It was the perfect summer day. Father had allowed Crys a break from here chores to gather fragrant flowers in the meadow. Birds rejoiced in the long anticipated summer filling the air with music. Seeds floated through the air on silken sails. Nearby the mountains climbed into the clouds and were still draped with snow.
She brought the bouquet into the house to put in a clay jar of water and set it on the rough wooden table. The hut was small and comfortable with a heap of furs in one corner for when the winter winds would find their way through the cracks and creep into the hut like icy fingers.
A shadow fell over the sun. An eclipse. Not uncommon, but often foreboding some ill luck. Father was hurrying in from the fields, running. He was shouting something to Crys but she could not understand it, he was too far away. She turned towards where he was pointing and saw it.
Climbing down from the mountain pass was the creature. It was large, larger than a horse and covered in a black carapace like a great insect. Its legs each ended with a great spike like a downward curving sword. The creature moved quickly over the rocky terrain and was moving towards her. The sky changed from blue to grayish purple as the eclipse progressed and it grew suddenly chill and darker.
The second creature appeared on the slope above Father. Crys could tell that it would reach him before he could reach her.
No comments:
Post a Comment