Authors note: This is, like Someone I love, a piece from a series of short
stories I wrote. These stories do not belong together, but as I´ve always
seen some kind of connenction between this and the other one, so I post
Assasins here as the second chapter. Please note also that the original
language of this piece is German and this is only a poor translation.
Please be tolerant.
Assassins
Wind stroked the meadow and carried the fragrance of summer over the plains. Birds sang their songs in the twigs of the trees, that reached into the blue sky and moved softly in the summer wind. The air was filled with a soft whispering, leaves rustling and bees humming, heavy with the fragrance of drying grass and blooming flowers.
But the meadows were still green, seemingly reached to meet the horizon and melted there with bits of blue sky.
Carefully she went over the field, while little stones and twigs tickled her naked feet. Her shoes were swinging softly in her hand. Often she stood still and looked around, uncertain and almost searching, before she went on, breathing deeply. Sunbeams warmed her skin and put golden lights on the strands of blonde hair that had managed to escape from under the hat she was wearing.
Finally she stood still, and after a last glance into the wide space in front of her she let herself sink into the ankle-high grass. Again her eyes went over the hill behind the trees and then lost themselves in the empty space behind. Absent-mindedly her fingertips caressed the flat stone next to her.
A small, sad smile was on her face, as a tiny sparrow landed on the grass next to her, not two metres apart, and hopped towards her. Unmoving, she stayed in her position and watched amused the little bird, until another sparrow got his attention, chirping loudly, and he flew away.
Smiling, she looked after him, then she took of her sunglases and layed down in the grass, one hand still on the sun-warmed stone beside her. The warmth made her sleepy. She closed her eyes, and was immediately surrounded by ghosts, saw dark shadows dancing in front of her lids, memories, people coming nearer and melting again into the dark gray background they came from.
A face, half hidden in hands, beautiful, full of soft power and poetry, almost invisible in the darkness, soft strands of hair on her skin and strange eyes full of warm love.
Shaking and breathing deeply she sat up and tried to calm herself. Through a veil of tears she saw a dark shape coming towards her. Darkness.Flashes crashed in front of her eyes, memories of prison cells, stakes, moonlit nights, rooms and floors.hallways.people moving through them, memories of a man who seemed to resemble the shadow of a beast of prey.
The birds in the trees were silent, and she noticed the tall man clothed in black looking searchingly over the meadows. She saw the change in his movements as he caught sight of her, and saw the self-assured movements with which he came nearer, the lithe gestures when he moved.
She let herself fall down onto the grass again. She layed on her side, head in one hand, and stroked with the other over the rough stone next to her, felt the small deepenings of the letters under her fingertips and finally rested her cheek on the warm surface. "Do you know", she whispered, tears colouring the stone under her dark, "do you know how much he is like you?"
A familiar hand softly touched her shoulder and stroked her hair. "Nikita?"
"Yes", she said and sat up, "I´m coming."
She heard his steps go away and looked after him. Tall and broad- shouldered, with a hidden elegance few people possessed. Her heart leaped.
Slowly she stood up. She knew, if he would turn around, green eyes would look at her from under a mass of unruly black hair, green eyes that would drown her in their depths.
A soft breeze caressed her face and tousled her hair.
Yes, she thought, I love you, too.
Assassins
Wind stroked the meadow and carried the fragrance of summer over the plains. Birds sang their songs in the twigs of the trees, that reached into the blue sky and moved softly in the summer wind. The air was filled with a soft whispering, leaves rustling and bees humming, heavy with the fragrance of drying grass and blooming flowers.
But the meadows were still green, seemingly reached to meet the horizon and melted there with bits of blue sky.
Carefully she went over the field, while little stones and twigs tickled her naked feet. Her shoes were swinging softly in her hand. Often she stood still and looked around, uncertain and almost searching, before she went on, breathing deeply. Sunbeams warmed her skin and put golden lights on the strands of blonde hair that had managed to escape from under the hat she was wearing.
Finally she stood still, and after a last glance into the wide space in front of her she let herself sink into the ankle-high grass. Again her eyes went over the hill behind the trees and then lost themselves in the empty space behind. Absent-mindedly her fingertips caressed the flat stone next to her.
A small, sad smile was on her face, as a tiny sparrow landed on the grass next to her, not two metres apart, and hopped towards her. Unmoving, she stayed in her position and watched amused the little bird, until another sparrow got his attention, chirping loudly, and he flew away.
Smiling, she looked after him, then she took of her sunglases and layed down in the grass, one hand still on the sun-warmed stone beside her. The warmth made her sleepy. She closed her eyes, and was immediately surrounded by ghosts, saw dark shadows dancing in front of her lids, memories, people coming nearer and melting again into the dark gray background they came from.
A face, half hidden in hands, beautiful, full of soft power and poetry, almost invisible in the darkness, soft strands of hair on her skin and strange eyes full of warm love.
Shaking and breathing deeply she sat up and tried to calm herself. Through a veil of tears she saw a dark shape coming towards her. Darkness.Flashes crashed in front of her eyes, memories of prison cells, stakes, moonlit nights, rooms and floors.hallways.people moving through them, memories of a man who seemed to resemble the shadow of a beast of prey.
The birds in the trees were silent, and she noticed the tall man clothed in black looking searchingly over the meadows. She saw the change in his movements as he caught sight of her, and saw the self-assured movements with which he came nearer, the lithe gestures when he moved.
She let herself fall down onto the grass again. She layed on her side, head in one hand, and stroked with the other over the rough stone next to her, felt the small deepenings of the letters under her fingertips and finally rested her cheek on the warm surface. "Do you know", she whispered, tears colouring the stone under her dark, "do you know how much he is like you?"
A familiar hand softly touched her shoulder and stroked her hair. "Nikita?"
"Yes", she said and sat up, "I´m coming."
She heard his steps go away and looked after him. Tall and broad- shouldered, with a hidden elegance few people possessed. Her heart leaped.
Slowly she stood up. She knew, if he would turn around, green eyes would look at her from under a mass of unruly black hair, green eyes that would drown her in their depths.
A soft breeze caressed her face and tousled her hair.
Yes, she thought, I love you, too.