Without a Sound

The man lingered by the door for a long time before he stepped towards me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him wince as the bones he stepped on crunched. After another second of hesitation, he took another step forward.

The moonlight pouring in behind him made it impossible to see any of his features whatsoever. I could only tell that he was tall and skinny. Within a few seconds, he was towering over me, standing at the side of my raised stone platform.

Most of his body blocked out the light now. I was grateful; it had been starting to hurt my eyes. Now I could see him a little bit better. Since I could not focus my eyes on anything specific, I could only tell that he was wearing black clothes and had fairly long black hair. I was disappointed that there was no color. How I longed for something different! Even his lips were grayish in the moonlight.

“Hello,” He whispered. He said it so softly that it did not hurt my ears. The sound of a voice pleased me to an extent that no one would understand unless they went for years without hearing one. His was especially sweet and tranquil to my ears. I wanted him to talk more.

He waited minutes for me to answer, but I could not move. I could only wait and hope that he would take me away from that evil place and in some way quench my thirst.

He frowned when I did not move. Slowly, he extended his arm and held his finger beneath my nose. I realized that he was checking to see if I was breathing, and I got scared. What if he thought I was dead and left me here? I knew I appeared to be dead. Unless he could somehow feel the warmth of my blood in the way I felt the warmth of his, I knew I could be doomed.

His frown deepened, and I saw his eyes move down my body as he pulled his hand away. I suddenly felt very embarrassed. I was not wearing clothes. Something in my mind told me this was indecent, especially in front of a man. I felt my cheeks get warmer.

At first he did not notice, and continued to look at my body. Then he made a sharp intake of breath, and stared at my face in wonder. Was I blushing? Maybe this was the key! I tried to think of random things that would make me blush more. I got more and more hopeful as my cheeks got hotter. I was sure I was blushing now.

To my delight, he reached out and touched my cheek with his index finger. It was so soft! It tickled, but his finger was more delicate than the stubborn rock beneath me and warmer than the brisk air around me. And even though I knew there was barely any flesh on my bones at all, he smiled.

“I knew you were alive,” he said softly.

Yes! I did it. I showed him I was alive. Now maybe he would take me away from here.

He hovered over me indecisively for many minutes. “Well, I can’t leave you here,” he murmured at last, his voice ringing beautifully off the stone. It sounded almost like he was talking to himself now, but I didn’t care. As long as he got me out of there, I didn’t care what he said.

Hesitantly, he wedged his arms underneath me. They were so gently, so much better than the wretched rock! If I had had air in my lungs, I would’ve sighed in relief. He looked at my face, deliberately not looking at the rest of my body. I was thankful for that.

He lifted me carefully. My head fell back, so he had to use his hand to support it as if I was a baby. I felt ashamed. When he finally had me in his arms, he held me to his body like a child. I felt the cool air brushing my back, which had only known stone for too long.

My light-colored hair cascaded down his arm that held my head and nearly touched the ground. The movement of air stirred it and made it stand on end. Mercifully, he flung it over my body to cover what I didn’t want him to see. I wanted to thank him, knowing full well I couldn’t.

He shook his head at me sadly. “You’re as light as a feather and as brittle as glass,” he stated apologetically. Then he took me towards the opening to my tomb that I had never discovered, and stepped outside.

Above me, I saw the stars. They were each little pinpricks of illumination, but they made an abundance of light. What fascinated me most, though, was the moon. It was just a small pearly crescent, but it shone brighter than all of the stars. I decided it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in this new, strange world of discovery.

The man carrying me walked on, down a gray pathway. Although my eyes were unintentionally pointed at the sky, I saw the shadows of gravestones around us. So I had been right all along; I was in a cemetery. I also saw the grass, but the starlight sucked away all of its color.

He walked on, passing through a cemetery gate. All was eerily silent until we approached the forest. The gigantic trees holding millions and millions of leaves caught my attention. When we got closer, the leaves under his feet crunched each time he stepped with a crinkly, acute sound.

He did not speak to me while he carried me through the forest. The warm breeze rustling the leaves on the trees, his rhythmic walking, the crunch that followed each step, his even breathing, and his gentle arms holding me served as a sort of wordless lullaby. If it was possible for me to close my eyes and sleep, I would have.

I felt like I was in heaven. Heaven was anywhere out of my crypt; anywhere out of my hell. I was not sure if I could trust this man, but I knew I had no chance but to go where he took me. I did not mind that much.

After a long time, the sky above started to lighten ever so slightly. It was almost starting to look royal blue! Seeing this, though, the man looked around, as if searching for a place to go. Minutes later, we walked by a wall of rock. I sort of remembered it to be called a cliff.

We walked along it for a little bit, until we came to a hole in the rock. The man entered, and walked far inside until it was pitch black again. As mildly as he could, he set me on the rock floor of the cave.

I heard the rustle of his clothing, and then I felt him drape something over me. It had the feel and smell of leather: his jacket. Then I heard him lie down next to me. After a few minutes, his rough and jagged breathing smoothed into an even rhythm. He was asleep. I wished I could sleep, too.