Chapter 1

She walked along the craggy rocks jutting out from the sea, the wet moss and grass cold on her feet, the wind blowing through her long dark hair. The moon was out and shone upon the water, she stopped and just stood there, looking out to sea. So much beauty to see but her eyes could not. Her heart could not feel it and her mind could not process it. She looked out into the dark sky and could only feel the dark clouds of depression filling her soul with despair. And it had been this way for sometime. How long, even she lost count. Loneliness filled her heart, her mind and her body.

She stood there with tears running down each cheek stinging her face as the wind blew it's cold night air. She looked down and suddenly realized she had only her thin cotton knit nightgown on. She made out the pale pink color of it blowing against her skin revealing each and every curve. It pressed against her full breasts, her nipples hard from the cold, showing through the thin fabric. It pressed down revealing the curve of her belly and her legs, its long hem and long ruffled sleeves billowing in the wind. A pale thin satin ribbon tied under the bust line keeping it all together.

The sight of it snapped her back into reality. Had she been sleepwalking again? It was as if she had been in some kind of gloomy trance, her bare feet taking her to the edge of the cliffs and leading her down onto the rocks. She suddenly felt very cold, an icy chill running down her spine, her heart quickening in her chest. She was brought back to reality. The bold roar of the crashing waves below, deafening in their loudness.

She turned around now and looked back at her house, her lovely big home looming in the background, the dim lights coming from the diamonded windowpanes, the dark gray wood weathered with time and sea spray. Her dream home, she had once thought, the place that would make all her dreams come true. Now it felt like her tomb.

Married to a cold uncaring husband who only thought of himself and his career. It had been years he hadn't touched her. She never knew why. He was always so preoccupied with his work. He never had time for her. Maybe he had a mistress? She didn't know. It hadn't always been like this, years before they had a normal marriage filled with laughter and love, happiness and lots of passion but where did it go? The years passed by and they didn't have any children to fill up their lives with either.

She would have liked to have a pet of some kind, perhaps a cat or a cute little dog to shower with love and fill her emptiness but he wouldn't hear of it. He always told her he was allergic to them and could just not tolerate the misery. She thought of getting a little bird or two but he said birds were even worse for his allergies. She loved birds and animals of all kinds. Once in awhile she'd spot this little red fox in the nearby woods when she's go out for long walks. She thought of it as her little friend. Sometimes it would see her and just stop in its tracks and stare at her. She'd smile at it, say 'hello little fox' softly and then it would slink away, its movements unlike any other animal she had ever seen.