felt…Again, words failed to describe the sensation adequately. Perhaps "significant" or "meaningful" caught a bit of it.
Exploring with light, almost weightless, fingers, he found loose rocks, some as large as six or eight inches across, piled in what felt like a methodical fashion at the corner where the sidewall met the ravine floor. He remained on his stomach but braced himself on his left hand so that his right could slowly, cautiously grasp one stone at a time and lift it straight up without a sound. Then he lowered the rock to a patch of soft earth and reached for another. In the dark, his senses were drawn into his fingertips, and his concentration was so acute that, when he touched smooth skin instead of coarse sandstone, he couldn't quite still an involuntary shudder. His hand jerked back a fraction of an inch—just enough to lose contact with whatever had been revealed.
For a frantic moment, he thought it was a snake, but after a couple of deep, slow breaths to quiet his hammering heartbeat, his fingers touched the object again.
It was cool and still and not alive.
Then his questing fingers found what could only be an eye, the lid closed and the lashes soft, like gossamer. He slowly reached over to Eve, tapped her on the wrist to get her attention, and, softly grasping her hand under his own, brought it over to the small face.
He had no doubt that it was a face, a child's face.
Eve gently moved her hand, and Rick could feel her head snap up as she also realized what lay under the pile of rocks. He had to move quickly to place his finger on her lips and avert a sound. Eve froze and he could see a gleam of moonlight as her eyes widened in alarm.
Rick realized that the presence in the ravine had…withdrawn. He could feel something, but any urgency or direction was gone. It was as if he had found something that he was intended to be found and now the presence had no more interest in them. Slowly, silently, they continued to reveal the small form. The body was cool but, somehow, not quite as cold as the surrounding earth and rock.
Eve touched his face and turned his head so she could speak into his ear again. "It's a girl." Her voice was rough, filled with tension and sorrow. "She's only six or seven, just a baby."
He touched her chin and, gently turning her head, whispered in her ear, "Should we carry the body with us?"
The answer came as soft as a breath. "No. She's been so badly hurt, but I think she's safe here." Rick could see her gesture upwards. "The mother, the Old One, is watching over her just as she is watching her own baby."
He could feel Eve move as she bent down over the child again, gently move her head to the side and, his fingers still touching hers, could tell that she was working at something under the chin.
Eve sat up again and breathed into his ear. "She was wearing a bag around her neck on a piece of string. Medicine of some kind. We’ll bring it back. Another mother is looking for her child and she’ll recognize the bag." She reached over and tucked the bag into the chest pocket of Rick's jacket. "Can you cover her back up? I just can't."
She took his hand and brought it to her cheek, so he could feel her silent shaking and the tears streaming down her cheeks. She rested her head against his hand until the silent weeping began to slow.
With the same care he had used to uncover the tiny face, Rick picked up and replaced the rocks. He wondered if they were doing the wrong thing, if they shouldn't uncover the girl and take her…where?
Slowly, he felt the presence change from watchfulness to approval. He placed the last rock over the closed eyes and brushed gently on the loose dirt to smooth away any evidence that anything had been disturbed.
He noticed that the normal night noises of wind and wood had returned. He hadn't realized that it had been silent for the last few minutes, as if the land around them had been waiting, grieving.
The mood was broken by the sharp and metallic
Exploring with light, almost weightless, fingers, he found loose rocks, some as large as six or eight inches across, piled in what felt like a methodical fashion at the corner where the sidewall met the ravine floor. He remained on his stomach but braced himself on his left hand so that his right could slowly, cautiously grasp one stone at a time and lift it straight up without a sound. Then he lowered the rock to a patch of soft earth and reached for another. In the dark, his senses were drawn into his fingertips, and his concentration was so acute that, when he touched smooth skin instead of coarse sandstone, he couldn't quite still an involuntary shudder. His hand jerked back a fraction of an inch—just enough to lose contact with whatever had been revealed.
For a frantic moment, he thought it was a snake, but after a couple of deep, slow breaths to quiet his hammering heartbeat, his fingers touched the object again.
It was cool and still and not alive.
Then his questing fingers found what could only be an eye, the lid closed and the lashes soft, like gossamer. He slowly reached over to Eve, tapped her on the wrist to get her attention, and, softly grasping her hand under his own, brought it over to the small face.
He had no doubt that it was a face, a child's face.
Eve gently moved her hand, and Rick could feel her head snap up as she also realized what lay under the pile of rocks. He had to move quickly to place his finger on her lips and avert a sound. Eve froze and he could see a gleam of moonlight as her eyes widened in alarm.
Rick realized that the presence in the ravine had…withdrawn. He could feel something, but any urgency or direction was gone. It was as if he had found something that he was intended to be found and now the presence had no more interest in them. Slowly, silently, they continued to reveal the small form. The body was cool but, somehow, not quite as cold as the surrounding earth and rock.
Eve touched his face and turned his head so she could speak into his ear again. "It's a girl." Her voice was rough, filled with tension and sorrow. "She's only six or seven, just a baby."
He touched her chin and, gently turning her head, whispered in her ear, "Should we carry the body with us?"
The answer came as soft as a breath. "No. She's been so badly hurt, but I think she's safe here." Rick could see her gesture upwards. "The mother, the Old One, is watching over her just as she is watching her own baby."
He could feel Eve move as she bent down over the child again, gently move her head to the side and, his fingers still touching hers, could tell that she was working at something under the chin.
Eve sat up again and breathed into his ear. "She was wearing a bag around her neck on a piece of string. Medicine of some kind. We’ll bring it back. Another mother is looking for her child and she’ll recognize the bag." She reached over and tucked the bag into the chest pocket of Rick's jacket. "Can you cover her back up? I just can't."
She took his hand and brought it to her cheek, so he could feel her silent shaking and the tears streaming down her cheeks. She rested her head against his hand until the silent weeping began to slow.
With the same care he had used to uncover the tiny face, Rick picked up and replaced the rocks. He wondered if they were doing the wrong thing, if they shouldn't uncover the girl and take her…where?
Slowly, he felt the presence change from watchfulness to approval. He placed the last rock over the closed eyes and brushed gently on the loose dirt to smooth away any evidence that anything had been disturbed.
He noticed that the normal night noises of wind and wood had returned. He hadn't realized that it had been silent for the last few minutes, as if the land around them had been waiting, grieving.
The mood was broken by the sharp and metallic
Similar Books
