Summers End

Summer. Just the word makes you smile doesn't it? I can picture it now, the sights, the smells, the feelings; the suns rays softly caressing my face, smothering me in its loving warmth, as in a corner of the courtyard a lizard crawls out to join me on his rock, basking dreamily. A light breeze playfully whips up the sandy earth into a little whirl of frenzy, before dropping it lazily back onto the floor once more. Nothing stirs now in the air and even the colours themselves seem to fade in the heat as exhaustion slips silently over the earth. Then in the distance I hear footsteps approaching, the crunch of worn shoes on parched, baked earth. The sleeping world seems slowly to wake at this unwelcome intrusion, until she appears through the courtyard arch.

In a corner he sits, curled up in a tight ball on the metal bed, hard as the frozen earth. Matted brown hair covers his dead eyes, blocking out the unfeeling world around him until he is lost from it. A single beam of frosty moonlight falls on his lonely form through the narrow slit high above him, but still he does not stir. The slight rising of his chest is the only movement as his mind plunges deeper into the nightmare with in.

Lyndsey is her name. As she appears the sun wakes from his slumber, growing bright and radiant once more, whilst in a far off orange tree a mocking bird begins to sing, a heavenly herald to her arrival. Her golden hair shines in the light, rippling gently like a field of corn and the light in her eyes shine bright, a beacon of hope on a misty night. As I stare into them they pull me in, enticing me with their siren call until I'm lost forever, drowning in bliss. Slowly she glides over, her delicate hands clasp mine and I watch those rose petal lips drift closer to my own.

Suddenly he opens his eyes, red and bloodshot but still filled with the spark of youth. His smooth skin, mostly hidden by rough stubble, reveals itself it the silvery light, for this man surely cannot have witnessed many winters. His cracked lips slowly twitch into an unfamiliar smile, which he touches unsurely with trembling hands. A small icy tear trickles down his cheek like the last snowflake of a blizzard.

How can I describe the burn of her kiss, the stabbing pain her of her embrace. Every touch drained yet more life from me, but still I loved her. How can one not love an angel? Her teasing tongue danced with my own in a celebration of our unity but still the poison trickled down my throat, its viper like grip choking all hope out of my heart. Why couldn't she be mine forever? Why must she be stained by the touch of another, whilst our love untainted was chained to an iron grave? Closer we pulled together, our desperation for comfort burning us up. Still the pain, writhing like a cobra through my mind, built till it screamed through my every pore, shouting its tortuous chants. My hand reached to her soft neck but the roaring continued, engulfing the world around me. I needed release from this agony which was tearing me up, freedom form this torture. Then it stopped. I released her from my hold and watched her pale, limp body lying gently in my arms. The rouge cheeks still softly glowed in the deepening shadows, yet gone were the lines that care and worry and worn over the years. The Sun, now finishing his race across the world sank into a fire of ruby red, setting the sky aflame as if the heavens themselves were burning bright. In the darkness I clutched her tightly to my chest as the sky wept diamonds tears above us. "We'll be together soon," I whispered, "No one can sever our bond of love."

The tear falls to the floor and he walks over to the small desk in the corner where he picks up a pen and writes on a single sheet of paper. His shaking hands are now steady as ice and the once bleary eyes crystal clear. Standing up he leaves the desk, and resolutely removes the sheet. Slowly, purposefully he twists it and ties it to cold metal beams. Through the window the first rays of morning sneak up out of their hiding place and bright colours fly eagerly out of their palettes, darting across the sky celebrating their newfound freedom. Now he gets up onto the bed and slips the crisp white noose around his head. Bird song drifts in through the window as the world finally begins to stir and the sun springs up over the hills, at last showing its shining face. Further down the corridor, outside his cell people begin to rise. Pots clatter and people shout, but in his room silence reigns. Stillness fills the air to settle like a blanket as the dozing world opens its eyes to the sight within. In the commotion that follows, no one sees a small note drift to the floor, a single verse written on it:

Our Love shall live forever
In my heart and in my mind
All darkness shall be sent back
And happiness we will find

Death is just a reunion
So its kiss I now embrace
For the summer of life is over
And its winter I must face