ghosts in the night — tiara & ulrik

Post by lucius branwen / 10 — fox on Nov 11, 2023 0:53:57 GMT -5

"when it storms in the mountains, sometimes you can hear a distant howling. some think it's the wind. but those that know the story know better."

the sun sets early this time of year. i light three candles in Ulrik's room, and the soft, hazy glow turns us dark blue and gold. he lies on the bed, resting on his stomach. i sit on the floor before him, settling into the story i heard a long time ago from one of the older girls.

"in the coldest month of the coldest year, two hunters crept up the slopes searching for game. they followed the tracks of an animal up the mountainside."

the snow falls endlessly, thick against the pane of glass. i turn towards the sound of a rattling wind hitting the window, face shadowed by the cool gray darkness. the school is eerie sometimes. old buildings with enough spaces between their bones for the wind to whistle through.

"it was like this. a night where all paths were washed away by a blinding blizzard. they were lost in the snow. there was no way back to their home."

we can hear the hum of the generator even from up here, feel the gentle vibrations in the walls. it's been lights off earlier these nights to save power.

i look back at Ulrik. "days passed. the storm went on. furious and unrelenting, it bundled the world in dying white. one night, the hunter turned to his partner, who had fallen asleep in their shelter. it was so terribly cold, and he felt so terribly hungry. the bones around his stomach felt sharp and hollowed. his belly was sunken with pain."

the candles flicker as the wax melts. it makes shapes on the wall, shadows from a sweater hanging off a chair, the dresser with one drawer open, closet with a door ajar.

i lean forward, resting my chin on the edge of his bed, tone lightening a little. "you wanna know what happens next?"

and for one long moment, i survey him, tilting my head up to meet his eyes. "i don't know Ulrik, you're looking a little scared."