The Mare of the Snow

Chapter Three

Dawston and Meriva stood before the door leading into his cottage, as he was reluctant to open it up. He had become so overwhelmed with excitement, that he didn’t even consider the consequences that could be awaiting him inside. He wondered, and as Meriva stood safe from the rain under his overcoat, she glanced at him, wondering herself why he stood motionless with his eyes fixated on the door. Dawston thought about what his brother might do or say that just might worry, or even frighten Meriva. He knew he couldn’t delay the inevitable any longer, and so he twisted the old knob of the door, and welcomed Meriva inside.

The both of them were greeted by a burst of warm air that relaxed their intense shivering. Meriva took one long look around the main room of the wooden cottage, and felt that it had this sort-of comfy atmosphere about it. The crackling fire, the furniture, and the shelves that held little knick-knacks, all helped build up this sense of coziness.

“I must’ve left it somewhere in my bedroom. Just wait here, I shouldn’t be long.” Dawston assured her. Meriva nodded and smiled at him, as she was prepared to wait as long as she had to. Dawston left the room and proceeded further back into the cottage. She felt a bit awkward, as she can’t quite remember a time she had entered someone else’s home. She stood motionless in the center of the living room, feeling tense, as if she stood on a small island of land and everything else around her was a pit of blackness. Meriva knew she had to break through this uneasiness, so step by little step, she ventured out from her small island of land to explore the rest of the room. Since Dawston was just starting to move into his home, bags and boxes were scattered around the room. Some were empty, some still contained his belongings, and for those that did, Meriva could not contain her curiosity to peek inside just a couple.

Some merely contained clothing and household objects such as dishware, rags, and candles; but something did capture her interest, a picture frame resting atop everything else inside this one particular box. The photo it held faced upward, and Meriva’s heart was touched by the scene depicted. She lifted it out from the box and into the glow of the fire that reflected off the glass surface of the frame. Two young colts were being held tightly by a cheery, older stallion, whom she could have only presumed that it was a family member. They’re outside, in what appears to be summer-like weather with the green grass and blue sky. Their faces alighted with smiles brings one to Meriva’s. Their manes are all messy, and their coats are littered with loose flower petals and blades of grass. Which made it seem the picture must’ve been taken after they had finished rolling around in the field. A closer look at the colors of the coat and mane on one of the young colts reminded her of Dawston’s. For something as small as a photo, it brought out emotions larger than Meriva had expected. She felt happy and peaceful, but at the same time, sadness and anxiety.

“I found it!” Dawston called from down the hall. Immediately, Meriva set back down the photo. She stood timidly after she took a step away from the box, and watched Dawston emerge from the doorway, frantically shoving his wallet in his coat pocket. “Okay, let’s go. I saw a place that looked nice just down the road.” As Dawston and Meriva began their way to the door, she wondered why he was in such distress. Until, once again, Meriva’s eyes were drawn to an item in his house. However, this particular item seemed to possess a sort of aura about it unlike anything else.

“Wait, what’s that?” She halted before the door, forcing Dawston to stop as well. Resting along one of the shelves, sat a lonely little trinket. A miniature statue of a mare dressed in white is posed to look as though she’s dancing in the snow, and the entire scene is encased in a little, round, glass dome.

“What? The snow globe?”

“Is that what it is?”

“Yeah, you’ve never seen one before?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Come on, I’ll show you.” Dawston walked Meriva closer to the shelf where he brought down the snow globe for Meriva to see, “You see, it’s this little glass thing that’s filled with water.” Dawston held it in his hooves as Meriva gazed down to it. She saw the fine detail in the small mare’s white dress, mane, and even her eyes have been dotted perfectly with paint. “And when you shake it around . . .” He shook the little globe as they heard the liquid swishing around inside, “You look at it again, and it looks like it’s snowing!” Dawston held the globe still for Meriva, where her eyes were dazzled to see small fragments of white mixed with tiny speckles of glitter gently floating down from the top. She could just imagine herself in the place of the mare inside the globe, frolicking about in a field of snow as it continues to fall from the gray sky. She could almost feel the icy wind against her face, and the flakes of snow falling into her hooves.

“You like it?” A different voice broke into Meriva’s moment of bliss, and caused both she and Dawson to jolt. They turned to the hall to see a stallion with a wet, black mane and beige coat standing in the middle of the doorway. “A beautiful little thing isn’t it? It was a gift from our Father years ago.”

“It’s very nice.” She said.

