Dancing in the Shadows of Love
Page 25
Ten minutes ago I would have seen nothing but the remnants of a soul shorn of hope, too weary to go forward. When I look at it now, somehow the thin crescent is no longer sad and waning, but holds a glimmer of new life.
In a gasp of gratitude, I seek out the stranger, but he’s no longer with me. I am alone again, only the blood pulsing fiercely in my veins keeping me company.
For a moment, the old fears rise to devour me. Then the victory screech of an owl almost drowns out the last, fated squeal of its prey. The owl will live, gaining strength from the gift it encountered in the inconspicuous moonlight.
And, so too, will I.
Calm again, I put my fears aside. Easing the last tension from my spine, I stretch and yawn widely. Tomorrow I will visit Marty’s grave. Then I will return to my life, desolate no longer, but abundant with memories.
For tonight, though, I will sleep peacefully, perhaps dreaming of Marty again. Perhaps not, for I no longer yearn to see him. He is with me whenever, and wherever, I want: in the battered Spiderman cup lying discarded at my feet and in the shadows cast as the moon moves inexorably onwards into a new day, a new cycle. It is over, and it is here, beneath a balsamic moon, that I am born again.
(This story first published in ITCH-e November 2010)
Copyright © Judy Croome (2012)
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Without limiting the rights under copyright described above, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author. Contact judy@judycroome.com. Book Reviewers may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the web.
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Second Kindle Edition: 20 April 2012
ISBN: 978-0-9870090-5-0
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