Dark Rock
The man unlaced his boots and disrobed to his under clothing. He motioned to me to follow him to the bedroom the woman had changed in.
In the corner of the room was a wash basin sitting on top of a wooden cabinet. A mirror hung on the wall above it.
He opened the cabinet and pulled out a towel and thrust it in my hands then pushed me towards the basin of clean water.
I reached down and cupped my hands. I pulled the water up and splashed it on my face, it felt cold. I saw no soap laying around, so I decided to look up into the mirror. As I glanced into the mirror I noticed my looks were rapidly beginning to change.
A beard was growing in thick and untamed on my face. My eyebrows were now connected and my hair grew past my shoulders. I stepped backwards in shock and looked at my hands which were now rough as if I had worked the land my whole life. My hands were calloused, my knuckles were starting to become gnarled with arthritis.
I turned to look at the old man.
I felt the blood rush from my body, and a slight feeling of nausea began to form in my stomach.
The cabin’s color was fading out. It looked as if the color was running into the ground.
It started at the ceiling, the rich brown colors faded into shades of light and dark gray. Slowly it spread from the ceiling to the wall, and down the walls to the furniture. Slowly it spread across the floor.
I stood frozen as I watched the gray floor reach the old man’s feet. Slowly it crept up his legs.
The old man just stood there, expressionless. The gray spread up his waist over his chest then took his face and head. The man looked like a marble statue.
I jumped on the bed from the floor before the gray could reach my feet. I ran into the other room, I had only one thought. Please let the beauty be spared.
As I entered the room I saw her. Forever frozen. Her beautiful perfection preserved for all time.
She looked so perfect, even in those overalls. Leaning over the stove. A small simple smile on her face. She looked happy, content.
I reached up to caress her face. The coldness of it felt like marble, then suddenly horror filled my eyes.
My beautiful love began to crumble where I had touched her as if she was ash. Her smile now a horrified hole where half her face was missing.
“No!” I yelled in horror. I stumbled backwards into the wall. It broke like ash and I fell through it to the ground outside.
I righted myself as I looked inside the hole. Suddenly there was a strong gust coming from somewhere behind me.
“No!” I screamed out loud as if I could stop the winds with sheer willpower.
I could not stop the winds.
I fell to my knees and wept bitterly as I watched the cabin blow away.
I watched the woman I loved blow away bit by bit into the wind til there was nothing left but a patch of land where once a cabin stood. I looked through tears at the land. The farm, the animals and barn all stood. I just stood in shock, til the rooster crowed and brought me back.
I glanced down at my clothes and noticed I was wearing what the old man had been wearing. When I glanced back up, the cabin stood there again. It looked different than before. The wood looked fresh and clean as if it had just been freshly built.
Joy filled my heart and I rushed inside hoping to find the woman I was in love with. There was no stove or furniture in the room when I walked in. The two rooms were bare except for a single straw mattress in the first bedroom, and the mirror hanging on the wall.