LXVI | Solace

❦

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!]