Excerpt: Insentient Dark

“Come visit Russia anytime!” Dmitri cheered.

“Bye bye Dimka, bye gang!” waved Tilde and started walking in the hoof steps they made arriving, leading the horse.

After walking for quite a while, she looked back. She could still see the outlines of the town. The moonlight was bright and the air cold and crisp. She was a little annoyed she hadn't come any farther. She took a deep breathe and continued. A cold wind was blowing now and then. Nothing is like the Arctic winds. They could cut through anything, like sharp knives.

...

She moved like in a trance. She had a third look at the bottle, deciding this was the last vodka she would have until she was home. Her feet felt oddly numb. Her face felt warm. Left right, left right, left right.

She felt snow against her face. How long had she been lying down? She looked into the darkness. She closed her eyes. Just rest for a little longer. Just a minute. She could feel herself drifting off. It wasn't a bad feeling. She felt warm.

She sat up. Told herself she could rest a bit, sitting up. She knew she would probably wake up, if she fell to the ground. She felt a little swimmy. She blinked. Sighed. Got up.

The landscape repeated itself. The snowfall was less intense. There was this heavy feeling in her feet, but she could fight against that. Step by step. Each one bringing them closer home. She was careful now to look for anything familiar. It would be bad if they missed where they lived. A sad ending, indeed.