Snippet #2258879

Indeed, Valeria could walk, but it took time. She cringed with each step. "Where are we going?" she asked, glancing up at the man from time to time. She had been told never to talk to strangers, but now the whole village was a stranger to her. She might die here, but she would surely die there. Thus, she kept quiet and walked where she was led.

As Valeria spotted the unkempt house, right in the thick of the dreaded forest, she had to ask, "Do people really live here?" Next, she saw the woman. Valeria began to ask if she was alright, but the stiffness and stillness of her body was unmistakable. The woman looked like a bird Valeria had once seen crumpled atop the winter snow. Valeria covered her mouth and backed up a few steps. "What happened?"