Half-way there he heard a knock at the door. It caught him off guard a bit because he hadn’t had a surprise visitor and to be honest he wanted to keep it that way. He walked over to the door and steadied himself for battle, and swung open the wooden door. He was surprised to see a young girl in a tattered robe and slippers. She was visibly upset, nervous, and out of breath. He looked around for someone else, and then motioned her in. She was reluctant at first, but couldn’t help but be drawn to the warmth. He watched her look around the cabin and he followed her eyes. For the first time he saw his own cabin through the eyes of a visitor and realized that it might be frightening. There were newspaper clippings everywhere. He watched her start to backup towards the door.
“Names Thomas.” He tried his best to make his voice sweet and calming.
“Emily” she barely whispered and continued to stare at him curiously. He wasn’t old but it looked like life had worn him out. His eye’s were gray-blue and there was a kindness mixed with sadness. He was unkempt and appeared to have shied away from a sharp pair of scissors and razor for quite some time. He met her inquisitive glances with a smile. She relaxed.
“Come, have a seat.” he said and pointed to the couch.
“Liz, my friend...” Emily stopped as she crumpled into the chair and broke into tears.
“Let me get you some tea.” Thomas disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a steaming cup of tea and a first-aid kit. He placed it in front of her and then sat down across from her. “Tell me what happened.” Her eyes, already swollen and red, broke into tears again. Thomas handed her a tissue from the box next to him and waited patiently for her to begin.
Emily thought about her best friend, the screams, the struggle; she wasn’t ready to believe it yet. But there was something about Thomas, so she began her story. “My friend and I live off campus at Mt. Holyoke...” at the mention of the college’s name, his heart sank. His daughter would have been about her age. Oh Anne, he thought. “...I heard her screaming. I couldn’t reach her.” She stopped short, letting it all replay like a movie, she wondered what she should have done differently.
Thomas’ voice interjected her thoughts “You can’t blame yourself.” His words echoed in his own heart; he knew it was easier said than done. “The phone’s been out a while because of the wind. When it comes back on we’ll call the police.” He kneeled down in front of her. “Let’s take a look at that leg of yours, I think I have something to bandage that up.”
She looked down at her leg. Her pajama bottoms were shredded and there were blood stains soaked into the material. She had almost forgotten about the pain. That is when it hit her: What if he followed her here? What if he was outside waiting for her right now? She stood up, not sure what to do.
“Your safe here.” If was as if he could read her mind. Somehow Emily did feel safe with this stranger. She sat back down and let him work on her leg. She was overwhelmed with the generosity of this nice man, dealing with the death of her friend; not to mention the lunatic out there chasing her. The feelings of hopelessness and sadness blanketed her and she broke down. She felt a gentle arm on her shoulder.
“You’ll stay here tonight...on the couch.” Thomas said, adding the last thought so that she would feel comfortable, maybe even trust him.
“Thanks.” the simple word soothed his aching heart and a new emotion blossomed inside him. Hope.
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