Completely exhausted, she leaned against the gate of the little chapel. 'How did I get here? 'Every single one of her muscles ached and her head felt like someone had hit her hard with a hammer. 'Did something fall asleep here? Have I been forgotten? ’She shook her head slightly to dispel the fog that lay over her mind. It was useless. 'Who am I anyway? I can not remember. She looked around desperately, looking for something she recognized. But nothing, ... The landscape around them was in complete darkness, the sky was covered by a thick cloud cover that did not let anything penetrate. Carefully she dared a step on the stone steps, her legs didn’t really want to obey her yet and she went to her knees again on the first one. Then the cloud cover tore open a crack and let the light of the moon through. Now she could see again what was around her and immediately wished she couldn't.She was in the middle of a cemetery, which in the pale light of the full moon looked even more eerie than it already did. A cold shiver ran down her already freezing body and she shivered and rubbed her hands over her upper arms to get some warmth, which didn't help. Only now did she look down at herself, she was wearing a beautiful, short dress, which with its spaghetti straps wasn't really warm. She gently ran her fingers over the noble fabric and was startled. Under the garment she could feel the threads of a gruesome seam, she lifted her neckline a little so that she could examine the matter more closely. Her breath caught when she saw the rough stitches with which her stomach was pinned together, she quickly covered the tendon again and put her trembling hand on the spot. Slowly she spread a strange warmth on her abdomen.
"This can not be. “Whisper them into the stillness of the night.She ventured one more look under her dress and breathed a sigh of relief - the seam was gone. “Did I just imagine it? "
Again her gaze wandered over the cemetery, looking for an exit, because she didn't really want to linger here. She was overcome with grief. The graves looked neglected and forgotten. Instead of flowers, only parched stems could be seen on the dark earth and the stones were crooked and partly chipped. 'How can you forget your dead like that? ’After a few moments she had made out the rusty iron gate and stood up with her knees still weak. Every single step down the steps elicited a painful moan and when she finally heard the gravel crunching under her feet, she wanted to breathe a sigh of relief, but the way to the exit was still a long way. Staggering, she put one foot in front of the other, every movement of her body burned like fire. She gritted her teeth, always with the goal in mind, her eyes fixed straight ahead.She didn't want to look around, didn't want to be afraid. She couldn't do it either, all her concentration was on getting ahead. At some point, however, she lost her strength and she had to support herself on one of the dead trees. She froze pitifully and the chattering of her teeth would have made the crows jump if they had been there. This absolute silence frightened her more than if an owl had called. 'It always gave me goose bumps in the horror films. ... Oh yes? Was that so? ’Brooding over this whiff of a memory, she leaned against the trunk and slowly a cozy warmth rose in her and her strength returned to the point where she could venture further. Only less than half of the way was done, but now the steps were easier and the exit, her goal, came closer.
She didn't know what to expect, but she was disappointed when she left the last resting place of humans.Ahead of her lay a bumpy country road, not a soul to be seen anywhere, nowhere to see a light.
Desperate, she sank down on the cold ground and crouched against the pillar of the iron gate, which creaked loudly when she bumped against it. Startled, she turned around and looked again in the direction from which she had come. "Death. Death everywhere. “She said to herself, only to hear a human voice at all. The street in front of her looked no better than the cemetery itself. The grass was dry and brown, the bushes on the roadside were nothing more than a collection of dry, bare branches. Carefully she crawled under the branches of one of these to be somewhat protected from the cold, sharp wind that was now coming up. The branches wrapped themselves protectively and warmly around her and for the first time today she felt secure and protected. Her eyes kept falling shut, simply not wanting to stay open.'When did I get so tired, or wasn't I the whole time? She couldn't ponder it for long, because sleep had already overwhelmed her.

[i]“Your path has only just begun, but you will not be alone. I will watch over you, not just when you are sleeping. “And a smile crossed his face that he hid in the dark.

