a world i do not know

"...they enter a forest path leading to a world I do not know and perhaps will never understand." -Ryszard Kapuszcinski (The Cobra's Heart)
she stared at the pane of glass which held her safely inside and sighed.  touching a cheek to the cold surface, she wrapped her arms around her middle and sighed again.  night was falling and she was tired. so tired.  exhausted, really.  she felt like she had been running for days without end, weeks with no relief. her heart was tired of providing her with enough oxygen - it pressed inside her, up against her rib cage and then receded deeper inside her.  out and in.  in and out.  thump. thump. thumpthump.  her breath came in hiccups and made her heart pound faster.  whatever happened, she knew she would always have his love.  always.  the surety made her heart slow and then deaden to a normal rate.  she flattened her right hand against the glass, enjoying the feel of the coolness seeping into her fingers, underneath the prints she made on the pane, and deeper still.  yes, she would always have his love.  no matter what happened...