Tis The Damn Season

Prologue

I wake up, reaching out to his side of the bed, only to grasp the air. Sitting up, I look at the clock only to discover it's barely morning, the sun wouldn't even be out yet at this time. Where could he have gone so early? Maybe he'd went into town for breakfast, he'd mentioned something about it before we fell asleep last night. I stand up, pulling the small throw from the end of the bed around my shoulders as the chill in the air encompasses me. My bare feet tiptoeing over the hard wood floors. I light the furnace in the bedroom and make my way into the living room, the embers still smoldering from the fire last night. I notice the front door slightly ajar with a small amount of moonlight streaming in and walk toward it. I open it further and step out, the mud-covered jeep is still parked on the gravel beside the house. I walk toward the concrete steps leading toward the beach and am greeted with the sight of his figure standing on the shoreline. The moon's reflection is still present in the ocean and off the little bit of late March snow that's left on the ground. I make my way down the steps, my feet finally touching the sand. I walk to the shoreline; he notices me for the first time as I stand beside him in my blanket with bare feet. He laughs as he looks at me, his usually light-hearted laugh. I look back at the stone cabin with smoke coming from the chimney, the glisten of the snow illuminating the night. Three months ago, I never would've imagined being here, especially being here with him. This is how I want to picture our future, and this is where I want to start our story, but we should simply start at the beginning.