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Esca stood at the top of her stairs and stared at the empty hallway in front of her. The light from the moon shone through the window and outlined the shape of her body with a shadow on the floor. Esca's back was to the open window. The breeze blew soft and cool through the open panes. Esca raised her hand and reached toward the hallway, beckoning to someone only she could see. Her lips parted and she began to speak, but the sudden change in the wind stopped her. All of the windows in the house were open, exposing Esca to the cold, late-fall weather. She wore only a thin shirt and underwear. Her body was covered in goose bumps and the wind blew icy whisps of hair around her neck. As the conversation continued, her eyes welled with tears that froze before reaching her face. They fell to the floor like diamons and shattered into dust. She began to walk forward up the last remaming stairs. The diamond dust shredded her bare feet as she stepped up the stairs, one by one. Her conversation continued, and became increasingly more violent with every word. She flung her arms to her sides as she tried to fly to him. On the last stair Esca stopped and turned around. She looked at the trail of blood and dust that looped and staggared behind her and suddenly became uneasy. She lifted her arms higher, and lost balance. Her eyes glazed over before she fell. Her delicate body fell to rest at the bottom of the staircase. The man in the hallway looked down at her twisted figure. He paused and considered helping her before turning and disappearing into darkness. The wind continued to blow and fill the house with lonliness and pain. Esca lay perfectly still and listened to the footsteps abover her, until the wind grabbed his spirit and he floated away.
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