The Shadow at the Break

Ellen felt the cold, wet touch of fog on her face. She could barely make out shapes and shadows in the mire, and began to make her way toward them. She stumbled over tree roots and rocks hidden by the cloud, wishing it would dissipate so she could see where she was going, and holding her arms out in front of her. To her right, she heard a voice singing softly-- the tune was a haunting melody that Ellen was all too familiar with; a lullaby her mother would sing as she sat in her chair by the window, in the last few weeks before she dissapeared. Ellen called out to the voice nervously, hoping beyond hope that it would tell her the truth, lead her forward.
"Hello?"  Ellen took a tentative step toward the voice, and felt willow branches hit her face. Sputtering, she pushed them away. "Can you hear me?" she called.
The voice began to sing louder, as if it read her mind, knew that she needed guidance, and offered comfort.
"Please, who are you?" Ellen asked, her voice muffled by the fog.
The voice stopped.  Ellen stood still, shivering in the chill.
"Please, I don't mean to bother you- I just want to see your face."
A rumble sounded in the distance and a warm breeze brushed Ellens hair off of her neck, moving the cloud away. As the mist cleared, she saw a glade of trees with a large pool in the center. A woman dressed in a white robe sat on a rock beside the lagoon. Her umber colored hair fell in a curtain around her face, sheilding it from Ellens view. As Ellen stepped closer to the woman on the rock, her face emerged from the curtain of hair, little by little. First her nose, then her lips, followed by her chin and beautifully sculpted jaw-line. Her ivory skin reflected
the sun brightly blinding Ellen momentarily, who lifted her arm to shield her eyes. When Ellen lowered her arm, the woman standing before her was clearly visible. Ellen drew a sharp breath and reached out a hand to touch her cheek.
"Mom?" she breathed. The womans eyes sparkled as she nodded, and pointed out into the forest Ellen had just left. Ellen turned to look, but saw nothing. "What, Mom? What do you see?" Her mother just coninued to point. Ellen turned to look again, and saw, out of the corner of her eye, a man at the edge of the trees dressed in a red cloak.  Ellen turned back to her mother and asked, "Who is he?"
Her mother stared into her eyes, cupped her face in both hands, and whispered in her ear, "The shadow at the break, the light at the tear, will free you from the lies you bear."
Ellen began to cry. It had been 12 years since she had felt her mothers hands, heard her mothers voice.
"What does that mean?" She asked. Her mother kissed her forehead, and Ellen closed her eyes.
When she opened them, her mother was no longer there. Turning to the edge of the forest, she saw the man still standing there, his eyes barely visible beneath his hood. She was filled with a sense of foreboding, looking at that man. She lifted her hand to the spot her mother had kissed. It was still warm.