You walk. The boots are wet. The mud is thick. It sticks to the soles. It pulls at your heels. You do not look down. You look at the road. The road is grey. The sky is grey. The air smells of rain. It smells of iron. It smells of old stone. You carry the coat. It is heavy. It is dark blue. The wool is rough. It scratches your palms. You hold it tight. You do not let go. Your mother gave it to you. She held it out. Her hands were shaking. The village was below you. The lights were small. They looked like stars fallen to earth. She said nothing. You took the coat. You walked away. You have walked for three days. Your legs ache. Your back hurts. The coat is a burden. It is a weight. It is a ghost.

The town is called Ashford. It is small. The streets are narrow. The houses are old. The brick is red. The windows are dark. You pass a bakery. The bread is fresh. The smell is sweet. You do not stop. You pass a church. The bell is silent. The door is locked. You do not stop. You pass a school. The children are gone. The yard is empty. You do not stop. You walk fast. Your breath is short. The wind cuts your face. It is cold. It is sharp. It bites your skin. You pull the coat closer. It is the only warm thing you have. But it does not warm you. It chills you. It remembers the cold of the house. It remembers the silence.

You find the door. It is black. It is wooden. There is a sign. The sign is white. The letters are black. You read them. You know the words. You do not need to think. You push the door. It is open. The air inside is stale. It is warm. It smells of paper. It smells of dust. You step in. The floor is hard. Your boots make a sound. Tap. Tap. Tap. The sound is loud. The sound is clear. You stand in the middle of the room. You are alone. The walls are high. The shelves are full. Books line the walls. They are old. They are thin. They are thick. They are many. You look at them. You look at the floor. You look at the door. You do not move. You wait.

A light comes on. It is bright. It is white. It hurts your eyes. You squint. A figure appears. It is small. It is old. The man is tall. He is thin. His hair is white. His face is long. His eyes are dark. He looks at you. He does not smile. He does not frown. He looks at the coat. He looks at you. He speaks. His voice is low. His voice is dry.

You have come.

You do not answer. You cannot. Your throat is tight. Your mouth is dry. You nod. He nods. He turns. He walks to a desk. The desk is wood. The desk is old. There is a chair. There is a lamp. There is a pen. He sits. He does not look at you. He looks at the books. He picks up a book. He opens it. He reads. He waits. The silence is thick. The silence is heavy. It presses on your chest. You feel it. You feel the weight of the air. You feel the weight of the coat. You feel the weight of the past.

He closes the book. He puts it down. He looks at you. He stands up. He walks to you. He stops. He is close. You can see his face. You can see his eyes. The eyes are cold. The eyes are clear. They see you. They see all of you. They see the mud on your boots. They see the dirt on your face. They see the fear in your hands. He reaches out. He touches the coat. His hand is cold. His hand is rough. He runs his fingers over the wool. He feels the texture. He feels the weight.

This is not yours.

You do not speak. You cannot. The words are stuck. The words are stones. You swallow. You try to speak. Your voice is a whisper. It is small. It is weak.

It is mine.

He shakes his head. His head is slow. His head is sure.

It is not.

He takes the coat. He takes it from your arms. He holds it. He holds it out. He looks at you. He waits. You look at the coat. It is in his hands. It is his now. You look at your hands. They are empty. They are open. They are bare. You feel the air. The air is cold. The air is sharp. You feel the loss. It is a hole. It is a gap. It is a void. You feel it in your bones. You feel it in your blood. You feel it in your heart.

He puts the coat on the shelf. The shelf is high. The coat hangs there. It looks small. It looks pale. It looks dead. He turns to you. He points to the door. The door is behind you. The door is open. The night is outside. The rain is outside. The cold is outside. He points. He does not speak. He does not need to. You know what he wants. You know what you must do.

You turn. You walk to the door. Your steps are slow. Your steps are heavy. You do not look back. You do not want to look back. You step out. The door closes. The sound is loud. The sound is final. The lock clicks. The sound is sharp. The sound is clear. You are alone. You are outside. The rain falls. The rain is cold. The rain is wet. It soaks your clothes. It soaks your skin. It soaks your hair. You stand in the rain. You stand still. You do not move. You do not run. You do not cry. You just stand.

