It has been three years since I met the Kitsune. I wondered where Nora went when I awoke the following morning. My limbs were restored to an even better condition than she’d found me. My life was perfect. Every expedition I have travelled on since that day, I have searched for her. However, she never reveals herself to me. I search endlessly, but the cold always tears me away from the trail. I know she found me in a snowstorm, so I keep an eye on the storm clouds when they roll in. On particularly dreary days, I park just outside the cabin in an igloo I made to store excess cuts of meat. Somedays I tell myself it was all a dream. Sometimes I hear the wind whisper little secrets in my ears just like on that night. Today is one of those days. For the sun whispers her sweet nothings as I march through the snow-crusted valleys.
I couldn’t help but admire the snow-capped mountains. Near death experiences have a way of opening a man’s eyes to the little things in life. Every smell carried a more fragrant note than before. The frozen tundra I once knew as dull became the most vibrant place I’d ever seen. So many caribou and deer run through the wilds. The howls of the wolves ring through the night when I lay my head down to rest. The birds themselves sing the most on this particular morning. The sun dances across the horizon, her radiant garbs illuminating the entire sky. I do find it odd that the mountain chose today of all days to be silent.
My footsteps crunch as I trample the thin layer of snow beneath my feet. Fresh streams trickle throughout the valley as blades of grass pierce through the snow. Despite the frigid temperatures on the mountains, the valleys warm just enough and free the weary seeds from their frosted chains. In a few months time, the valley will be littered with small blooms. Animals will give birth to their young. A new generation will emerge, taking up the reins of the frail old sentinels from a fading age. However, I’ll still be here, working at this cabin and selling my wares to the villagers a few miles down the valley.
~
Tonight marks the eighth year since I met Nora. I’m sure now that she’s travelled to a distant land. Maybe she felt homesick. Maybe Nora had a family matter to attend to. My wife, Valerie, says I just made Nora up as a way to cope with my loneliness, but I was never lonely in my solitude before she arrived. I became lonely after Nora left. I want to repay her for her kindness in some way, even if I can only do something small. So, I’ve decided to tell my future children about her. My wife thinks I’m ridiculous and that I’m just letting my imagination control my life.
I spend most of my days making wood carvings of toys for the children of the village. Every two weeks I have a delivery day after carving for thirteen days straight. I have so much to haul that I needed to buy a new snowmobile. The children smile from ear to ear when they see me coming on my snowmobile. Speeding through the valley sends a rush through my system and nothing tops it. I carry the toys in a large box. The box is so heavy that my body weight is needed to balance the vehicle. Today I have a mission. I ordered a marble block for a construction project. I’ve got all the materials to build a statue for Nora. Perhaps that’ll be enough to thank her for giving me another chance to live.
~
My joints ache as I climb out of bed. The shouts of my children echo throughout the expansions of my cabin. They’ve grown so much since I finished the statue of Nora. Valerie hates the statue and blames me for my children looking up to Nora. They always ask every night to hear the story of how I survived the blizzard during my twenty-eighth year. Nina turned ten today. I love seeing the joy on Nina’s face when she helps me craft the toys for the village. I built a small temple to Nora, hoping that she’d show up to bless my children with her presence. Yet, the kids are shouting more than usual for their normal arguments.
“Vincent, can you tell the kids to quiet down? I’ve got a headache,” Valerie sighs.
“Sure, I was planning on grabbing something to eat anyway.”
I walk through the spruce halls, taking in the various paintings on the walls. I’d gotten into painting after the kids were born. It was a way for me to stay near while Valerie takes care of Nina and Charlie. Most of the time we split the workload, but somedays I have to craft more toys as the population grows larger in the village. That’s why Nina helps me so often these days. I can’t keep up the work as well as I did back when I first met Valerie. As I round the corner, I find my children staring at a familiar face. Tears well up in my eyes as Nina runs around Nora. Charlie sits dumbfounded in one of the chairs.
“I heard your prayer, Vince. How have you been?”
It had been ages since I heard her voice, yet the notes still carried the same hopeful harmonies from twenty-one years ago. Nora seemed to be much more powerful than when we first met. Maybe she’d advanced in age enough to gain another tail. Almost as if she were reading my thoughts, four large fox tails emerged from behind her back. Nina reached out and stroked one of Nora’s tails as Nora stroked Nina’s hair. The two were kindred spirits, my daughter and Nina. Valerie stepped into the living room, her eyes bulging out of her head.
“Hello Valerie, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you,” Nora says.
“You’re real? I thought Vincent was going insane,” Valerie whispers.
“Your husband is not insane. I made sure to heal every part of his body, but I took extreme precautions while restoring his brain.”
Nora looks down at Nina as my daughter’s eyes glitter with unbridled joy. It warms my heart to see my daughter this happy. Especially since all of this was only possible because Nora saved my life.
~
The house still creaks at night. The floorboards have creaked since my children moved out. Valerie went out on a trip to visit Nina in the California valley when a massive mudslide smothered her car. That was ten years ago. I’ve been alone in the cabin ever since. No one tells you how hard it will be to keep yourself moving when you reach your nineties. Or at least, you don’t believe the ones who do. I believe them now. Every time I make myself a sandwich, I make a herculean effort just to get to the porch. The village has become a crowded town. People drive snowmobiles all around the valley. My temple has become a sort of tourist destination when people visit, but no one bothers to enter my home. Perhaps my house is the subject of scary stories that parents tell their children. I suppose I’ll never know.
I still manage to care for myself in the wild. Perhaps I know this valley better than I know my own children. Nina has kids of her own, and Charlie just got married a few years ago. They come to visit every know and then. Tonight marks the beginning of winter. A thick blanket of snow already covers the grasses, an ill omen for my next few months. I stuff a few logs of wood into the firepit before placing a kettle on top of the stove. A knock on the door catches my attention as I chop up some carrots for my stew.
“Hello, who is it?”
“Well, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten who I am in your old age,” a familiar voice calls out from the other side of the door.
“What are you doing sitting out there?” I shout.
“Embracing nature. Do you care to join me?”
A cold chill washes over me as I drop the knife and the half-sliced carrot onto the stove. I march my way to the door and open it. Before me stands Nora once again. She looks just as she did when I met her in my youth. Nora took my hand, tugging me towards the snow. The kitsune sang a sweet melody, but it carried a somber note. My body sighed as I trudged through the snow toward the temple. I’m so tired that I can barely keep my head from spinning. Nora keeps up, slowing her pace to match mine as my limbs start to fail. Darkness clouds my vision as my heart trembles in my chest. Only the sweet hum of Nora’s song could reach my ears. Snowflakes skittered through the sky as the temple fell out of view. My mind swam as the winds howled my name. My own voice felt shrill as I dared to speak, but no words came out.
“Shush Vince, I’ll bring you home to Valerie. You’ll have to trust me though.”
Those were the last words I heard before a deep silence consumed me.
Leave a comment