Bethsabée et Elio (ENG version)

Chapter I

I

Bethsabée always appreciated her father picking her up after school and, to please her, speeding on the clear roads. She enjoyed opening the window and feeling the wind in her hair, considering it her way of relaxing after classes. It's not that she hated school; quite the contrary, she simply enjoyed transitioning between her two lives. A fan of speed, she wouldn't trade those moments alone with her father for anything in the world. Racing down the asphalt, she dove into the adrenaline of the present moment and enjoyed their closeness.

Today, returning from shopping with her father, she took her dog for a walk as usual. She remembered the day she went to the shelter to pick up the poor Labrador. She was immediately drawn to his sad demeanor and sandy coat. He looked fine, but his eyes reflected a cruel lack of love that Bethsabée wanted to fill immediately. Even though her mother was afraid of animals, she agreed to add this furball to the family circle, much to the delight of her only daughter and her father, who almost unknowingly became attached to their new four-legged companion.

As she surfed on this wave of nostalgia, a honking sound snapped her out of her reverie. Two cars had just avoided a head-on collision at the intersection. Her startle scared away a squirrel that fled into the branches of the tall oaks in the park. At this time of year, the colors of nature were magnificent. The trees were lush, and their leaves, red, orange, yellow, or green, gave the landscape a fantastic aspect. The water where the ducks swam reflected the blue of the sky, while the movement of the clouds, which seemed to flee towards a promised land, completed the ripples of the basin, creating the illusion that the elements were dancing together.

Lost in her wandering thoughts, she arrived, unaware, at her doorstep. Bethsabée lived in a small stone mill bordering the right bank of a stream flowing slowly below the village. Her house was small and modest, but it was enough for her to feel a genuine sense of belonging to the shack that housed her family cocoon. The slate mansard roof gave a rustic feel to the abode, supported by thick reassuring walls and consisting of tiny windows framed in rock, making it warm and welcoming. Despite the small size of the windows, they let in enough natural sunlight to illuminate all the rooms of the house.

Upon returning, she warmly hugged her mother and recounted her day while devouring the last fruit from the basket. Then, she sat in the armchair in the living room and indulged in another activity she particularly enjoyed: reading! Bethsabée had been reading since she was very young. As she grew up, she began to read increasingly larger novels, exploring very different yet equally captivating worlds. Today, at sixteen, she devoted herself more specifically to fantasy and detective novels, drawn by the intrigue and suspense offered by immersion in these exciting stories.

The next day, arriving at school, Bethsabée already regretted having only eaten two meager slices of toast and a glass of orange juice for breakfast. Her hunger only grew throughout the day, reaching its peak at the end of classes when she headed to her locker to pick up a few books. However, after struggling to open the lock, which, with age, became more and more recalcitrant, all notions of hunger vanished. Curiosity took over. A letter lay there, among the books, inside her locker. She gently slid it into her bag, her mind flooded with questions, and fled, almost running, carrying with her the mystery of the missive.

As soon as she crossed the threshold of her house, Bethsabée opened the envelope and went up to her room, shoes on, strictly forbidden by her father for a few years now. Sitting beside her, her little Jack Russell terrier watched her attentively as she took out the contents of the envelope. After a brief affectionate pat, her eyes fell on the paper...

In the forEst, under the starry sky

A curious squirrel ventured by

Its gaze was drawn, captivated