His eyes fall upon her and his mind races. She’s not supposed to be there. It's too soon. He shouldn’t let himself hope again.
But she is smiling, as always. Her smile gives him false courage.
He closes the distance between them. Her hair flutters softly in the breeze.
She raises her hands above her head. She's wearing gloves—it's chilly today. She looks at him curiously, like she doesn’t understand why he would stop. Or maybe she does, perhaps she understands everything perfectly and simply doesn’t care.
It occurs to him she might be a ghost. Maybe he should run away. Maybe running away will save her life.
The idea leaves him feeling sick.
Then she steps forward into his arms, and they hug each other tightly. He smells sweat and dust.
She whispers something against his shoulder. He can barely make out the words. "I love you," she says. Then she pushes him away and turns to face the crowd.
Her expression shifts into that of one who's made a terrible mistake. There's guilt in her eyes, and regret. And behind those sorrowful, tired eyes…
And then she smiles again, and she waves at the crowd. As she starts walking toward the building, the people part for her. They bow low to her. The crowd parts like the red sea before Moses.
The man thinks about the words in his heart: I love you. The way they roll off his tongue and land like stones in her mouth. How they sound, like an echo of the truth. How beautiful they are.
Then she disappears.
YOU ARE READING
The Crow
Horreur"So here's the thing," says the crow, "if you've never heard of me, hear me now. I'm your least expected fortune teller. I'm the one that brings death and despair. Yield to me, so I shall spare you from your doomed fate." "Foolish," says the human. ...
