by Maariyah Saumtally
A large silver orb hung in the air, casting beams of silvery streaks onto the frost-covered moors. Millions of stars were sprinkled behind its ethereal glow, a multitude of little golden pin pricks like scattered stardust against the dark blanket of the night. Great oak trees that had long ago been tiny saplings shimmered against the pearlescent night as their hazel leaves donned jackets of ice sequins.
A large house just across the chaos of the forest was bursting with music and laughter. Golden silks and sweet musk decorated the ancient antique house. Even the emerald green ivy that clung to the cracks of the coffee brown bricks seemed to have a sense of class and prestige. The curls and spirals of the vines looked as though they had been created with the house itself.
Bright light shone from the entrance of the grand double doors, igniting the rich colours of the silks and satins of the guests as they entered into the harmony of music and laughter, casting a shadow across the splintered walls.
Hidden in a dark corner of the building, pressed against the wall, stood a lone fox, its maple orange coat emanating with light as it stepped forward, paws silent on frozen ground. No one inside noticed. But from the open doorway, an old dog lifted its head.
A pause. Then recognition.
The dog bolted into the night, barking with joy as the fox broke into a run. They met in a flurry of fur and snow, tails wagging, circling, nuzzling. Inside, the music played on. But in that quiet corner of the world, two souls had found their way home.
Art by Engel der Ruhe, Flügel, Herz von Male Rinsland, “Belonging“
About the Author
Maariyah is a teen writer from the United Kingdom whose work reflects quiet introspection and the search for connection within everyday life.