What remains

When the light of the sun broke over the horizon on the first day of flowerbirth, Maea packed up her belongings and left the Sanctuary. Longnight was over, but she could not relax yet. Not until she had made sure that her family was alright, that the house still stood and everything was as it should be. She traveled as fast as she could, but trudging through the snow on foot was slow and it still took her the better part of a day before the climbed a till and saw the house sit quietly in the dale below. Right away, the girl could tell something was wrong. The farm should have been abuzz with activity, her brother and sister-in-law busy with looking över the animals and the buildings, with the kids underfoot and doing what they could to help. But the yard was empty and no trace of footprints could be seen in the snow, and the silence lay heavy over the house. The glow of a pale afternoon sun just about to set did little to ease the lump in her throat as she hurried down the slope. Slipping and sliding as her feet liked up the pace, Maea  whispered prayers under her breath, heart racing as she ran up to the house. "Noah?" she called. "NOAH!? LIN? Where are you!?" There was no reply. Then she spotted the front door, torn halfway off its hinges with chips and scratchmarks scarring the surface, and with a cry Maea threw herself in through the opening, hoping, wishing, praying that she would find herself face to face with a bewildered brother and the laughing gaggle of children come to greet her.... But all she found was an empty house. Dark and cold and silent. The pale haired girl was only faintly aware of her knees giving out under her. Terror slowly worked it's way through her, a cold and clawing monster that made her insides ache. This... this could not be true. The nightmare was supposed to be over now, so why was she still so knotted up inside? Why... why? She was so numb from the shock that she could not even cry. It couldn't be real, there must be some mistake. MAEA Sometimes darkness can show you the light