Shining Through Shadows

21 years ago… “My love, you have to run. Run as far away as you can. Don’t ever look back!” Amelia desperately shook her young daughter by her shoulders, urging her to leave them behind to seek refuge somewhere else. Somewhere safe. “Mommy, I’m scared…” The young girl whimpered as tears fell down her cheeks. In her blurry eyes, Amelia could see the reflection of the flames burning right behind her. They were engulfing not only their own home, but several others as well, leaving nothing but charred wood and glowing embers behind. “I am too, my dearest, I am too,” she tried her best to hold back her own tears, to prove to her daughter that she herself could be brave in this severe situation. “But I need you to be brave. Summon the light within you and let the moon lead you to safety.” She whispered into her daughter's thick golden blond hair, her own tears threatening to spill any moment. “Please, mom.” Lydia whispered into the safety of her mother’s chest, the warmth from her seeping into her flesh as they held onto each other. While holding onto her weeping daughter, Amelia ripped off her silver necklace and stuffed it into Lydia’s pocket. “Off you go,” Amelia said with finality in her voice as she pushed Lydia towards the edge of the forest. “Remember what I told you. Summon the light within you and follow it to safety. Don’t look back.” The girl sniffled before letting her tears fall freely down her cheeks. Her light-blue eyes were glistening as they stared into her mother’s one final time. An explosion, loud and bright, made her widen her eyes in fear before she looked at her mother again. With a nod of her head, she turned around and sprinted into the forest, her feet plowing through the snow, her destination still unknown. Amelia’s eyes didn’t leave her daughter’s small figure until she disappeared in between the trees. As a tear fell down her cheek, she turned to face the ongoing destruction of their beloved home. People were screaming, wood was breaking and glass shattered into a million pieces, making the snow a deadly place to walk through. But she did, ready to face whatever fate had in store for her, and she would gladly sacrifice her own life if it meant Lydia would be safe from the darkness threatening to take everything away from her. While Amelia returned to fight beside her husband Gareth, she watched as the people they'd been taking care of giving their lives to protect whatever was left of their homes. They were falling like flies, having no power against the shadows seeping into town from every possible corner. Soon, Gareth and herself found themselves surrounded by nothing but darkness. The misty, foggy threat was closing in on them, slowly cutting off their supply of oxygen. Gareth held her tightly, whispering sweet nothings into her ear. She knew the words weren’t meant for her entirely, but also for Lydia, their lovely daughter, the brightest light in their lives. They would watch over her from the afterlife. Just as the darkness surrounded them completely, they stared up in the sky, watching the fading moonlight as their vision also turned into darkness. They held on to each other, feeling nothing but love for each other and their daughter, and suddenly, an explosion of light appeared. It was brighter than the moon, brighter than the sun itself, and it pushed every single shadow away from them and the sad remains of their home. Together, they fell to the snowy ground, their hearts no longer beating as they had given every last drop of energy they had left. And hopefully, this energy created by the purest form of love, would be enough to keep the darkness away from Lydia… *** Lydia Present day… Welcome to my life… My incredibly boring and normal life. Except from it being anything other than normal. I live in the town of Issdal. A small town in the northern district of our region in the north. A town where winter barely ever releases its tight grip, leaving only a few months without deep snow and chilling cold. It’s a town nobody wants to move to and all of us who live here have been born here. My name is Lydia and I’m almost 27 years of age. I’m frankly quite old, still being unmarried, mostly by my own choice though. I live with my mother in our family house right beside the town’s bakery. Since my father died from pneumonia three years ago, mother hasn’t been the same. She’s become thin and often falls ill. She’s barely eating or moving around anymore. And she’s unemployed, having arthritis in both her hands and wrists from all the sowing she’s done since she was young. In our household we cannot afford to lose our income. If we cannot pay, we’ll be forced to move out into the cold and harsh weather. Mother will not survive that and I won’t either in the long run. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been working and helping where I could. My first job was as a caretaker in the pig stables. It was a dirty job, but beggars cannot be choosers… Then I was forced to learn how to sew to take over my mother’s job at the local tailor. I also helped at the bakery next door when my friend Cameron broke his arm in a fight. I felt I owed him as much, since he broke it fighting off a couple of handsy fellows who thought I was offering myself on a plate on my way home from my job at the tailor. Today, I’m still working at the tailor, but not as a seamstress like my mother did. I keep the shop clean and presentable for the few customers we have. Lady Agnes decided to let me stay, saying she enjoyed my company, and we had somehow formed a form of friendship, even though we come from different families. Lady Agnes’ family is wealthy. Wealthy enough to let her have her own shop. Her biggest dream as a child, she would often remind me when she admired her shop. I could see the stars twinkling in her eyes as she watched the colorful and shiny fabrics imported from other districts or even regions. Sometimes I would envy her, having the money to live such a carefree life, only working with what makes you happy, rather than taking whatever job was available at the moment to be able to survive. That wasn’t the life chosen for me, though. God no! If only it was that simple. Unfortunately, fate had other plans in store for me…