[Schmendrick]

It was a strange evening: the setting sun had painted the sky fierce red and the woods were deadly silent. It was as before some great storm and yet no clouds could be seen in the sky. “There is something wrong now”, Durmán thought “I’ve never seen anything like this in my whole life.”


He had left the city in the afternoon, only some hours before the attack of the corsairs. When he had gone to bid her mother farewell, he hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary and yet he had felt strangely concerned. His mother, too, was on a strange mood. When Durmán had come to see her, she had run to him, her cheeks wet from tears; like a little girl. She had had a terrible nightmare last night: fires and screaming children, dark men everywhere. Durmán had tried to calm her and for a short while he had even thought about staying some more days in the city. But finally he had decided to go on with his plan. After all, her mother had nightmares every other night; it wasn’t that unusual.


But now he started to regret his decision. Something was wrong, he was certain of it now. Should he turn back? Just then he heard the clattering of hooves drawing near. Someone was coming and on a terrible speed.

[ February 18, 2003: Message edited by: Schmendrick ]