly little child may never see the rainbow." "I am sure that she one day will", I then continued on, talking of my own twin girls and how they are much the way she is in a storm. We continued on talking about the usual things, our families, our friends, our towns. The wagon continued through the woods, across bridges and through the mud. It was quite some time later that I looked out the carriage window to see where we were. We were just outside of Whitestorm and as we approached the rains stopped and the first beams of sunlight shown threw the clouds. The companion spoke, "It looks as though the rains have ceased." "Yes, and just in time", I replied, "for we are near my home." I took my cape from my lap and latched it around myself once more.
I smiled at the woman and she smiled back as the driver opened the door and I exited. Waiting to board was a man in a blue cape with a golden insignia upon the collar. I bid him a good journey as he did to me. He then took his seat in the wagon, just where I had been sitting a moment before. As the driver took his position atop the wagon and the convoy continued on I heard the man mention to my new friends how glad he was the storm had ceased for he did not enjoy the rains. It was only then that I heard the child's voice. Addressing her new travel companion she said, "If you hide from the rain, you will never see the rainbow."
|
|||||
|
||||||
