The fire crackled lightly in the fireplace. Curled up close by, wrapped in a fluffy blanket over her woolly sweater, sat Dahlia in the wooden rocking chair. Purring contently, as Dahlia ran her fingers over his fur, was a grey tabby cat laying over Dahlia’s blanket covered lap. Dahlia pet the cat’s head once more as she lightly rocked in the chair, breathing evenly.
A man approached the rocking pair with a steaming coffee cup and placed the mug into Dahlia’s free hand. She gave him a thankful smile in return, which he nodded at and left the room. Dahlia brought the steaming cup closer to her mouth and blew over the dark liquid before inhaling the rich chocolate scent, all while continuing to pet the cat in her lap. She took a careful sip and leaned back in the chair, rocking slowly.
All was quiet save for the light crackling that continued in the fireplace and the purring on Dahlia’s lap. She closed her eyes and listened to the gentle sounds around her, letting the rest of the world fade away. Occasionally, she brought the cup to her lips for another warm sip, careful not to misjudge where the cup was before taking each sip. She let her breath even out and felt her body slowly let go of the remaining tension.
All was peaceful.
The crackling fire faded away. The purring disappeared from her ears, and she no longer felt the soft fur under her hands. What she felt was rough cotton, moist dirt, and cold. Something was wrong.
She opened her eyes groggily to find herself lying on her stomach, out among trees and her arms wrapped around herself. The firepit had gone out during the night and the man from earlier was laying on his side opposite her from the firepit. Dahlia sat up and rubbed her arms over her arms in an attempt to warm up. She was only wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and tennis shoes. The man across from her was wearing the same.
Dahlia looked around at the surrounding woods. A light breeze blew by, making Dahlia shiver. She stumbled to her feet and approached her companion. She knelt by his side and shook his shoulder, receiving a grunt in return. She shook him again and he rolled a little away from her touch, curling up tighter into himself. Dahlia shuffled after him and shook him again.
“We need to get moving,” she told him. “We need to find help.”
The man grunted in reply and slowly uncurled, glaring at her.
“Do you want to freeze out here?” she asked.
He shook his head and sat up. She offered him her hand and he took it, letting her pull him up.