Juvven: A Fictional Narrative

Over the course of the day the clouds gathered ominously,the sky turned to a steel-grey blanket darkening the light of day. The wind picked up speed, hurling the snow on the ground around and the temperature dropped tangible. At the end of the work day tiny, icy snowflakes added to the howling wind, and everybody wrapped their faces up as best as possible. Andre tensed inside: Was this what they waited for? He placed himself on the edge of the column at the gathering. The guards hurried along on the outside, counting the columns of five. When everybody was accounted for and the prisoner’s train began heading out, Andre gulped as to his left Juvven stood with a dog on the leash. They exchanged one significant glance and Andre’s heartbeat sped

Had Juvven take the shot he promised? Andre hadn’t heard anything in the howling wind; concentrating on counting the steps in his mind. He couldn’t make out anything in front of him, and ran into a tree that suddenly stood out of the white swirling wall in front of him, barely stopping a painful collision to his head. This near hit gave him pause and he leaned against the bark, steadying himself. His breath hitched— he did it. He dared to break out. Taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart he continued plowing in a steady pace through the snow until he counted 150 in his mind and

Andre tried to keep his face out of the switching wind as the ice hurt his eyes and lids like handfuls of needles being thrown at him by a mad seamstress. Turning this way and that to shield his face from being hit with full force, soon he lost any sense of direction. He huddled in his threadbare cotton jacket and waited. And waited.
The dark was closing in on him and the snow piled up around his legs. Doubts crept into his mind. Would Juvven find him? He stomped with his feet on the ground and kept his hands wrapped around his middle, trying to keep his worries at bay. Suddenly another pair of hands joined his own around his body and a solid presence hit his back. Juvven— at last! This was neither the time nor the place for a happy reunion and both men knew it, but the tight hug Juvven gave Andre sufficed.
"Hold on to this. Don't let go!" A looped end of one of the ropes the guards carried to bind the hands of convicts was thrust into his mitten and Andre slipped it around his wrist. Juvven tied it to the back of his own coat's belt. Blinking the snowflakes out of his eyes Andre noticed the leash wrapped around Juvven's left hand and the squinting dog that sat patiently at the other end of it. As soon as he fixed the knot Juvven opened one of the buttons of his coat and groped inside. A small fluorescence compass on a chain appeared and Juvven held it close to his eyes, to check the weak display.