Maybe, I’m Sure

M  A   E    A I talked to God to no avail Said, "If you won't save me, please don't waste my time." His speech was as staggering as she remembered. The hesitation too. But Maea was glad to see the hint of ease in his eyes, the suggestion of calm that had not been there when they first met. He'd been a bundle of nerves back then, she recalled. It would seem that good things had indeed come for him, and she was relieved. At least she hadn't failed him too much in her absence. "I'm flattered you think I would have been able to make things less confusing," she said, and smiled a bit wider. "What kind of things are we talking about?" Stepping over on quiet feet, she leaned down to pick up the lantern. It seemed to be in one piece, still, and after some rummaging in a box by the fireplace she produced steel and flint, and some tinder. It was damp, of course, but with some patience and a lot of muttered prayers under breath she got the wick burning and a warm light spilled out over the room. It... might have been better to leave it in the dark, truth be told. Without seeing any details Maea had almost been able to pretend everything was the way it had been. Now, with the decay of room and furniture on display, it became clear to her that this was no longer a place she could linger in. "I wish I knew where I was," she said. "To me, it seemed like a short time. A few days, maybe, lost in the forest, in a storm... I walked, and I was tired... but somewhere between entering the Greatwoods and stepping out on the tundra of Halo, a lot of time had passed." Shrugging helplessly, she offered Peter the lit lantern. Was she well? Moderately. Confused and very tired, but unharmed. Some memories were jumbled, others faded... but what really got to her was the not knowing why. If there was a reason. If she ought to be worried about the event, or let it go. "It's a bit confusing" she admitted.