Crooked Vows
Page 19
by John Watt
He turns back towards the shore, looking briefly down into the shadowy depths of the water and the dim masses of reef and seaweed, thinking, again, about Father Kevin. And Jane, whose body was never found on that far-away beach so long ago. And now that other once-young woman for whom he still reaches out, waking in the empty bed. All sleeping peacefully. The fragment of verse that has been stirring at the back of his memory finally steps out of the shadows.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
And miles to go before I sleep.
He faces into the sunlight and strikes out for the shore.