Humming, you let your fingers stroke along the windowsill while listening to the sound of the falling rain.

As the drops fell onto the delicate blossoms and green leaves, you wondered how it would feel on your skin.

Cold, probably, maybe even icy.

But the last time you felt rain had been so long ago that you could only guess.

Sighing, you leaned against a wall and let your eyes wander up to the sky.

A gray veil covered everything, making the day as dark as the evening. But when a flash of lightning illuminated the clouds, you raised your eyebrows in surprise.

"That's a big bird...", you muttered to yourself.

Thunder sounded. For a moment you kept your gaze fixed on the sky, hoping to see again the shadow moving through the air as if the lightning was carrying it. But the clouds remained dark.

"What are you doing?", your mother asked as she came back into the house, a basket of firewood tucked under her arm.

Her hair was wet and the clothes she was wearing had also gotten dripping spots. With a strained gasp, she put the basket down on the floor and pulled you away from the window.

"You're catching a cold.", she pressed a hand to your forehead. "You're as cold as ice. What did I tell you would happen when it's cold?"

You rolled your eyes and turned away from her. The water on her hands burned your skin.

"When it gets cold everything contracts and tears under the tension.", you repeated her words. "Stop treating me like a little child. I know your tirades by heart."

Shaking her head, she pressed her lips into a thin line, but said nothing in return. She knew all too well that any more words would have started an argument. Instead, she turned to start a fire in the stove.

It wasn't long before the warmth stroked your body, easing the pain that had settled into your joints.

Again, your eyes wandered to the window. And again you could see the shadow in the sky as another flash of lightning illuminated the gray.

"A really big bird...", you muttered to yourself and traced the shape of the shadow on the table with your finger. "And so strangely shaped..."

Irritated by your self-talk, your mother raised her head.

"What are you talking about all of a sudden?", she asked with a puzzled smirk. "Birds don't fly during thunderstorms."

"What do they do then?"

"They hide in the trees."

"And what if it were a really big bird? With four legs and a long tail."

Startled, she dropped a block of wood.

Alarmed by the noise, you turned to her and frowned as you noticed how much she was shaking. It seemed as if she was reminded about something, reliving a dark moment of her past.

"What did you say?", she asked with a shaky voice.

As she glanced over her shoulder to you, a cold shiver crawled down your spine. The look in her eyes was so dark, so cold, that you thought she would wrap her hands around your neck and squeeze them shut. You've never seen her be this disturbed about something.

Unsure if it would be wise or repeat your thoughts, you glanced out the window one last time to reassure yourself about what you've seen.

"I was just daydreaming.", you said.

She took a deep breath in.

"How do you know what a dragon is?", she asked.

"You told me. Remember the stories you told when I was a child?"

Her shoulders relaxed. Sighing, she squeezed her eyes shut and massaged the bridge of her nose for a moment.

"Right... right, I did... tell you stories, didn't I?"

Confused, you eyed her for a moment. The sudden change in her behaviour was so strange to you.

"Are you alright?", you asked after a moment of silence.

"Yes. Of course I am."

"You look upset."

"I am. But that's none of your concern."

Annoyed that she treated you like a child again, you frowned.

"Why won't you tell me?", you asked, a hint of disappointment audible in your words.

Her eyebrows drew together.

"You don't have to know."

"Right. Just like I don't have to know anything else than this.", you did a gesture to include everything inside the cabin, from the small corner with two beds, to the kitchen that was barely big enough for your mother to work in and the small bookshelf that had about three books to carry. "I wasn't born here but you'll make sure I die here."

"I am doing this to protect you."

"But I'd rather die seeing the world than living like this forever."

"Don't say that. I'll regret it later."

"You say that as if you know a different world from this."

The expression on her face darkened. It darkened so much that she looked like a ghost who wandered at the face of earth without knowing where to go.

"I know that the world outside won't like you.", she hissed, so cold and hateful all of a sudden. "This world consumes the weak. And if you are strong, those who are stronger will find you."

With a huff, you shrugged. A smirk appeared on your lips.

"I don't fear the gods.", you said, so sure and full of yourself that it made her gasp in horror.

"You should, stupid child. They are cruel."

"I'm not planning on befriending them."

"And you shouldn't. You'll meet a god and next thing you know he leaves you behind with a curse."

As she said it, her face twisted and turned in disgust. Her nose curled, in a way that it only ever did when she was disgusted to her core.

It shrouded you to hear her speak so hateful. And yet, somehow it gave you a bad feeling. Something deep inside your guts made you feel like she was carrying a secret that was a much bigger burden than you could ever be.

Out of respect, you lowered your gaze and kept your mouth shut. This was enough for a day.