"The Journey Must Go On"
Comfort, joy, and companionship.
But never the one thing I treasure above all others.
Winter 2012
Himalayan Mountains "Did you know it'd end like this?" "No. Did you?" "How would I have known?" Her tart reply brought a smile to his rosy lips. "Because you've been able to read my heart---long before I knew what it was like to have one." Laughter drifted like the snowflakes surrounding them. "I think we would've saved ourselves a lot of time if only I had understood what I was reading." "And if only I had stopped fighting myself and you." His quiet admission encouraged her to ask, "Do you think we've gotten smarter this time?" "Yes." He paused, curious and calm, as had been his wont recently. "Do you think we'll do better?" "They say the third time's the charm. I think they're wrong." He continued his walk, gait graceful and measured. "The fourth then?" "Maybe." She yawned and laid her head on his shoulder. Eventually they reached their destination. Hidden away, far from the snows, she whispered, "Are we here?" "Yes." The cold leeched away all residual fear. "I don't have much longer, do I?" "No." "I don't think I ever told you, but I'm glad. I'm grateful that we went through what we did." "I know." He leaned forward and pressed his lips hard against hers, eager and hungry for one last kiss, one last caress to take with him. Many minutes later he asked, "Do you mind if I keep holding you?" "I would like that very much." Her small hand crept out to play with several of his loose tendrils. "Will you be lonely without me?" "Yes. But I've waited hundreds of lifetimes for you. I can wait another eternity as long as I know you'll be waiting for me." "I'll always wait for you." She smiled and then silence reigned. The wind continued its brutal assault. The world died. Again. But it was now they understood what love could really be. There was something greater than their lust, rage, pride, and fear. Something more than either of them could ever truly appreciate but something they always understood even with madness clouding their minds. Holding one another when all was gone. Knowing one end was simply the beginning of another. Believing in one emotion beyond all others. LOVE.