Through the still of the night I hear the sound of an approaching horse through the fog. I take the candle off of the bedstand and quietly walk to the kitchen. I look out the window and see a young man dismount from his horse and walk towards the back gate, just as he does whenever he comes. Gently I blow out the candle and move to the back parlor.

The young man waits by the gate until he sees a girl, my daughter. The embrace and she leads him inside. I wait until I hear her door shut. As I walk softly back down the hall, a gentle light flows under the doorway, and I hear hushed voices coming from her room.

In the morning, both the horse and its rider are nowhere to be seen. The only indication that they were ever there are the tears in my daughter’s eyes.