Stroking the girl’s face tenderly as she fell asleep, Theuli replied through her tears, ‘Sleep now, child. The long night is over. You’re home now, and safe in bed.’
‘. . . safe . . .’ Deborah fell asleep, smiling.
As the congregation began to disperse, in the fading firelight, Nevana found herself standing alone in the snow, feeling utterly alone, abandoned, her feet aching from the cold, shivering in the gelid night air. It seemed to her as though she was utterly shut out, from family, friends, community . . . adrift and alone. All around her, the others were in the warmth of their tents, consoling and reassuring one another.
At the last, she stood there still, a lone figure in the dark, forgotten.
She had wanted so badly to join in with the others, and at first she had tried to sing. But no sound would come, as though she had forgotten how to speak. Then, when she discovered who it was that led them in song, she suddenly felt herself to be an unwanted stranger. Even as the sense of community grew about her, she could feel herself being pushed out.
Staring into the night, she tried to weep, but no sound would come. If she had possessed the volition, she would have gone stumbling off into the darkness. But there was no need; the source of that emptiness was now inside her.