I place my foot on the carriage step and, bowing my head, enter. It’s dark, but when I lift my gaze, I make out a large shadow, shaped like a man. The air leaves my lungs as if I’d been kicked in the chest. I sit with my back very straight and shoulders stiff. I try not to look directly at the shadow.
“Let’s go,” he says, knocking on the roof with a calm but strong voice. It’s masculine and hypnotic. “I want to get home as soon as possible.”
His wish is my command.
The horses neigh as the whip cracks, breaking the night’s calm. We speed off, accompanied by the thunder of hooves against the cobbled road. I look out the window, avoiding what truly awakens my interest and my fear.
About an hour passes during which my rear suffers with every bump in the road. The silence is suffocating, bu
