Passage (II)

Clutching the white rock in his pocket he stood, staring at the gates. There was no sense of urgency, no need to make haste. He would either succeed at his task eventually, or not at all, and in that case nothing would change. The world would continue as it was – as children were being raised to believe it always had been.

As he was about to set off again, he spotted a large animal swiftly hopping towards him in the distance. He couldn’t tell what it was from afar, but even as it drew closer he was no more able to determine its nature. The creature was jumping on two legs like a kangaroo, but looked more like an oversized chicken, leaving black feathers in its trail.

Lonesome Traveller

She gave him a drink and her blessing before she kissed him on the forehead and guided him out. She locked the bolts on the door carefully, knowing she wouldn’t be opening them again for years to come.

Something about the drink had lifted his spirits, making the night more palpable and the road ahead a little less daunting. He was grateful for that. Everything he saw looked different from what he remembered, so much so that it might as well have been all new territory, but she had fed him with a sense of familiarity that gave him the courage he needed to continue.