The air inside the cabin was unsettled

Their leaving abrupt

The stone hearth fire burned low

Only a bed of orange embers shone

Above hung a kettle forgotten

Water long gone cold

Plates were placed perfectly on the table across from each other

Forks lay on the top of the leftover food

Chairs pushed back from the table

A coat lies crumbled on the floor

Muddy boots next to it

One upright, one laid on its side

The back door slightly ajar

Letting in the cool draft from outside

It stirs the strands of my loose hair

Down the hall, 

The lantern weakly flickers

Shadows stretch along the walls

No sign of a struggle

The stillness is wrong

Like the living were forced to abandon their home

In the darkness, there’s a thump

My vision goes black

My body goes limp