Broken Promise

      Short story concerning the family of an orphan in Child of the Wind.

      The wind raged against the dark of night, trees whipping back and forth violently as it sounded a low, desperate keening through their spidery branches.  The leaves that tumbled through the air were barely visible for inky thunderclouds loomed above, blotting out the light of the twinkling stars above.  Even the lovely white rays that emanated from the pale full moon were obscured without a thought or care, as if even the elements that lurked outside the thick glass window were devoid of hope for the fate of those tucked behind its transparent protection.

       All this was absorbed in the back of her mind as she stood, feeling small and very, very alone in the little cold room.  Under her watchful blue gaze was a rickety wooden crib and a thin white mattress upon which rested a child wrapped in a silky lilac blanket.  Tufts of thick blonde hair stuck out in every direction as the tiny girl slept, her large, mossy green eyes closed and long black lashes brushing against her soft rosy cheeks.  

       The storm that raged outside paled in comparison to the terror that awaited the innocent child as she would grow older and more powerful, her blissful ignorance soon to be ripped away like the fleecy blanket that was her comfort that chilly night, leaving her exposed and afraid and at the mercy of those who seeked to use her for their own selfish gain with no thought of the things she would suffer as a result.  

       This the young woman knew all too well, and the pain that tore through her every day and especially now as she beheld her baby girl so helpless in slumber had grown and found its way into her every passing thought, so that each new movement she made in life caused her fresh agony.  

       Gently so as not to wake her, she stretched out her arm and brushed her long, pale fingers once against the baby's face.  Then she turned and knelt next to the young German Shepherd puppy that lay on the floor by the crib, brown eyes alert and missing nothing.  

       "Keep her safe, Misty," she whispered, pressing her lips against her furry forehead.  The dog's tail whapped against the floor once in confirmation.  

       The girl rose and walked out the door, pausing once to look upon her child one last time before closing the door softly and walking away.

       The hardwood floor creaked ominously underneath her as she padded across to the master bedroom.  Barefoot and clad in only an oversized white T-shirt she was wracked by shivers as cold air drifted through the house.  

       A particularly strong gust of wind blasted through the night outside, moaning eerily and sending chills of an entirely different nature down her spine.  The familiar feeling of dread manifested itself once again in the back of her mind.  Conflict was looming, and she knew it to be dark and unavoidable.  

        Her room was warmer than the rest of the house, but not by much.  Still she welcomed the balmy air that whisked across her arms and legs, calming her nerves and smoothing down the goosebumps that had erupted in the sad wooden hall.  

        One of her dresser drawers hung open and she walked across the room to shut it.  As her fingers closed around the knobs a wave of despair washed over her, taking her breath away with its sheer magnitude.  

        What is going to happen?  she could not help but ask herself.  And she realized she was too afraid to answer her own question.

        Behind her the door opened, tossing even more cold over her sensitive skin.  Her jaw tightened.  She did not look but she knew he was there.  The main source from which her daily anxiety stemmed.  Before he had been her only comfort in times of need, but now, when their daughter's life was in danger as well as her own and she needed him most he had transformed into the bane of her former strength.  Unaccustomed to facing hardship not only without him by her side but as a part of the deadly obstacle was almost more than she could bear.