Shukri

After the apparition left, it was a long time before I dared to stir again. I sat, quivering in the darkness, knees pulled to my chest. When I at last dared to move, I saw Shukri, my brave beloved, lying prostrate in the dirt, flesh blue and mottled like a festering corpse. I hobbled to his side to confirm what I already knew. But he moved. Horror overcame me and I wrenched myself free from his grasp, dashing off into the night. The last thing I heard was his soft, tender voice, imploring me not to abandon him. I hear his call now, every night, carried like a whisper on a soft wind, loving me endlessly. And when I hear him call my name, I ache with the knowledge that I dare not answer.