Chapter 66:
The Rowan Tree
❦
After so much screaming,
I've lost my voice.
I can't see anything.
My eyes are sealed shut
by something heavy and wet.
The arms let go
of my waist,
wipe the tears off my face.
I take hold of one hand
but it is wrest from my grip.
Thin. Slender. Soft.
Alive.
The voice is muffled
even though
I'm not screaming anymore.
(Did I bust my eardrums?)
'... me tissue.'
'I do not have that. I am a donkey.'
'Not even one piece?'
'I have no need for tissues.'
Rowan.
It's Rowan.
The hands are
back,
this time
there's a piece of cloth
between us.
The sleeve of a shirt.
'Don't speak,'
she says to me.
I close my aching mouth
—I hadn't realised it was open.
'What did you show him?
'Why is he like this?'
I'm okay now, I want to say.
I want to hug you, I want to say.
But I make do
with the smell of her shampoo
and the gentle touch
of her hand.
The donkey doesn't reply her.
I search for
her heartbeat
until I find it.
When she's done,
I open my eyes
and see her coal-black ones
staring right into mine.
Can I kiss you? I think.
No, she thinks back.
I smile.
Her expressionless expression
breaks into a faint smile.
Her hand fits into mine
like a puzzle piece.
She leads me from the rowan tree
into the nearby building.
I don't register how it looks,
or how I got here.
It's big and white.
And I'm watching
the tip of Rowan's ears
turning red.
I'm glad to see you again.
She squeezes
my hand.
[Read the full story at novelconbini.com!]
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