smile.
“She’s unstoppable, and when she’s angry, she…” He trails off. I want to know what he was going to say, but he looks pained enough as it is.
“She left me alone for hours,” I say, “waiting for me to starve. That’s when you recovered your strength.”
Tristan nods and folds his arms over his chest as if he’s cold. “She knew I helped you.” His hugging of himself is growing neurotic as he grabs at his clothing. “She was upset. She uses the candles and lamps for her own energy yet snuffs them out when I dare.” He’s now grabbing at his vest and shirt. “If not for this fire, I would never have recovered enough.” He looks like he must be hurting himself.
I cross over to Tristan and rest my hands on his to stop his fidgeting. “Is that why you were bleeding?” I ask as I gently pull his hands away from his torso.
He nods. “I wasn’t whole. Old wounds…”
I reach up to brush his hair away from his temple and he flinches. There isn’t any trace of a mark.
He crosses over to the fire. “She can summon me whenever she wants to. The only reason she hasn’t yet is because she is sorting out what to do. Or trying to. She knows she can’t get you in here. So she’ll come after you again the moment you step out.”
He looks around the room, as if realizing that it is there, and I wonder if he sometimes slips in and out of the spirit world, even while he has a body.
“Are you hungry? I should catch you more rats.”
“Don’t you need to eat as well?”
“Yes, though not as often as I did when I was alive. Not nearly as often.”
I sit down on the bed. “That’s why you took the dead animals from Sacrifice Rock.”
“At first I thought it was hunters being generous with their catch. They kept leaving it out so I helped myself. In fact, I still have some smoked pork in the larder if you’d like some.”
I haven’t had pig in so long that I am already salivating. “I’d love some.”
He grins. “Then I shall bring it to you.” He steps over to the door.
“Wait,” I say. He pauses. “The last time you went out, she hurt you.”
Tristan looks confused. “Because she summoned me. She hasn’t summoned me now.”
“Let’s stay here for a while. I still have a rat,” I say.
I sit down on the hearth and stick the rat back into the fire, above the flames, to heat it up. Tristan sits next to me and places his folded hands between his knees. When the rat is warm, I tear off a leg and offer it to him who puts the whole thing in his mouth and swallows. Trying not to stare, I offer him the other leg but he waves it off.
“I am full, thank you.”
He sighs contentedly as I eat the rest of the rat. And if I’m not mistaken, he looks rather proud.
“Isn’t this wonderful?” he says. “You, me, the rat, the fire.”
I laugh until I realize he’s not joking. He doesn’t seem to notice my slip.
“I didn’t know what I was missing all this time. Of course, I knew it was something. But that something was so difficult to grasp that it evaded me for ages. It would have been easier were I not so forgetful. Which is probably why I couldn’t remember what I wanted.”
This is the most he has ever spoken about himself, and unprompted, as well. I wonder if spending time with the living is restoring his mind.
“And what was that?” I ask, licking the grease off of my dirty fingers. I need to wash.
He grins. “A friend.”
I can’t help but grin back. A friend indeed. I start to feel guilty when I realize that he has been out here all of this time, so lonesome, while an entire village sits on the edge of his woods.
“If you could go as far as Sacrifice Rock, then why can’t you come live in the village?” He has that self-conscious look on his face again. “When you have a body, I mean,” I add.
His expression relaxes and his eyes look timid. He leans in towards my face but I don’t back up. “May I?” he asks, even as his forehead presses against
“She’s unstoppable, and when she’s angry, she…” He trails off. I want to know what he was going to say, but he looks pained enough as it is.
“She left me alone for hours,” I say, “waiting for me to starve. That’s when you recovered your strength.”
Tristan nods and folds his arms over his chest as if he’s cold. “She knew I helped you.” His hugging of himself is growing neurotic as he grabs at his clothing. “She was upset. She uses the candles and lamps for her own energy yet snuffs them out when I dare.” He’s now grabbing at his vest and shirt. “If not for this fire, I would never have recovered enough.” He looks like he must be hurting himself.
I cross over to Tristan and rest my hands on his to stop his fidgeting. “Is that why you were bleeding?” I ask as I gently pull his hands away from his torso.
He nods. “I wasn’t whole. Old wounds…”
I reach up to brush his hair away from his temple and he flinches. There isn’t any trace of a mark.
He crosses over to the fire. “She can summon me whenever she wants to. The only reason she hasn’t yet is because she is sorting out what to do. Or trying to. She knows she can’t get you in here. So she’ll come after you again the moment you step out.”
He looks around the room, as if realizing that it is there, and I wonder if he sometimes slips in and out of the spirit world, even while he has a body.
“Are you hungry? I should catch you more rats.”
“Don’t you need to eat as well?”
“Yes, though not as often as I did when I was alive. Not nearly as often.”
I sit down on the bed. “That’s why you took the dead animals from Sacrifice Rock.”
“At first I thought it was hunters being generous with their catch. They kept leaving it out so I helped myself. In fact, I still have some smoked pork in the larder if you’d like some.”
I haven’t had pig in so long that I am already salivating. “I’d love some.”
He grins. “Then I shall bring it to you.” He steps over to the door.
“Wait,” I say. He pauses. “The last time you went out, she hurt you.”
Tristan looks confused. “Because she summoned me. She hasn’t summoned me now.”
“Let’s stay here for a while. I still have a rat,” I say.
I sit down on the hearth and stick the rat back into the fire, above the flames, to heat it up. Tristan sits next to me and places his folded hands between his knees. When the rat is warm, I tear off a leg and offer it to him who puts the whole thing in his mouth and swallows. Trying not to stare, I offer him the other leg but he waves it off.
“I am full, thank you.”
He sighs contentedly as I eat the rest of the rat. And if I’m not mistaken, he looks rather proud.
“Isn’t this wonderful?” he says. “You, me, the rat, the fire.”
I laugh until I realize he’s not joking. He doesn’t seem to notice my slip.
“I didn’t know what I was missing all this time. Of course, I knew it was something. But that something was so difficult to grasp that it evaded me for ages. It would have been easier were I not so forgetful. Which is probably why I couldn’t remember what I wanted.”
This is the most he has ever spoken about himself, and unprompted, as well. I wonder if spending time with the living is restoring his mind.
“And what was that?” I ask, licking the grease off of my dirty fingers. I need to wash.
He grins. “A friend.”
I can’t help but grin back. A friend indeed. I start to feel guilty when I realize that he has been out here all of this time, so lonesome, while an entire village sits on the edge of his woods.
“If you could go as far as Sacrifice Rock, then why can’t you come live in the village?” He has that self-conscious look on his face again. “When you have a body, I mean,” I add.
His expression relaxes and his eyes look timid. He leans in towards my face but I don’t back up. “May I?” he asks, even as his forehead presses against
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