The Betrayal

Ian had been walking for what felt like days. In truth he’d been walking for only a few hours. He had been crossing fields and walking down paths muttering to himself along the way. He had never felt so little and so betrayed. Having placed so much trust in a single person only to have a harsh reality smack him in the face.

He froze…

The long, deep rumble of thunder penetrated the very ground beneath his feet coursing up to his chest. Looking up from the ground he’d been fixating on almost the entire walk Ian realized that it’d turned a mottled gray. The type of sky that always reminded him of burnt marshmallows. A shiver swept through his body as he felt a cold, wet wind whip past him.

He wasn’t scared of the thunderstorm that was coming but he knew in the open, rolling hills of the farm land he’d fled to that he needed shelter. Looking around he caught site of an old red barn. Then, wrapping his coat tight around him, he lowered his head and pressed on toward the shelter.

Closing the door behind him all he could make out was the shadows and smells familiar to most old barns. Pulling a flashlight from his backpack Ian looked around. An old tractor sitting in the corner, hay strewn across most of the floor, a wooden ladder leading to a loft high above and a few empty stalls; he was alone and safe from the storm now hammering down on the old metal roof. Thinking it would be a while before the storm passed Ian began gathering objects from around the barn and removing his rations from the backpack to prepare for a long night out in the wild, the first of many he was sure.

As he sat on an old box eating a ham and cheese sandwich he found himself thinking, missing his previous life. He listened to the rain as it drummed against the roof, and he found himself thankful for such a well made barn, a place that felt familiar and safe. It had been built long ago and looked its age yet it stood strong against the winds and rains protecting all those who sheltered inside. The familiar safe feeling he felt in the dark barn reminded him of the safety he once had before he’d been betrayed by those closest to him and forced to take action and leave.

The more he sat in the barn, the more he felt a yearning for what had once been. Had he overreacted? Could he have talked out these issues, made the other side understand why he felt so betrayed? He sighed and began putting his survival supplies back into his small red backpack; maybe it was possible to get past this betrayal. As he packed he began to wonder if maybe it really was a betrayal. Maybe it was him misunderstanding their actions; he walked to the barn door.

As Ian placed his hand on the knob to open the barn door he took a deep breath. He braced for the winds and rains that were about to batter him and he pushed the door open. As he cleared the door the wind snatched it from his grasp and slammed it closed. Making sure it was secured he plunged his hands deep into his coat pockets, holding it around him as his only protection now against the rain. Then as he stepped forward he caught sight of a light and looked up.

There was his mother standing in an open doorway as if she’d been watching over him the entire time. He paused for a second before running for the open door and straight into her waiting arms. As they embraced he relaxed in her warm hug and he trembled as he whispered into her ear, “I’m sorry,” only to hear the same words whispered into his own ear.