“What’s the matter Dawston? Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”

“. . . Meriva, this is my brother, Zach. Zach, this is Meriva.”

“It’s a pleasure.” Said Meriva.

“The pleasure is all mine dear. So, brother, you seemed to have been trying to leave in a hurry. Why is that?”

“I just came to get my wallet, then Meriva and I were going out right after.”

“Well what’s the rush? Come now Miss Meriva, take a seat by the fire and warm up a little before you go. You too brother, you’re completely soaked. Would you like me to get you a—?”

“No Zach, that won’t be necessary.” Dawston broke in. “Meriva, let’s go.”

“Wait, now are you two sure you don’t want to stay for just a few minutes? I could fix up a few cups of hot chocolate for all of us if you’d like?”

“Thank you Zach, but we really should be going.” Dawston rushed Meriva to the door, ready to ignore whatever his brother would say next in an attempt to get them to stay.

“Alright, well goodbye then! It was nice meeting you Meriva!”

“Same to you!” Was all Meriva could say before Dawston hurried her out of the house. Now back into the clutches of the raging storm, Dawston wrapped Meriva in his coat as he wasted no time before they crossed over the muddy path to the other side. “What was that all about?” Meriva tried to have her voice overcome the roaring of the winds.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s nothing.” She had to accept his answer, as he wouldn’t say another word as they pushed their way through the rain. She felt like she was invading something private when she asked. He didn’t even turn to look her way once she did, which already placed a weight of guilt over her shoulders. Within minutes, they came to a big alighted building with a pair of ponies galloping out through the doors to try and escape the rain. They saw many more inside through the glass windows, their silhouettes casted against the golden glow of the lamp lights.

They approached the doors, which to Meriva, she saw them as the gates to an entirely new territory. She had never been to a place so populated, which began to fill her with nervousness. Dawston pushed open the door and held out his hoof granting her entry. Meriva was stunned by his gentlecolt-like gesture, and for a moment, stood completely motionless to stare at him as he waited. He only looked to her with a smile, which made her feel comfortable enough to enter the fortress of voices and the clanking of dishware. They were greeted by a stallion in a sleek black suit and red tie who offered Dawston a towel, since he was completely soaked by the rain without his coat. He then guided them to an empty table sheeted in maroon linen and surrounded by cushioned seats. The kind, suited stallion set a pair of menus onto the table as they both took their seats. He left only for a moment to leave them to decide on their orders, and Meriva had just been struck by the realization that she hadn’t that much money with her. “. . . Dawston,” Meriva whispered, afraid of being heard by any of the neighboring ponies. “I don’t think I have enough money on me right now. I’m sorry, I didn’t think about it—”

“I’ve got it, don’t worry. I wasn’t planning on having you pay anyway.”

“Thank you.” Grateful, yet unsettled was she. Combined with the feeling that several pairs of eyes were all on her accompanied by all the voices, her entire body felt tense as she kept her hooves on her lap and her eyes down at her menu. Dawston peered up from his to see Meriva clearly anxious, and wondered just what it was that may have been bothering her.

“Meriva? Is everything alright?”

“Yes . . . yes everything’s fine. I’m just . . . not used to being in places like this.”

“Really? I would’ve thought a girl like you would have been to places like this plenty of times. If anything, I should be the one feeling nervous.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I never thought I’d be in a place like this with a girl as beautiful as you.” Dawston’s comment almost startled her with how sudden it was; but it was almost instantaneous that the feeling of eyes glaring at her vanished and was replaced by only his eyes, and every voice became a blur except for his. She couldn’t believe how quick the muscles in her body relaxed, as well as the return of the spark in her heart she felt back at Giano’s café. Their evening went on as the suited stallion returned to write down their orders on his little notepad. After their meals arrived, the rest of their conversations were filled with laughter and smiles, something Meriva hadn’t done in quite some time.

However, somewhere in the midst of their conversation, Meriva found Dawston staring out in the dining area behind her. His smile diminished to what seemed like dread. Immediately, she grew curious. “Dawston. . ? Is something wrong?”

“Hm?” His eyes then focused on her, “Oh, uh no, no nothing’s wrong. Say, um, about earlier I . . . I didn’t mean to just walk out like that. It was just—”

“It’s fine, you don’t have to apologize.”

“No, I do. It was rude, and I feel I should explain myself. When we met I had no intention of leaving, but something just forced me to.”

“What?”

“When I glanced out through the window of the shop, I saw my brother through the glass. I didn’t know if he was going to come in or not, but I didn’t want to take the chance. So, I just got up and left. I was afraid, that’s all.”