The rain stops. The air is still. The sky is dark. The stars are out. They are bright. They are cold. You look at the sky. You look at the stars. They are far. They are high. They are unreachable. You look at your hands. They are empty. They are free. The coat is gone. The weight is gone. The past is gone. You are light. You are air. You are nothing.

You walk. You walk fast. The road is dark. The road is long. You do not know where you are going. You do not know where you are from. You do not know who you are. You are new. You are blank. You are clean. The mud is gone. The dirt is gone. The fear is gone. You breathe. The air is fresh. The air is sweet. The air is yours. You walk. You walk on. The night is deep. The night is wide. You are small. You are small in the world. You are small in the dark. But you are free. The freedom is cold. The freedom is sharp. The freedom is yours. You pay for it. You paid with the coat. You paid with the love. You paid with the past. The price is high. The price is heavy. The price is yours. You carry it. You carry it in your chest. You carry it in your heart. You carry it in your soul. You walk. You walk on. The road is endless. The road is grey. The road is yours. You walk. You walk. You walk.

The town is behind you. The town is small. The town is gone. You are far. You are far away. You are far from the house. You are far from the mother. You are far from the man. You are far from the coat. You are far from the pain. You are near the wind. You are near the sky. You are near the stars. You are near the cold. You are near the dark. You are near yourself. You are alone. You are truly alone. The loneliness is quiet. The loneliness is deep. The loneliness is true. You accept it. You embrace it. You own it. It is yours. Like the coat was yours. Like the love was yours. Like the pain was yours. Now the freedom is yours. Now the cost is yours. Now the life is yours.

You stop. You look at the moon. The moon is full. The moon is bright. The moon is white. It shines on you. It shines on the road. It shines on the grass. The grass is wet. The grass is dark. You touch the grass. It is cold. It is soft. It is real. You touch the earth. The earth is solid. The earth is hard. The earth is real. You are real. You are here. You are now. The past is gone. The future is unknown. The present is enough. The present is all. You stand in the present. You stand in the light. You stand in the cold. You stand in the free.

You turn. You face the east. The east is dark. The east is unknown. The east is new. You walk. You walk toward the east. You walk toward the light. You walk toward the dawn. The dawn is coming. The dawn is near. The dawn is bright. The dawn is warm. The dawn is new. You walk. You walk on. Your feet are light. Your heart is light. Your mind is light. You are free. The freedom is cold. The freedom is sharp. The freedom is yours. You walk. You walk on. The road is long. The road is endless. The road is yours. You walk. You walk. You walk.

The sun rises. The sun is gold. The sun is warm. The sun is bright. It touches your face. It touches your hands. It touches your heart. It warms you. It warms the air. It warms the earth. It warms the world. The world is waking. The world is new. The world is yours. You are part of it. You are part of the light. You are part of the life. You are part of the free. You walk. You walk on. The day is young. The day is bright. The day is yours. You walk. You walk on. The road is clear. The road is open. The road is free. You walk. You walk. You walk.

You do not look back. You do not need to. The coat is gone. The man is gone. The mother is gone. The pain is gone. The weight is gone. The past is gone. You are here. You are now. You are free. The freedom is heavy. The freedom is light. The freedom is true. You carry it. You carry it in your steps. You carry it in your breath. You carry it in your soul. You walk. You walk on. The world is wide. The world is big. The world is yours. You walk. You walk on. The day is long. The day is bright. The day is free. You walk. You walk. You walk.

The wind blows. The wind is cool. The wind is fresh. The wind is free. It moves around you. It moves through you. It moves over you. It is the breath of the world. It is the song of the sky. It is the voice of the earth. You listen. You hear it. You feel it. You know it. You are it. You are the wind. You are the light. You are the life. You are free. The freedom is yours. The cost is paid. The price is high. The price is worth it. You walk. You walk on. The road is endless. The road is yours. You walk. You walk. You walk.

The end is not an end. The end is a start. The end is a door. The door is open. The door is light. The door is free. You walk through. You walk on. You are free. You are alive. You are here. You are now. You are you. The coat is gone. The love is gone. The pain is gone. The freedom is here. The freedom is real. The freedom is yours. You walk. You walk on. The world is yours. The life is yours. The free is yours. You walk. You walk. You walk.