I heard nothing, but ever more clearly as the light of the half-moon grew sharper, I thought I could make out a dark shape, and soon, as it came nearer, I saw it. It sat on a horse, a high-boned, haggard white horse. A dark mantle fluttered across the figure's shoulders, and as he flew past, two burning eyes stared at me out of a pale face.
The passage describes a moment of eerie realization as the narrator gradually distinguishes a dark shape in the moonlight. Initially obscured, the figure becomes clearer as the brightness of the half-moon intensifies. The figure is on a striking white horse, which adds to the surreal nature of the encounter, enhancing the sense of something otherworldly.
As the figure approaches, the details emerge: a dark mantle billows around him, and his pale face features two burning eyes that engage with the narrator. This vivid imagery evokes a feeling of unease and intrigue, capturing the essence of a ghostly presence or a spectral rider, which enriches the narrative atmosphere in Theodor Storm's novella.
