The Beginning .. In Retrospect

In retrospect I still wonder if it wasn't another dream of mine. So real and yet so distant from my fragile hold on reality.

She was so beautiful. When I first saw her I only saw the soft white cloak she was covered in. Not the kind of cloak you wear to escape the cold. But the kind you wear to escape the burning rays of Lar Torvis. It was when she turned over her shoulder and shot a look at me from those eyes that I was enthralled. When she caught my gaze she turned fully to lift a bota of water to me. I could not speak. It was as if there was a rift cut between my lungs and my tongue. But the water was welcomed. I was so hot and tired and dusty. Sweat rolled down my forehead and temples as I lifted the cool water over my arm and let the stream hit my mouth.

In retrospect I knew it was too sweet. But I could not stop drinking. I was so dry and thirsty and it was so cool and wet.

I think I must have drained the bota. She offered me the shade behind the wagon. I threw a leg over and dropped to the ground stirring the dust beneath my boots. There was more to drink there. A sweet wine.

That is where I begin to lose the ordered filing of my memory. The rest is in pieces. Flashes of pictures, sensations ... all this intertwined within the pleasant fog that eases the throbbing of my head.