FogBlog

Waking up in the library, Shadowheart eagerly looked around to see whether Elody was already there. The room was quiet, apart from the crackle of the fire, forever burning in the fireplace.

There had always been something bright and warm in the dreamscapes. The first one had been a sunny hillside with a gentle breeze breaking the heat of the midday sun. The campfire on the beach had been the next source of light and warmth in the dream. That was when their friendship had really turned into something else. In the light of the campfire, their love had budded. Timid, tentative, but it had been there. It had only been in the library, by the fireplace, where Shadowheart had had the courage to say it out loud.

How she longed to utter those words to Elody during the day! Perhaps they could take a walk up on the hills, near the barley fields and the old windmill. The midday sun would make Elody’s hair glisten with hues of copper. They could sit on the cliff overlooking the city. And Shadowheart could take Elody’s hand, kiss her knuckles, and murmur those three words for only her to hear.

Shadowheart was swept into a world of daydreams. When Elody hadn’t appeared after her fantasies had all but run dry, Shadowheart tried to figure out how and why the dreamscape had changed along the way. Yet, no matter how long she pondered, Elody wasn’t arriving.

This must’ve been how Elody felt that night I didn’t sleep, Shadowheart thought.

Oh, how uncomfortable it was to be alone in that magical place where Shadowheart had spent the happiest moments of her life!

She’d never had to intentionally keep herself busy in any dreamscape. Elody was often already there, and, if she wasn’t, she would arrive relatively soon after Shadowheart. And, with Elody there, there was no need to come up with things to do; with her, existing in the same space was enough. There was no need for activities as such. Staring at the fire, exploring the ever-growing catalogue of books and maps, and finding solace in each other were enough. And, for Elody, there was much to write in that secret book of hers.

Without Elody, the library was hollow. There was too much space in the room, when Elody wasn’t occupying some of it. The place was too vast without Elody’s arms fencing Shadowheart in safely. In only one single room, Shadowheart was afraid she’d get lost, if she moved from the settee.