Against the Wind

Arthur grunted while he wiped away the leaf that flew into his face as he kept walking. He sighed as he looked up at the sky, which was getting darker by the second. The sun was still shining in some places but Arthur knew that it wouldn’t be long until all remnants of light disappeared. It was going to storm, and judging by how the wind was steadily picking up, it was going to be a bad one.

But despite knowing this, Arthur just pulled his black hat down and kept on walking down the worn and lonely path. He didn’t attempt to find shelter, not because the landscape around him was barren, but because he simply didn’t care.

His wife was gone. Not dead, just gone after leaving a note on the kitchen table that she found someone else. Someone else who was much better and more suited for her than he could ever be.

Once more, Arthur went through all their memories together and once again, couldn’t find anything that would lead his wife to do this. He told her he loved her countless times, he made time for her, he served her, he listened to her, and he provided for her.

So what exactly had he done wrong? What did he do that made her believe that he wasn’t enough?

Arthur sighed as he continued walking, even though his feet were starting to ache. He knew that he should be home, safe and sound from the storm. But after six full days of a silent house, Arthur couldn’t take it anymore. So he left, with only his hat and coat, and went on the path that he and his wife used to enjoy walking on.

And even though the path brought him new painful memories of himself and his wife, walking here was still better than being back home. At least he could hear the wind blowing past him.

Then Arthur heard a whimper.

He finally stopped in his tracks and looked around. All he could see were trees with dying leaves, a dark but shallow lake, and the remains of a stone house.

Did the whimper come from the lake? Behind the short walls of stone? Or had Arthur simply imagined it? Arthur strained his ears but the only sounds he could hear were the blustering wind and the occasional roll of thunder.

Perhaps he had simply imagined it.

Arthur took one step forward before hearing the whimper again.

However, thanks to the wind, it was hard to tell where the whimper came from. Arthur looked at the lake before realizing that he wouldn’t be able to hear a whimper from underneath the water’s surface. At least, not without some splashing.

So he turned to the remains of the abandoned house and headed towards it. He reached the stone wall in a matter of seconds and since it only went up to his chin, Arthur was able to easily peek over it. His eyes widened when he located the source of the whimpering.

It was a puppy. Even from where he was standing, Arthur could see that the puppy was starved and that its fur was dirty and matted. Someone had abandoned it, not caring about the well-being and future of the poor animal.

Much like how his wife left him behind.

Not thinking twice, Arthur ran around the wall and towards the puppy, only stopping when the animal whimpered and backed away in fear.

“It’s okay,” Arthur instantly whispered as he got down on one knee and held out his hand. “It’s okay, you can trust me.”

For a long moment, the puppy only stared at him before thankfully, it started to slowly make its way towards him. When the puppy reached Arthur’s hand, it tentatively sniffed his fingers before giving them a lick. Arthur sighed with relief as he slowly lowered his hand and gently patted the puppy. The puppy whined but Arthur could tell that it was out of gladness if the puppy’s tail wagging was any indication. Arthur then grabbed the puppy and when it, no, she, didn’t protest, he carefully covered her with his coat and quickly made his way back home, despite the wind blowing against him.

His house wasn’t going to be silent anymore.