writing_shadows

It was a hole. A huge, great hole, with no bottom and no light at the top, and falling down it had no sense of movement, just darkness. She had no name for it.

Rea was vaguely aware of the people around her, in the same way she’d have registered that there were other trees in the forest. She didn’t know what others thought, and didn’t care; motley was family. Motley was more than family; motley was what held her together. When it fractured...no word for it. Just darkness.

Oh, she moved all right, fed the horse and moved the wood of her body from place to place. But it was more for the sake of the horse than anything else.

Rose had said they had all gone, and Rose didn’t know enough to lie. Worthy had said something different, but when it came down to it, she didn’t know Worthy, and she was alone.

She forced Rose to tell her the story. Only before she had really begun, a fair-haired man with a sword-cane had walked into the room, followed by a vibrant girl in pink zebra patterns, and before anyone knew anything Rea was across the room and had Aidan and Rosie in her arms.

Seconds later, everything was as normal as it could be, but for those seconds she’d been in the grip of something as deep, and possibly as dark, as the hole. She had no name for it. She shrugged infinitesimally and got on with getting on.