Solace

Miya drove out the tar into a muddy turn. A narrow road that went deep into the hoods. She only hopes her small sedan will not loose traction and slip or worse, sink in the mud and get stuck. Nothing is worse than getting stranded in deep woods on a heavily raining day. She cruises at a low speed, carefully maneuvering the narrow winding path. She switched on the headlights. Although it was not dark yet, the overcast sky with the clouds hanging low and the heavy rain was making it hard to see clearly. "Who even wants to live in such an outskirt area?, so secluded from the city", Miya asked herself. She wonders how someone can choose to live without anyone else around except the tall trees and grass. Contrary to the life that Miya is used to, living in a big city everything is fast and lively often bumping with someone as you hurry to not miss the train in the morning. The streets always buzzing with sounds of cars and noisy with the voices of street preachers. Everyone you pass by seems very occupied either a couple making love in the streets or someone just shouting angrily on the phone. No one has the time to mind what the other is doing, everyone just minds his or her business. The muddy road took a sharp curve. Just as she made it round the curve, a large vintage mansion came into view. It stood in the clearing with the tall pine trees forming a wall around it. The trees shadowed the mansion making the area even more dark in spite of the low hanging clouds and the rain. Miya stopped the car at the water fountain facing the entrance of the house. The fountain was green with moss and the water green with algae. Just like the rest of the clearing, the ground was covered with leaves. The place looked deserted or lacked maintenance. She opens the glove compartment and drew out a khaki envelope. She then curses herself when she realizes that she had forgotten to carry her umbrella. "Well Miya, it's just getting a little wet, handover the envelope, drive back to my apartment and go straight to bed", she huffs, "how hard can it be". She ties it in a black plastic bag to protect it from the rain. She then tucks it under her blouse, although it felt inappropriate she couldn't risk any chance of getting the envelope wet. She then steps out of the car and runs to the door. It wasn't a long distance to the entrance of the mansion but that was enough to make her reach the wooden double doors soaked up and dripping wet. Mist was coming out from her breathe. She shakily knocked on the thick wooden doors. It could have been because of the heavy rain or thick doors but the response came out faintly like a stifled cry. She hesitates to enter for a minute hoping that the response might come again more clearer but it doesn't. She hesitantly opened the door and stepped in. Just as she steps in, she hears the sound of a piano, filling up the whole house. The room was darker than the outside her eyes were still adjusting to it but by the way the sound echoed, you could tell that it was a very wide room. Suddenly lightning flashed followed by a rumble. Within the fraction of a second that the lighting flashed, a silhouette of a man sitting by a grand piano beside the spiral staircase was revealed. "I stumble and fall, down on my knees l crawl What crumpled was all, left my heart bare and sore. They are now just flashes of ruins, we strode the path joining hands but l go back alone your footprints are now washed by the rains. All l cherish of it now are just the pains. Oh lost love..." "Excuse me sir", Miya interrupts stopping the singing man. "I'm so sorry for interrupting, l'm Ms Sizetz, a housing agent. I have come to give you the envelope from the headquarters" "Oh lost love, died as the flame of a candle, only leaving wax on the handle" "S-sir!, excuse me but did you...", her sentence was cut by a lightning flashing twice. First it showed the man paused by the piano, his waxed dark hair complementing his dark shiney tuxedo suit. The second flash showed the man's face looking back at her. Could have been because of the white light from the lightning but his face looked as white as chalk. Almost matching the collar of his white shirt. He had rested his white fingers on the keys and a dragging mortifying sound echoed through the house. A thunder rumbled and stopped. Quietness followed save the faint sound of the rain outside. The darkness also returned but this time Miya could see the room more clearly. A wide room with a white wooden interior. A set of white leather sofas on the other side with a white fur rug in the middle and a fire place upfront. Large portraits hanging on the wall. Extravagant golden candle chandeliers hanging on the white designed ceiling but without candles. Shuffling of feet disrupted her gaze returning her attention to the man by the piano who was now standing up. He pulled the cuffs of his suit and adjusted his bowtie. Then turned around fully. He cleared his throat. "My apologies, l was lost in my song for a moment there", he then slowly and gently strode away from the piano towards Miya who stood by the door. The man walks past her causing her to frown with confusion. He walks to the door and pushes it which resulted in a clicking sound. He then turns around to face her. His eyes were a bit hooded with the darkness of the room. He stared at her for a while before the corner of his lips twitched into a dry smile. "Well hello. Miss Sizetz, is that?", he said drawing closer to Miya. He extended his arm to her, Miya being the professional personnel she was, thought he was asking for the envelope. She was about to reluctantly draw it out when she suddenly remembered where she had kept it. Unexpectedly, a gentle but cold touch grasped her hand. She flinched, her stomach taking multiple flips. The way the man's hand was cold was so unnerving. A touch of a cold depths of the soul, dark, lonely but yet not lifeless. She trailed her line of sight from their joined hands up the man's sleeved arms, his bobbing Adam's apple to his dark eyes. The eyes were the color of a sea under a starless night sky. "I- l have your...", Miya couldn't make any word without a shiver making her voice quiver. "You are cold, be my guest and let me make you warming tea", the man said. 'how ironic it is, the man is colder than the rain but he can tell that you are feeling cold', Miya thought. "No thank you, l really have to return quickly to..." "I insist, please this once", the man cut her off before she could could finish her sentence. The tone wasn't commanding but his penetrating gaze was unnerving. Miya swallowed her nerves and found herself nodding. She didn't know if she was still in control of her body, just seemed to automatically agree. The man nodded as appreciation to her compliance, "first turn up the east". Miya walked past the man and up the stairs without thinking, only feeling it when she had walked out of his proximity that even his aura was cold.