THE INN WITH TWO DOORS

In the midst of the hysteria of the screaming city, one Voice is heard, terrifying, foreboding. In the darkness of midnight, sinister and low it comes, muffled, sounding first like a soft sob deep within planet Earth, then coursing like volcanic sulphur it surges to the surface, and breaking through with a deafening roar it soars upward; its unbearable howl speaking terror into the heart, its intensity shaking every wall like an earthquake. The blinded crowd has no chance of escape from the awesome Voice. It strikes from every corner of the city. They can only scream in terror and run, as the echo speeds outward, to the suburbs, to the countryside, and far away to the high mountains looming in the distance. Heavy steps plodded along the dusty road, followed by lighter ones struggling to keep up. The strong suffocating wind in their faces turned normal breathing into laboured gasps. The heavy steps grew steadily slower and finally stopped. The old woman unloaded the bundle of twigs from her back and unlocked the chain. Both the rattling and the scraping of the door as it opened were relieving sounds to her. The journey was finally over. Sweat poured down her wrinkled face like a torrent, dripping off her chin and running down her chest, and hastened by its curve caused by her hunched back, accumulated into a stagnant pool between her shrunken breasts. So of necessity she grabbed the hem of her dress, and with it began wiping her face with one hand while she unbuttoned her dress with the other and did her best to dry herself. Looking through the unchained door the old woman tried taking a deep breath and found it difficult. Then as she turned her head towards the ancient desolate mountain, its top shrouded by clouds, her gaze dropped down to the long narrow road that she had traversed almost every day for uncounted years. She wondered to herself how much longer she would have the strength to continue. Suddenly she remembered her small companion, and as her eyes fell on the young girl standing patiently next to her, the old woman gave the child a long tender look that had in it a deep warmth that the girl could surely feel. This time with much more difficulty the old woman struggled for another deep breath, as she felt a piercing thud inside her chest. “I am getting older and the mountain is getting higher; even the roads seem to be getting narrower for me. But I must stay alive. I cannot die now. My time cannot be over yet.” the old woman murmured. It had been night after night of chaos as the old woman watched the people of the city wander through the streets in a stupor of confusion, their half-naked bodies exposed to the bitter cold, causing many to be sick and coughing. The torches they carried made them appear as shadowy figures, relentlessly pursuing the haunting cry of the Voice that called to them out of the darkness. It had been hard for the old woman to continue the search for her beloved children’s grave amidst all the turmoil, and so on the fifteenth night, as soon as it got dark and long before the city would be awoken, she rushed towards the empty fields. As she walked through an unplowed meadow her ears pricked up at the sound of a whining dog. The animal yowled again, seemingly from far away but she could hear it very well. After a few minutes she was startled by a big yellow dog running past her like a lightning bolt headed towards its target, which in this case was a huge hole in the ground in the shape of a small gorge, all that was left by the crew who had torn down the old abandoned brick factory that had once stood there. The old woman was curious and hurried towards the animal she had seen disappear into the depths of the night. She was running very fast and for an instant almost slid down into the gorge herself but jammed her nails into the ground to halt her descent. It would have been very bad if the crowd found her down there in that hole, caught like a rabbit in a trap. The old woman knew she had to get up immediately and as she did she looked around, trying to distinguish the silhouette of the animal from the darkness around it. After a few seconds she heard the dog whining and yowling, softly at first but then loudly and without interruption. She could see its yellow form, lying on the ground just to the right side of the hole below. The old woman walked slowly forward, trying not to make any noise, not wanting to scare the dog, and then stopped. The animal appeared to be looking for something, hence perhaps the non-stop whining. It was five metres away and paying no attention to her as the old woman began slowly edging toward it, her right hand held out, palm up so the dog could see that she posed no threat. At the same time she knew she must be careful not to get too close just in case the animal decided she was a potential meal. Suddenly she saw the glare of its eyes and heard a threatening growl that curdled her blood. She jumped back. It had been too dark to see if this was just a big dog or, she shuddered, maybe a wolf. But now she saw the long muzzle and the bared teeth, and the hunched legs ready to leap at her. She froze in terror as the ice-cold wind cut her skin like a razor, but instinctively she knew she had do something, she had to make herself small. The old woman sank slowly to the ground, her gaze fixed on the dog but at the same time feeling with her hands for something with which to defend herself. The animal was snarling viciously now, its eyes full of hate. Her right hand found a mortar-encrusted brick, a little too heavy for her strength, but with a great effort she picked it up and prepared for the attack. She was as ready as she could be and wondered if the animal was ready too. She waited. The monster dog turned its body square to her and looked straight into her eyes. She gasped as she smelled the foul breath of this animal that was obviously irritated at her intrusion. She crouched transfixed as it pawed at the dry ground with its claws as if hesitating, wondering whether to jump and attack this strange human being, or to run away into the darkness. They were so close she could feel the dog’s hot breath on her face. “Please go away,” the old woman murmured to the beast, “Don’t dig the ground, it is not a job for a nice dog like you. Please, go away.” The dog again showed its angry teeth. “Do not be angry with me. I am just an old mother. Please. Go away, and release your anger to the darkness,” the old woman pleaded. The beast did not pay any attention to the old woman’s begging but suddenly leaped at her, its gaping mouth seeking her frail neck. She dove headfirst to the right, barely avoiding the onslaught and at the same time swung the brick with all her might, landing it full on the side of the dog’s great head. Dog and woman rolled over noisily toward the lip of the gorge. The bloodied animal whined in pain. The old woman slid to the bottom of the hole. She got to her feet instantly and tried to climb out using hands and feet, but each time she would slide back down to the bottom. The bank of the hole was steep and it seemed to her the height of a house. She had to hurry. She did not have a lot of time. Midnight was approaching quickly and soon the city was going to be awakened by the Voice. Finally, slowly, on her fourth attempt she got out of the hole, and crumbled at the surface in immense pain. Then, finding herself just a few metres away from where she had fought the animal she got up and as best she could, brushing the dirt and yellowish mud from her clothes. She looked around, trying to familiarize herself with the surroundings on this gloomy night, and then headed towards the area where the big dog had started its digging. She felt remorse for the poor animal, being hit by a brick like that. After all, she and the dog were just two miserable souls who had met by chance in the darkness.