Hindsight
is 20-20

©
Cederwyn Whitefurr

7^th
January, 2024

All
Rights Reserved.

This
Week's Writing Challenge: "Hindsight is 20-20."

Elara's
entrance into the cafe was met with a cacophony of sounds and smells
that threatened to overwhelm the young Red Deer's senses. Patrons
were engaged in conversations or consumed by whatever social media or
other things they watched on their phones or tablets.

Her
emerald green eyes, akin in colour to the new spring leaves, scanned
the bustling cafe. Tantalising scents of freshly baked pastries and
other delightful pleasantries filled her nostrils, mixed with the
scent of the freshly ground coffee beans.

Yet
Elara couldn't seem to shake the sense of ambiguous unease that
tickled her reddish-brown fur, almost making it stand on end. It was
nebulous, ambiguous, yet surrounded her like an ethereal blanket she
couldn't shake off.

Approaching
the counter, Elara's senses sharpened even more than normal, both
tubular ears twitching too and fro, her leathery nostrils flaring
slightly. Without a word, the barista slid over a bowl, and the
heavenly aroma of Elara's favourite coffee washed away any fears.

“Mmm,
Woodland Spice," Elara sighed in pleasure, as she wrapped her paws
around the bowl, her hooflets clicking lightly on it. “Thank -"

Not
even acknowledging the thanks, the barista moved off.

“Rude
- “ Elara snorted softly. “Then again, they're pretty busy
today, so -"

Elara's
whisker's twitched and her left ear rotated one hundred and eighty
degrees as a minute tremble ran from the base of her skull to her
tail tip – someone was behind her...

“Excuse
me," A voice, rich deep and masculine, sliced through the noise of
the other customers, like a ice-breaker through a sea ice floe.

Elara's
heart skipped a beat, her whole body involuntarily twitching, more
instinctual than anything. Cervid were of high awareness of their
environment and hearing – so she should have smelt, or heard, his
approach... there was nothing.

“My
apologies," He spoke quietly, as stepped up beside her, then
gestured at the stool. “May I? I did not mean to startle you, young
one."

Cautiously,
Elara glanced sideways, her stomach still somewhere in the back of
her throat, or so it felt. A mixture of ancestral instinct fought
with her rational mind.

Her
furtive glance took in his appearance. He stood a few inches taller
than Elara herself, her nostrils sniffed the air and found themselves
only filled with the scent of herself, the delicious coffee she still
held, and the myriad of pastries and other delightful delicacies.

He
wore an impeccably tailored suit and tie, yet the cut and fashion
itself was, whilst fashionable and clean, seemed strangely out of
place and style.

Elara
gestured with one paw, as she tentatively took a sip from the bowl
and set it down, forcing her quivering fingers to calmness.

“Thank
you," He smiled, then sat himself and turned fully to face her.

Elara's
eyes widened slightly, as she seen the colour of his. Never in her
life, had she seen eyes like that – an enigmatic grey, that whilst
appearing kindly and wise, also further made her more animal-like
mind become hyper alert, forcing herself to suppress it.

“Allow
me to introduce myself. My name is Mortimer, Edward Mortimer - “ He
held his kidskin gloved hand out towards her. Please, call me
Mortimer."

Awkwardly,
Elara turned her stool and held her paw out. Her instincts urged
caution, something about this man – yet politeness and social
courtesy were expected.

Besides,
you're in a very busy cafe, really, stop being a scared little fawn –
nothing will happen and you know it!
Her rational mind told her.

He
tenderly took her paw, lightly squeezing it and giving a shake before
he released her.

“I'm
Elara," Elara smiled nervously, placing her paw back on the
counter.

He
smiled again, then nodded politely. “A pleasure to make your
acquaintance Ms. Elara, Yes, I'm familiar with the Cervid – how
your kind do not take surnames, I find it one of many fascinating
things."

Elara
brushed it off politely, it wasn't uncommon, but the wording he used
seemed – strange and out of place. Humanity and the other races
had existed for thousands of years, so why single this out with such
an archaic comment?

Elara
distracted herself with another sip from her coffee, quickly turning
the background voices and sounds out, as she herself turned more
attentions towards this strange, enigmatic man.

Her
natural intuition and senses still tingled with inexplicable
foreboding and tension, so she reaffirmed herself mentally that she
was safe and surrounded by witnesses.

