I stepped through the Door and into the Otherworld and looked
at my feet. I wore heavy black boots and
a thick woolen dress and cloak. It was so
dark all around that the trees surrounding me were barely visible and cast no
shadows, for no moon and no stars shone in the sky above. It was brutally cold, I shivered even beneath the
heavy woolen clothes and despite the heavy boots, my feet felt as if they were
naked to the ankle-deep snow in which I stood.
There was no discernable path in the snow, and no
footprints to indicate that anyone had passed here before me. There was no sound, no wind, just the
incredible weight of loneliness and darkness and cold, deep in my bones and my heart.
I wandered alone, stumbling over rocks and roots hidden
beneath the snow. It seemed that there would be no relief from the dark and
lonely place my heart had been living for longer than I cared to remember. I wandered for what seemed an eternity.
But after a time, I noticed that I could see the Trees. I
thought perhaps my eyes had simply become accustomed to the darkness but, the
snow appeared to be paler. And then, I
noticed a sparkle on the snow that drifted up from the surface as I walked. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me
but, then I saw another sparkle. And
I looked up.
I looked up from my feet and from the snow-covered ground
and through the trees to the sky. I saw
a single star just above the horizon, and just the hint of light beginning to
show in the East. Dawn was approaching and
as I continued to walk, Daybreak pushed at the dark sky. I stood looking at the growing light and breathed
deeply and released the darkness with a sigh.
Light returns. Dawn comes.
