SHADOW OF A RECLUSE 

By Tessa Harvey


    With considerable difficulty, the man and the young woman reached the edge of the plateau. The little dog, seeing the big man help his owner, had sensibly called a truce. He was a smart canine and had been aware of the raised foot and decided to mind his manners - for now.
    When Marie saw the beauty of the plateau, she was amazed. She stood there, swaying slightly. The great backdrop of mountains soared above Hunter's log-and-stone cabin. Unaware of a back route, she wondered how the materials for the building had been ferried here. A hawk circled, lazily in the rising thermals, searching for an unwary animal. Sensing its presence, a small rabbit froze in place. The hawk had seen it and began a swift descent, then, noting the humans, soared skywards once again with a defiant scream
    There were tiny flowers struggling amid the dry, windswept tufts of grass, a few brown dotted butterflies, a lizard blinking at her. She smiled, even though her head hurt.
    "It's beautiful," she exclaimed to Hunter's amazement. A prisoner in his world of self, he hadn't noticed. Now what? he thought.

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