You're
being fawn-like, stop it. Elara's
mind told the more animalistic nature.

“I've
encountered quite a few of your people. They possess a kind, gentle
spirit," Mortimer spoke quietly, his voice gentle and soothing, yet
hinting at a deeper understanding.

Elara
managed a weak smile, her left ear twitching in response to this
unexpected familiarity with her people.

“Sure,
for the most part, we're very diverse, much like humanity itself.
Different sizes, appearances and temperaments – even different
species, Ed...forgive me. Please forgive my hesitation in addressing
you by your given name. We've only just met."

His
smile grew and he waved the awkwardness away with a gentle flick of
his hand.

“Of
course. Your people are known far and wide for their courteousness
which is admirable. Cervid are, by and large, more attuned to their
natural – essence – shall we say. Your ancestral instincts. I can
only begin to touch the barest surface in my imagination, of the
depth of experiences your kind have."

“Humanity,"
Elara muttered softly, then smiled to make it seem a lot less awkward
than she felt. “Has its own remnants of ancient instincts."

“They
do," Mortimer admitted, looking down at the counter for a moment.
“Yet it is a mere flicker of primal memories. Humanity's memories
are not – passed on like your own, they've been diluted and altered
over millennia."

He
gave a quiet sigh.

“Their
connection has all but been severed, withered and desiccated, lost
amidst the sands of time itself."

Elara's
eyes narrowed slightly. “How so? You
speak of humanity's loss," Elara pondered, resting her chin on her
right paw as she leaned a little closer. “Do you believe yourself,
and humanity in general, oblivious to this, unaware of all that they
have lost – or even forsaken?"

He
turned his head to look sideways at her, his eyes seemingly trying to
pierce the veil of time itself.

“Humanity's
blindness is deliberate. They've become blind, casting aside their
ancestral memories with each generation, blinded by their feelings of
worth and self-aggrandisement, most of all – their steadfast belief
in themselves."

A
tremble rippled down Elara's spine at the words he chose to
articulate. His whole demeanour and words seemed so out of place, it
only heightened her own instinctual instincts within her.

“I
do not feel they, humanity that is, is completely lost. Some still,
in their way, yearn for what was lost – and even fewer, seek to try
and recover that which was misplaced – as I do not feel it has been
truly forgotten."

He
glanced at her, the edges of his lips curling slightly – whether
mocking her, or agreeing with her, Elara wasn't sure.

“It
is true, some souls seek the echoes from the past, yet I fear their
whispers are drowned out in the tumultuous sea of the modern world."

Elara's
senses flared within her, her teardrop like tail frizzling out, the
trickle of fear down her spine suddenly threatening to burst into a
torrent. Something about his words settled on her, realisation slowly
spreading over her whole body and she came to realise their
conversation had transcended the mundane – yet she had no
recollection of when and how.

As
she lifted up the bowl, she noticed it was empty – strange – it
felt like only moments ago that she had received it, yet it was as
empty and clean as if it'd never been used. Her eyelids widened, as
her ears twitched and she slowly turned her head to the left and
right, suddenly noticing the cafe had fallen silent...

Mortimer
sighed and pulled both gloves off and gently laid them down on the
counter.

“I
wish we had more time, your conversation and thoughts have been
insightful Ms. Elara, thank you."

He
placed a hand on her wrist and bowed his head to her.

“What..."
Elara gasped, then moved to push herself back from the counter, only
to find her paws slipping straight through it. “NO...what's going
on..."

A
terrifying surge swept through and over her, as Mortimer stood and
picked up his gloves, tucking them into his suit pocket.

“No,
what's going on – I've been -"

Mortimer
shook his head. “Drugged? No... I am
sorry Elara, for what it is worth, truly, I have enjoyed our time
together. Sadly, your mortal body no longer has need of your soul. I
am here, to help you cross over. I am a Spirit, like you, here to
guide you safely into the afterlife."

“This
is some..." Elara squealed, her paws trying to grasp at the bowl,
the counter – anything.

All
around her, the cafe dissolved into a haze, then into particles, then
nothing...leaving herself and Mortimer standing in what felt like
infinity itself – a timeless void.

“They
say hind sight is 20-20 - Yet you never see it coming..." Mortimer
spoke quietly, as he gently took the sobbing doe's paw in one hand.
“Rest now, you have nothing to fear Elara...

With
that, he lead her into the hereafter...

END