Day 5 - Scene 12 - Part 5

The clouds caught up with them down in the valley on the other side of the hill, just where the road started sloping up again to climb the next. Silent and inevitable, a vast, grey, cover slid across the sky and shut the sun away. The day became darker, and down in the forest, shadows gathered and grew.

A gust of wind whined through the tree tops and in its wake came the pitter patter of falling rain. The first drop hit Enar on the hand and the second on the nose. Big splotches of water started appearing on the back of the cart and on the seat beside him.

“Here we go,” he muttered and twisted round to grab the tarp.

“Here we go.” Amanda shook the reins and clicked her tongue, bringing Sofie up to a trot again after their slow decent into the valley.

Enar pulled at the tarp, held it on to his left shoulder with one hand and then tried hooking it on to Amanda's right shoulder, to keep her covered as well. The tarp fell off and he tried again.

She turned to him with a frown. “What are you doing?”

Enar blushed. “I'm sorry. Just trying to get the tarp on to you as well.” He tried hanging it on her shoulder a third time. “Can you hold on to it? It keeps falling off...”

“No, silly.” She grinned at him and held up the reins. “I've got to keep us moving. You'll have to hold it up.”

“Oh, but... how?”

Amanda looked at him. She bobbed her head and raised an eyebrow.

“What?” Why couldn't she just tell him? The rain had already started.

“Seriously?” With a big grin on her face she took the reins in one hand, shuffled very close and lifted his free hand over her head, placing it on her right shoulder. “There, like that, only you have to hold the tarp too.”

“Oh...” Cheeks burning he reached for the edge of the tarp again. He pulled it up to her shoulder and held it there, her back warm against his arm and her hip warm against his. “There, is that okay with you? Are you good like this?”

She tilted her head and smiled at him. “It's great Enar, don't worry so much. Now you'll keep me both warm and dry. You're such a gentleman.” She laughed and kissed him on the cheek, before turning her attention back to the horse and the road.

Enar forgot to breath. His mouth dried up and the bumps in the road stopped jostling him around. Raindrops ran down his face but all he felt was that spot on his cheek where her lips had touched him. Raspberries.

He remembered to breathe again and filled his lungs with air. “Okay then, sure thing... just checking.”

Amanda laughed. “Boy, you seriously need to...” She stopped and cleared her throat. “Would you mind getting the tarp over our heads. I think the rain's picking up.”

Frowning, Enar glanced at her, but her focus was on the horse and the road. “Sure thing.” He struggled with the tarp – lifted it up too far so it fell over their eyes – before getting it settled just right, over both of their heads. “What do I need?”

“Never mind that. You're doing fine.” She snuggled closer and patted him on the knee. “It's not looking so bad, the rain, is it?”

The first heavy drops gave way to a light, but constant, drizzle; the kind that slowly seeps through everything and wraps the world in a soft grey mist. They huddled together under their tarp, warm against each other; driving through the rain as a dim twilight settled over the forest.

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Continued in Day 5 - Scene 12 - Part 6.

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