An Encounter

Valeria and I stepped out with our horses away from the house, the stars twinkling overhead. We spoke no words but we were contented with the intermittent sounds produced by the horses’ shoes on the earth, and the whispering of the leaves every now and then. It was a glorious silver light that fell on the earth; the shadows were long and flickering.

We came across a small stream and water was falling down the hillside through the night. The sound of the stream and the gurgling was a small comfort, a far cry from the life we once had. Looking at her, Valeria turned her head and I could see that her eyes were filled with moonlight.

“Do you remember when we used to play by the stream near our home?” she asked softly.

I smiled wryly. “Yes, we would spend the whole day there, trying to catch fish with bare hands. You know Tina used to get angry with us because we returned home all wet.”

"I miss those days."

After that time we kept on riding, the hours disappeared in front of our eyes as we