“Afraid of what? Why wouldn’t you want him to come in?”

“I-It’s a long story, you wouldn’t want to hear it.”

“I don’t mind.”

“Are you sure?”

“Of course! Go on, tell me. Unless, you’re too uncomfortable to tell me.”

“No, no, I’ll tell you. It’s just . . . a hard subject to talk about. It goes all the way back to when Zach and I were just kids. You see, when we were little, we were just like any other family. We had a Mom, a Dad, a house, and nothing but a positive outlook on life. The bond between my brother and I was so strong back then. We didn’t need any friends, because we had each other. All the little things we did like pushing each other on the swing set, hide-n-seek, and all the times we ventured out into the woods around our house like little explorers meant so much more. But, as time went on and our bond grew, we noticed something dwindle; and that was the bond between our parents. . .”

As Dawston weaved his story, Meriva could see the whole thing play in her mind. Almost as if she was there herself.

The night was cold, dark, but both Zach and Dawston were tucked away under their thick bed sheets. The moon’s light casted a shadow of the tree by their bedroom window across the floor. The tree’s branches were bare, as fall had been in full effect introducing the chilling winds. The two brothers’ lay their sleepy heads against the soft pillows, as they explored the limits of their dreams that their young minds could handle. Until a loud bang jolted them awake. They sat up from their beds with a gasp, and they glanced at each other in fear. “What was that?” Zach asked.

“I don’t know. I think it came from downstairs.” Dawston replied.

“Let’s go check it out!”

“No way!”

“Come on, what are you? Scared?” Zach teased.

“. . . No.” Dawston fiddled with his blanket.

“Then let’s go!” Zach jumped out of bed and rushed to the door.

“Zach wait!” But Zach didn’t listen, instead he stood up on his little hind legs to reach the doorknob. The door creaked open, and Zach beckoned Dawston to follow. Reluctant, Dawston moved his covers aside to follow Zach into the shadowed hall. They came to the stairwell leading down to the living room, and a dim yellow light at the bottom guided them down. After every step they took down, they began to hear muffled voices below. Once they reached the bottom, they found the source of the light, which was peeking out from under the door leading to the kitchen. Zach put his ear against the door, and he heard the voices coming from inside the kitchen. “What do you hear?”

“It’s . . . Mom and Dad.”

“What’re they saying?”

“I don’t know.” The curiosity built inside Zach until he felt compelled to open the door just a sliver. The both of them peeked through the space to see their parents standing near the counter below the cupboards.

“Why is it like this all of a sudden?” Their Father asked.

“Sweetheart, I’ve already told you. Fridays are getting busier at work, and I just have to work late on those days with all the customers we get.” Their Mother replied.

“But how come it’s like that now? It’s never been like this before. You’ve rarely had to work late.”

“Why are you so concerned about this?”

“Why shouldn’t I concerned about this? You’ve been working later and later, and right now it’s midnight. You’ve never come home this late.”

“But I’m home now. Come on, get to bed, and I’ll meet you there in a moment.”

“Why do you keep trying to push me away from the subject?”

“Why are you making such a big deal of this?”

“Because I love you! I’ve been sitting here in the living room just watching the hours tick away on the clock, waiting for you to walk through the front door! I worry about you, and you know that.”

“Well, have you ever considered that maybe you worry a little too much?”

“What are you talking about? You’re my wife-of course I’m going to worry!”

“Would you lower your voice? You’re going to wake up the kids!”

“I just. . ! I just want to make sure you’re safe, and that nothing else is going on.”

“Sweetie, everything is fine. There is nothing for you to worry about, okay?”

“. . . Do you promise?”

“Yes dear, I promise.”

“Okay.”

“Now come on, let’s get to bed.” It was then that Zach and Dawston scurried away from the door and back up the stairs to their room. Zach closed the door as quietly as he could before they both bolted to their beds and under the covers. They had never seen their parents have an argument like that, but they seemed to resolve it in the end. They managed to return to their dreams, but not without their parents’ voices echoing in their heads. They thought they would never have to wake to the same thing again, but little did they know, it would only get worse with every passing day. As their nightly eavesdropping on their parents’ constant arguing would become almost routine, and with every new argument, the voices became harsher. In time, they noticed that their Mother rarely ever called their Father the sweet names she used to. From then on, she had begun to refer to him by his real name: Herald.

