The Demon's World

Anna

The man sat on his haunches studying the ground looking for sign. He was on a hilltop, in a small secluded area between the trees.

It was a cold night, and he shivered even wrapped up as he was in multiple layers of clothing.

Need to get back soon he thought, ain't gonna catch nothing tonight, even the dumb critters got more sense than me and have stayed all cosy in their dens.

Rubbing his hands together he stood to leave just as the air, not not ten feet in front of him, suddenly shimmered brightly.

Startled he stepped back, and tripping over some undergrowth, he fell backward onto the cold, damp floor.

'Shit!' he exclaimed, pushing himself back up to a sitting position.

Before him the shimmering air slowly coalesced to form an opening of sorts, a picture frame through which an outline could be seen, a persons outline as if stood in a doorway.

Beyond the person was mist, a dimness that briefly showed somewhere else, and then was gone, with only the misty outline of the figure remaining.

Eyes wide the man stared, his heart racing, all thought of cold now gone. What the hell?, was all his mind could think to say as he stared at the sight before him.

He was afraid to move, couldn't move if he wanted to.

The figure held something, a silver rod of some sort, and he could now hear voices but couldn't understand the words. He was terrified and yet at the same time mesmerised at what he saw before him.

The words continued and as he listened a calm came over him, and his fear slowly ebbed away. Somehow he knew that this was not something to be afraid of and that he would come to no harm.

The voices, or at least the one, a woman's he was sure, became agitated, urgent even, and the figure stepped backward toward him. The woman, he was now sure it was a woman, raised the rod she held, and the shimmering air around her dimmed even as her own figure became clearer.

She took another step back, slowly lowering the rod to her side. And then, with a deliberate motion, she threw the rod into the darkening mass of air before her and immediately raised both hands in front of herself and swung them around in an arc.

The hole, doorway, whatever it was began to fade and the woman again stepped back, as she uttered, what sounded to the man like curse.

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She began to turn away from the fading doorway in the air, but suddenly stopped and turned back to face it. She lifted her one hand, and from where the man sat as still as a mouse, it seemed for all the world as if she wrote in the air. As her hand moved fiery symbols appeared in the air in front of the woman.

Her hand lowered, and slowly the symbols faded leaving only an after image burnt into his sight.

As the woman turned, she looked directly at him, and for a brief instant, surprise filled her eyes. She spoke, he did not understand the words, but her tone was gentle, and again he knew that she meant him no harm.

She walked toward him and held out her hand as if to help him to his feet. He was a big man, six foot and not slim, and this woman was small, petite even, but not wanting to offend, what he was now convinced was some magical being, he took her hand, but strove to stand without putting undue strain on the woman's hand.

As their hands met, she took his weight and pulled him to his feet with ease.

He gasped, and the woman smiled, a small smile but what he immediately took to be truly genuine. As he hesitantly smiled back, he could see that tears filled her eyes, and that her cheeks were wet with their falling.

Noticing his glance she wiped at her eyes with her free hand, her other still tightly grasped his, and quietly uttered some words that he again could not understand.

He shook his head as he said, "I don't understand you—"

But before he could finish his words, the smile on her face widened, and he saw realisation dawn on her. Slowly she released his hand and raised both of hers toward his face, a question in her eyes, almost as if asking permission.

Without knowing what he did, what he allowed her to do, he nodded slightly, and then again smiled. Slowly the woman’s hands took hold of his head, and as her fingers gently touched his skin, a warmth filled him, spreading inward from her finger tips until his mind, and his whole body tingled with its glow.

All fear had left him moments ago, but now a relaxing calm filled him, and for the first time that he could remember in years he was at peace. Who is the woman? he thought, and as quickly as the thought left him, the woman said, 'My name is Anna, and I mean you no harm. I have travelled far to—'

But she suddenly broke off, whirling around, arms outstretched with wonder on her face.

'This... this white... and so cold... this is snow? How can it be, it was only days ago that he told me, only days.'

Sobs wracked her even as she laughed.

The man stood bemused, and yet somehow he knew that of the tears and laughter, the laughter was what controlled the woman’s emotions now.

She caught the snow in her hands, stared at it as it melted, rubbed it to her face and laughed, joy now clear in her eyes.

'You are here with me, Friend,' she said, quietly. 'I will never forget you, but you will always be here with me when snow falls.'

And with that she turned back to the man, the man named Jack, and taking his hand she said, 'We have much to learn from each other... Jack. I came here to help, to make right what he did... but from what you have shown me, what I saw in your mind, my journey was not as urgent as I believed.'

Jack was silent for a long moment before he spoke. 'Who is he? Make what right, and who are you?'

'My name is Anna, Jack, and I am very pleased to meet you. Do you have somewhere warm where we might talk. As I said, we have much to learn from each other.'

And with that the woman put her arm through his, smiled and said, 'Which way?'