Chapter 34
As we walked that day I discovered just how weak Ebony was, even with the hour or so's rest she had had in the hut she had to lean on me most of the time and we had to stop frequently and I had to carry her several times. That day was the first time she had one of her episodes.
It was drawing near to the end of the day and we were walking in single file following a stream Pride had told me of. I turned to check on her and found she was standing still a little way back along the track looking eerily like some long dead ghost in the half-light of the twilight.
"Ebony?" I said waving my hand in front of her face when I reached her but she didn't respond, just stared ahead unseeing. I tried again with the same luck. As I stood there thinking what to do her expression suddenly changed to one of abject terror
"No!" she whispered "No!" her voice cut to my heart, but much as I stroked her arm and whispered to her she showed no sign of knowing I or this world existed.
I stood there for a few minutes watching her but she did nothing until a single solitary tear rolled down her cheek, I reached to wipe it off gently fustrated beyond belief that I didn't know, that I couldn't see what she saw and rescue her from it. After another minutes silence following the tear she suddenly swayed and began falling away from me. Startled into action I grabbed her and pulled her back to cradle her in my arms. As she lay in my arms she began to show the first signs of life, turning her head and blinking confusedly.
"Jay" she said after a few seconds orientating herself, pushing away from my arms to stand precariously on her own feet "What happened?" she asked raising her hand to her forehead as if she were dizzy or not seeing straight "One minute I was here, and then" she paused slightly "I was there, with him... then I was back here with you"
I wasn't sure what to say, what the right words to reassure her were, first I swept her into a hug and then looked at her "I think you had some kind of weird flashback" I told her gently reaching for the right words to explain.
She turned away from me slightly shuddering as she did so "Am I going mad?" she asked me imploringly.
"No" I reassured her immediately "You're just...upset, you have things you need to deal with" I told her trying to explain to her that I was there for her, that I loved her and I wasn't judging her, I just wanted to help.
"Yeah, things" she said quietly then looking up at me she said "Shouldn't we be getting on?" with a certain fake okayness.
I agreed with her and after a few minutes we came across the hut we had been sent to, entering we found it sparse to say the least, a wood fire, thankfully well stocked, several mismatched chairs, a tiny table and a bed were the total contents of the hut. Noticing a bundle on the bed I walked over and found all the stuff I had asked for.
"Toss for the bed" Ebony said over my shoulder. Neither of us said anything about sharing it even though at one tine we would have done automatically, that was a taboo subject.
"Nah, you have it, I'll take a chair," I told her; she needed a bed far more than me. So exhausted by our long day we settled down to sleep. As I settled the blanket over me on my armchair I heard a voice coming from the bed
"Jay?" it asked
"Yes" I said settling back
"You will be here if I wake up? your not going anywhere are you?" she asked
"I'll be here," I told her. I heard her settle down and then gradually her breathing slowed and the tiny hut sat in silence except the crackle of the fire, which I had lit.
As we walked that day I discovered just how weak Ebony was, even with the hour or so's rest she had had in the hut she had to lean on me most of the time and we had to stop frequently and I had to carry her several times. That day was the first time she had one of her episodes.
It was drawing near to the end of the day and we were walking in single file following a stream Pride had told me of. I turned to check on her and found she was standing still a little way back along the track looking eerily like some long dead ghost in the half-light of the twilight.
"Ebony?" I said waving my hand in front of her face when I reached her but she didn't respond, just stared ahead unseeing. I tried again with the same luck. As I stood there thinking what to do her expression suddenly changed to one of abject terror
"No!" she whispered "No!" her voice cut to my heart, but much as I stroked her arm and whispered to her she showed no sign of knowing I or this world existed.
I stood there for a few minutes watching her but she did nothing until a single solitary tear rolled down her cheek, I reached to wipe it off gently fustrated beyond belief that I didn't know, that I couldn't see what she saw and rescue her from it. After another minutes silence following the tear she suddenly swayed and began falling away from me. Startled into action I grabbed her and pulled her back to cradle her in my arms. As she lay in my arms she began to show the first signs of life, turning her head and blinking confusedly.
"Jay" she said after a few seconds orientating herself, pushing away from my arms to stand precariously on her own feet "What happened?" she asked raising her hand to her forehead as if she were dizzy or not seeing straight "One minute I was here, and then" she paused slightly "I was there, with him... then I was back here with you"
I wasn't sure what to say, what the right words to reassure her were, first I swept her into a hug and then looked at her "I think you had some kind of weird flashback" I told her gently reaching for the right words to explain.
She turned away from me slightly shuddering as she did so "Am I going mad?" she asked me imploringly.
"No" I reassured her immediately "You're just...upset, you have things you need to deal with" I told her trying to explain to her that I was there for her, that I loved her and I wasn't judging her, I just wanted to help.
"Yeah, things" she said quietly then looking up at me she said "Shouldn't we be getting on?" with a certain fake okayness.
I agreed with her and after a few minutes we came across the hut we had been sent to, entering we found it sparse to say the least, a wood fire, thankfully well stocked, several mismatched chairs, a tiny table and a bed were the total contents of the hut. Noticing a bundle on the bed I walked over and found all the stuff I had asked for.
"Toss for the bed" Ebony said over my shoulder. Neither of us said anything about sharing it even though at one tine we would have done automatically, that was a taboo subject.
"Nah, you have it, I'll take a chair," I told her; she needed a bed far more than me. So exhausted by our long day we settled down to sleep. As I settled the blanket over me on my armchair I heard a voice coming from the bed
"Jay?" it asked
"Yes" I said settling back
"You will be here if I wake up? your not going anywhere are you?" she asked
"I'll be here," I told her. I heard her settle down and then gradually her breathing slowed and the tiny hut sat in silence except the crackle of the fire, which I had lit.
