Retirement

The bright green canopy of the forest waved placidly above, creating oscillating patterns of light on the ground below. Tesh relaxed on the stone porch at the front of his small cabin, which stood at the edge of the forest on the shore of a sapphire lake. Small waves sparkled as they divided the water's surface, rippling cheerfully as they played with the wind. Cloud gray smoke curled lazily out of the cabin's chimney, joining the smoke from the outdoor cookfire by the porch's stone steps as it rose into the air.

Atop the grid of green sticks over the cookfire lay Tesh's supper; four small fish fillets, the flesh gaining a pleasant brown-grey hue and the skin growing dark and crisp. From his seat on the porch, Tesh prodded at the burning wood, sending small amber sparks fleeing upward. A contented feeling welled in his chest as he took a sip of his cool mint tea. The sun warmed the skin on his bare chest and a warm breeze caressed his greying dark hair. He felt himself succumbing to the call of a nap.

A knot in one of the burning logs popped, causing him to tense momentarily, the comforting embrace of the impending nap leaving him suddenly. Standing abruptly, Tesh stalked into the cabin, ducking slightly under the low lintel of the door. A simmering pot of grains bubbled happily over the small fire in the hearth. Tesh collected a wide, flat-bottomed bowl and a slender wooden fork from the shelves on the wall by the door. Unhooking the ladle from its hook on the mantle, he scooped some of the grains into the bowl. Tesh returned the ladle and went back outside.

Warm wind washed over him as he set the bowl down on the small rough table by his seat on the porch. Collecting the wide clean plank he used as a cutting board, Tesh gathered the fillets from the cookfire, his fingers deftly snatching them up one at a time. He waved his hand in the air, attempting to dispel the heat that had collected in his fingertips. Tesh returned to his seat and selected one of the fillets, depositing it on the grains in the bowl. The creamy slurry embraced the crisp edges of the fillet as it sank.

Twilight was upon the forest. Smoke drifted from the corners of Tesh's lips as he puffed on his pipe. The remnants of his meal sat in a neat pile in his bowl on the table. He gazed out over the water, watching the waves twinkle in the light of the first waking stars.

The soft rustle of the forest floor being disturbed came from the east side of the cabin, causing Tesh to turn sharply. Urgently, he scanned the tree line until he saw a badger lumber grumpily out from behind the thick trunk of a tree. His gaze returned to the surface of the lake and he froze, seeing a set of flashing lights floating on the surface. Tesh's heart raced as he tried to focus on the distant dots. They winked again, then one was unceremoniously consumed by a leaping fish.

Tesh stood, knocking the ashes out of his pipe against the side of his table. The sound echoed out over the water, causing him to cringe. He made his way back to the doorway of his cabin. The nocturnal wild life was beginning to stir in the forest, bringing more rustling to his ears. Twigs and branches snapped, leaves crunched. Almost certainly the paws of the night creatures of the forest, or boots. Boots moving through the forest.

Nearly forgetting to duck under the lintel, Tesh slipped into the cabin and closed the door with a thump. He pulled his tunic off the hook by his bed, and yanked it over his head. Boots stirred outside; no, creatures with four legs foraging for food. Tesh sat on the edge of his bed and extinguished the lone candle that burned on his bedside table. He sat quietly in the darkness, listening to the boots outside.

Tesh curled up on his bed and wept bitterly.