She was awakened by a tangle of excited voices. In her opinion, it was far too little time since she closed her eyes to sleep. Gingerly, in anticipation of being blinded, she opens her eyes. It took a while before she could see something. Her eyes had to get used to the darkness that still prevailed. No, actually it was no longer dark, rather gloomy, like on a rainy day. Her hands dug through the foliage that robbed her of the people who had to stand in front of her. She peered through the small opening and saw 2 men and 2 women arguing lively.She couldn't understand the words, maybe because they were talking so wildly, maybe because it was a foreign language. The reason for the excitement seemed to be a small, green leaf that one of them was holding in his hand. She was not entirely comfortable with it and tried to sneak away quietly. Unfortunately, a faint rustling of the leaves could not be avoided and everyone was staring at them. Everyone stared at her and, pointing at her, they came closer step by step. All four talked wildly at her and she still didn't understand a single word. Frightened, she just started to run, ignoring the way, without looking around. 'Just away' was her only thought. She couldn't run very fast in her sandals, only the hesitation of the small group gave her a bigger head start.
"Well, well, well. Where are you going in such a hurry?" ”2 arms that belonged to a young man held her tight. She just ran into him.She looked back in haste. "Please let go of me! “A small tear glittered in her eye. “Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you. “He had a very soft voice and she looked up for the first time at his soothing words. She looked into two wonderful brown eyes that looked down at her amiably. Suddenly she forgot everything around her, forgot her fear. “I am Sophus, and you? “- no answer, she was still staring absentmindedly, caught in his eyes. Only when he shook her lightly did she come to. "I ... um ..." Now she remembered why this man had run into this man and looked anxiously behind her. “I have to get out of here. “And wanted to break away from him. But Sophus did not allow this. "Come along! “He took her hand and just pulled her away with him. She stumbled after him uncertainly.

They ran along the stone wall that surrounded the cemetery, the dead grass rustling uncomfortably under their feet.Soon they had reached the end of the wall and continued following it at the corner. At about 100 meters away, at the end of this page, some houses could be seen. 'Apparently that's our goal. She still thought when she could hear her pursuers behind her and her voices kept getting louder, which led to the assumption that they were getting closer. Involuntarily she squeezed his hand, clung to her for protection. Sophus didn't turn around, he noticed her restlessness and simply returned her handshake. Immediately she relaxed noticeably. In the meantime the houses had come closer, too, until then she had hardly paid any attention to her surroundings, in her mind always with her feet, which were constantly threatening to trip over stones. But now she took a closer look at what was in front of her.
The houses were gray and in poor condition. The roofs were missing tiles, the walls were cracked and the windows were broken. Her companion led her between the houses, along narrow streets and around many corners, she had long since given up trying to remember the way.Now they were alone, too, had left the people behind them and their steps became slower, calmer. The paths here were smoother, there were no more tripping hazards and she was able to take a closer look at him for the first time since she had met him, no, almost knocked over him. His hair was messed up but not neglected. The color almost indefinable, not brown and not gray, something in between, or a mixture?
His clothes were already tattered and old. The pants in particular urgently needed to be patched, the seams had opened in places and the knees had been chafed through for a long time. 'At least it's up to his ankles. ’She remembered exactly the torn pant legs of the two men from earlier. 'It's not exactly warm here. ’His chunky sweater must have been green once, with a reindeer pattern, but it looked pretty washed out. 'How I've always loathed these reindeer patterns, but now I would be very grateful for a sweater like this.Another insignificant memory had crept into her mind unnoticed. She looked down at herself and examined her short dress and her airy shoes. 'Why in the world do I wear summer clothes? It's totally nonsensical at these temperatures. ’She no longer paid any attention to where she was going, just let Sophus guide her, who suddenly stopped. Still keeping her eyes on her clothes, she had noticed too late and ran into him again. She savored the warmth from him for a moment before pushing away from him, embarrassed. "What's happening? " "We are there. “The answer was short and sweet, apparently he wasn't a friend of many words. She wanted to ask him where they were, but then refrained from asking. The answer she would get would