The yard

When the meal was over, as soon as the guards returned to clean up; they left the cell both of them this time. She led the way and he was moving freely behind her, as if he himself was one of the staff, leaving the guards behind, to clean after them.

Oh boy, what a feeling! To come out of this hole in such a style! An exceptional sensation that what it really was, to be in the open air again, and above all, to
have Nicole by his side! He had to curb the urge to rush to her and pick her in his arms, to climb the cellar's steps running up to the lighted entrance. Anyway he did run the few steps that descended to the yard waiting for her at their feet, fighting back his tears of joy nearly shouting aloud, challenging the dense jungle growth towering over the yard's walls – the low hanging clouds that filtered the sun rays above their heads. He could have swept her off her feet as she came smiling towards him down the stairs, and dance with her in his arms across the empty yard. Agitated and breathing heavily, he kept throwing furtive glances in every direction turning always back to her, hardly seeing anything but her pretty face.

An armed guard stood on top of the villa's flat roof, but seemed to pay his attention somewhere else. Another one appeared at the far entrance once, popping his head outside curiously, but disappeared right away in the interior shadows. Out of the five wide windows that overlooked the yard, only one was open.  Someone was watching their steps, no doubt.

The strange fit of mute enthusiasm, that gripped comrade Spree amused and worried Lee Chen Woe at the same time; she had never met with such forms of uncontrolled behavior before. He was walking beside her as if he was stepping on red hot embers with bare feet. Checking and rechecking his long strides, slowing his pace to stay at her side and not leave her behind him. At first she had to bite her lips to prevent herself from laughing, such a pitiful sight he was. But it was no laughing matter. He was in the right state of mind to swallow anything; whatever she would want him to. In about an hour's time without consulting her watch, she led the way back, while he followed her as if he was a stray lamb, finding his way back to the herd at last.

© Haim Kadman 2007 – all rights reserved.