She arrived
His gaze at him was dull. The smile on his face twisted slowly. He was swallowing his spit, and all his thoughts gathered into that single one. The tearful eyes of a child were standing before him, frozen; rage, sorrow, and fear, a fire roiling within. Nothing was moving, neither the eyes nor the small hands.
Where are all those unspoken questions now?
All that injustice fit into one thought, into that dull stare. He was looking at him calmly, seeing neither the boy’s anger nor his fear. A murky cloud came to stand between the two of them. A cloud of some other anger, some other sorrow and fear.
Justice! That was what they were waiting for. They longed for it – a lost, ill-fated, unrequited love.
‘’Give her to me! To me, a wretched outcast and brigand! Give me that enchanted bride who guards her delicate veil. Give her to me, for I deserve her!’’
‘’Give her to me. I am a child, and you have to give her to me. The world is pure, just as they said it was. It must be so! I demand it – give her to me!’’
The two of them were staring at each other; the moment lasted for a long time. They were waiting for her. She was a gift, and they had to have her. She existed – they had heard of her. Everyone spoke about her, in laughter and in grief. Yes, she will surely come! They understood her roots. Ah, well, she didn’t have to do it all alone! They knew that, yes, they knew it! And if they thought about it a little more… well, what was there even to think about?
He didn’t see the child’s eyes before him – not even fear, sorrow, or anger. He saw a cloud, and her in it, the silhouette of her figure, a scent as if she had been there. A stare, cold and dull. It had to be… She arrived.