The_Nightingale_Khajiit
Niente è vero, tutto è permesso
Thomas had been out late after visiting his grandparents’ farm twenty miles outside of town one record-low November night, and was forced to trek home on foot since he had failed to put antifreeze in his car before leaving the quaint little town he called home. It was a dark night in the foggy woods of upper Maine, nature’s icy grip tightening around him like a noose and forcing Thomas to seek refuge from whatever demons awaited his demise at the hands of Mother Nature herself. After hiking alongside the winding, cobblestone road leading through the woods and meadows for nearly three hours, he could go no further, Winter’s chilling breath seeming to seep into the young man’s very veins.
Thomas spotted a sliver of light through the dense foliage ahead, though he couldn’t tell if what he perceived was real or just a ploy by the demons in his mind to lead him to his doom. Finally, as he neared the floating orb, Thomas decided to believe the former, making his way over a bubbling brook and trying his hardest to block out the sounds of night creatures flooding his beanie-covered ears. After another half-hour of walking, the poor man’s face and hands numb from the frigid air squeezing his frail, mortal body, he got close enough to see that the lone light was coming from the window of a small cabin that seemed unoccupied, so Thomas gathered up his courage and approached the door, peeking inside to ensure that it was occupied, as he didn’t want the owner to come home and find him trespassing.
Though Thomas had a notion that a shelter built in this neck of the woods wouldn’t be in the best condition available, the cabin was far beyond what he had imagined. The old wooden walls seemed to cave in and were covered in thick, green and white moss and mildew, the roof made up of slate tiles that looked as if they had been chewed on by some sort of mutant termite, huge chunks and holes evident in several of them. As dilapidated as the structure appeared—at least from the outside—it was better than staying outside, especially since he could feel the warmth of a fire crackling through the splintered walls.
He rapped on the unhinged door twice, stepping back and rubbing his pale, trembling hands while blowing into them in the hopes that they’d stay warm long enough to prevent frostbite from occurring. A few moments later, the door creaked open....
Thomas spotted a sliver of light through the dense foliage ahead, though he couldn’t tell if what he perceived was real or just a ploy by the demons in his mind to lead him to his doom. Finally, as he neared the floating orb, Thomas decided to believe the former, making his way over a bubbling brook and trying his hardest to block out the sounds of night creatures flooding his beanie-covered ears. After another half-hour of walking, the poor man’s face and hands numb from the frigid air squeezing his frail, mortal body, he got close enough to see that the lone light was coming from the window of a small cabin that seemed unoccupied, so Thomas gathered up his courage and approached the door, peeking inside to ensure that it was occupied, as he didn’t want the owner to come home and find him trespassing.
Though Thomas had a notion that a shelter built in this neck of the woods wouldn’t be in the best condition available, the cabin was far beyond what he had imagined. The old wooden walls seemed to cave in and were covered in thick, green and white moss and mildew, the roof made up of slate tiles that looked as if they had been chewed on by some sort of mutant termite, huge chunks and holes evident in several of them. As dilapidated as the structure appeared—at least from the outside—it was better than staying outside, especially since he could feel the warmth of a fire crackling through the splintered walls.
He rapped on the unhinged door twice, stepping back and rubbing his pale, trembling hands while blowing into them in the hopes that they’d stay warm long enough to prevent frostbite from occurring. A few moments later, the door creaked open....
