” This road looks dangerous, doesn’t it. ” he said.
She was walking slightly ahead of him, a woman in long fitted black fur jacket trimmed along her collar and wrists with light gray lace shaped like feathers. Her head was protected from the cold and the fog by a fluffy brown scarf.
” I mean, it’s a good thing there’s still daylight. Wouldn’t want to be out here when it’s dark. Look at the shape of this pavement, broken to bits and full of ice. It’s dangerous in full daylight. In the dark, well, one false step and whump. Down you go.”
“I’m wondering.” he asked without expecting her to answer, in fact he preferred she keep quiet- for now. ” Do you know there’s a lake off the path here. It’s pretty deep, I’ve heard. Nobody knows exactly how deep it is. Anything could be down there. You could hide anything down there and keep it hidden pretty much forever.”
She continued to walk in the same measured stride and she continued to not pay any attention to him.
” Yes, daylight is the time to be out here. Before the temperature drops and the fog rolls in and not only can’t you see but you can’t even walk fast let alone run if something came up on you. Something not friendly. Because. Whump. Down you go. You could be hurt and alone all night- providing you lasted that long.” He paused. ” In this cold. Well. ”
To his satisfaction- no- to his pleasure he saw her adjust her scarf and she slowed down. Just a little. But that was enough, that was all he needed. He felt positively warm inside and it made the palms of his hands sweaty.
” This little park is no where to be walking alone, especially when it’s cold and the dark and the fog rolls in fast like it is right now. Once daylight is gone, that’s when it’s worse. That’s when the ground opens up and the monsters come out. At night when you’re all alone.”
She stopped and he saw her drop her scarf back with shaking hands on either side of her head. He was delighted to see little puffs of her nervous breath frozen and drifting over her shoulder towards him because they had nowhere else to go.
Those small gestures excited him to the center of his bones.
” Are you sure about that? That the monsters only come out at night.” she asked as she turned around carefully so as not to slip on the icy path. ” Are you absolutely sure about that?
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Inspired By The Australian Advent Calander: The Bunyip