The two young colts watched as the love that had been shared by both of their parents had begun to shift. It seemed that only one of them was trying to keep the feeling alive, and that was their Father. Their Mother soon became more and more distant. Before, it used to be the few hours she spent running errands that she would be away from the house during the day. Then as night began to fall she would leave to work. Until it turned to her rarely being at the house at all. Their Father tried to get days off to be there for his sons, and the days he could were spent with them watching as his heart had been crumbling down to nothing. The energy he used to have was vanishing, he hadn’t played with Zach nor Dawston as much as he used to. His voice had retired, and his smiles mysteriously vanished. They tried to find out what had been bothering their Father, but the only answer he gave them was, “I think your Mother broke her promise.”

Zach and Dawston spent more time outside than ever, as it was the only place they felt safe discussing the matters regarding their parents. The winter winds had been revealing themselves to the town, and the cheer of the upcoming holiday had begun to take effect. One afternoon, they made their trip to the little wooded area that surrounded their home to speak their minds to each other about the thoughts that had been haunting them. However, it was here, that their own bond had shown signs of diminishment. “Zach?” Dawston asked as he leaned against the cold trunk of a thin tree.

“Yeah?” Zach chucked a small stone across the pond that had frozen over.

“Do you think that Mom and Dad will be happy again?”

“Of course I do.”

“Are you sure?”

“Dawston, Mom and Dad have been together forever. They used to always be happy. So, yes I’m sure.”

“. . . What if they split up?”

“What do you mean ‘split up’?”

“Well, I’ve heard some of the other kids at school say that their parents split up.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t hear them talk about why, but maybe this could be why.”

“Well, they won’t”

“But, what if they do?”

“I said they won’t.”

“But Zach, what do you think will happen if they do?”

“Shut up! Will you stop saying that?!” Zach shouted as he stomped towards Dawston. He violently shoved and pressed Dawston against the tree trunk in a sudden explosion of fury. “Shut up! Just shut up! Mom and Dad would never split up! Got it?!” Fear grasped Dawston’s voice by the throat as he couldn’t utter a response, so he simply nodded his head. In an instant, Zach noticed his rage as Dawston’s eyes watered. He looked down to his hooves which had still held Dawston to the tree, and quickly released him. It was as though some unknown force had taken him over during that short moment, and influenced him to turn on his brother. Zach didn’t know what to do, or what to say. All he knew was that he had truly frightened Dawston, and that maybe ‘sorry’ wasn’t good enough. Dawston stayed a considerable distance away from Zach the rest of that evening, desperately trying to avoid eye contact with him the entire time.

When the sun had completely retired, and the moon and stars overtook the sky, the time for them to attempt another night of sleep came. Their Father walked them to their room, and got them settled in their beds. Usually, it was their Mother who came home just in time from work to leave a kiss on their heads and wish them sweet dreams. Then, it was there Father who filled in that role, as their Mother was nowhere to be seen during these nights. He left them, and gently closed the door to avoid any noise. Dawston turned over to his side, hoping Zach wouldn’t look his way. Zach stared up at the ceiling as guilt ate away at his stomach. He turned his head to Dawston, where his eyes only met his backside. “Dawston. . .” He whispered. “Dawston!” He tried whispering louder. “Dawston I know you’re awake. Look, I’m sorry about what I did earlier. I was just scared.”

“. . . Scared of what?”

“Of you being right.” Dawston turned over to see Zach as he still hid half his face behind his blanket. “I guess I just . . . lost it for a minute there.”

“It’s okay.”

“So, you’re not mad?” Dawston then shook his head. “Dawston, I promise I won’t do that ever again.” With Zach’s stomach settled, he felt that he just may be able to get to sleep that night as he brought the edge of his blanket up to his chest.

“. . . Zach?”

“Yes?”

“If Mom and Dad split up, do you think the same thing will happen to us?” Zach took a deep breath in, and let it out easily. The very thought of him being separated from Dawston frightened him to his core. The pace of his heart picked up rapidly, but he tried to keep his composure to give Dawston his answer.

“Dawston, as long I’m here, I’ll never let something like that happen. We’re brothers, we’ll always be together, no matter what.” Dawston pulled his little hoof out from under the blanket, and held it outward from his bed towards Zach.

“Hoofie promise?” Zach climbed out of his bed, and walked over to Dawston’s bedside. He placed his hoof against his, and smiled.

“Hoofie promise.” Dawston smiled as he felt that their bond was now secure after their promise. Whenever they made their special promises, they’ve always kept them; and during a time like this, perhaps a promise is what they needed to feel safe.