Epilogue
Somewhere very far from there, a man got on a train. He was walking with his shoulders hunched and hiding beneath his long hair and the rim of his head. He found a compartment which was at least relatively empty and sat down, barely nodding to the two other passengers – a middle-aged black woman and a young girl of no more than twenty. The later had the distinct look of a southern belle – all lace and ribbons and glossy blonde curls.
The man settled next to the window without removing his hat.
A storm was raging outside and drops of rain were banging on the glass. Night was already falling, and in the darkness, all that could be seen were the shadows of the trees, waving madly in the wind.
"What a delightful storm, Hattie!" the girl said, addressing the black woman with an accent which confirmed that she was indeed from the southern states. "Fairytale time, my father used to call such weather."
Her companion shook her head.
"Strange girl you are, Miss Sue-Ellen, strange girl. Every living creature's looking for a place to hide and you – fairytale."
"Why, don't you think it is a beautiful weather, mister?" the girl asked playfully, clearly seeking in him an ally against the older woman's rationality.
The man shifted uncomfortably before answering.
"I suppose so," he said shortly, hoping to discourage any further attempts at conversation.
But the girl's interest seemed to peek when she heard his voice. It sounded much younger than she had expected.
"Where are you travelling to?"
"Washington."
She clapped her hands.
"Then we shall be together the whole journey. Hattie and I are headed there too! Are you on business? Hattie and I are off to visit my sister and her husband. I should like to live in Washington some day too. The South is so old-fashioned…"
And in a gallery many miles away something stirred. There was a quiet sound, like crumpling paper… or the wings of a butterfly struggling to leave its painted prison.
Maybe such is the sound when Life rustles the pages of a whole new story…
End Note: Please leave a review to let me know what you think and I will see you in the next one!
Love,
Yana