within the meadow √ h.s.

t h i r t y f o u r

the air was chilling. it was ice in contrast to the warmth between the lovers of the meadow.

but it seemed there was no longer a meadow for them to seek comfort in as the large sign stated future plans for the vast land.

it was silent, the wind of the meadow not even able to whisper in their ears. there was another loss, and this time both harry and delilah felt it shake their souls.

his hand squeezed hers, and she squeezed his, but they said nothing. all of the memories of the meadow flashed through their minds.

delilah was five, and her mother bundled her in layers and layers of clothing to keep her innocent baby warm. her name was elizabeth, and she was scared. she felt her sanity disappearing as voices screamed in her head. her sweet daughter jumped on the bus with her hand held by her mother as they went to the one place that would always be there for them.

elizabeth carried a book, and so did delilah. they walked a distance from the bus stop to the meadow, but delilah didn't complain about her tired little legs. it was the greeting of spring, when winter still had trouble saying goodbye and lingered in the weather, but nature began to wake up.

"mommy! look at the flowers!" delilah perked up at the beautiful landscape. "it's so pretty!"

"yeah, baby. everything is waking up," elizabeth smiled seeing the unraveling of nature. "delilah, baby, smile!" she held the camera up as delilah turned around and looked at her mother with a smile warm enough to melt the cold off of the flowers. elizabeth knew that she would soon have only photos to look back on because she would be gone with the rapid decline of her mental state. she kissed her daughter's cheek and quickly wiped a stray tear.

that would be the last time delilah went to the meadow with her mother, so elizabeth ignored the book in her hands and instead admired her beautiful delilah and the safety of the meadow.

she remembered the time when harry was set to leave in a week and it seemed as if she was already missing him even though he sat next to her in the bed of flowers creating something wonderful on paper. he had caught her staring and her eyes welled up with tears, but his warm hands cradled her face and his lips kissed her all over while he tried to hold it all in. he must have said "i love you" dozens of times within those kisses.

then there was the first time she returned since leo's death. she felt the embrace of the meadow when she stepped onto the land and could have crumbled right then and there. she watched the breeze carry the possibilities she had imagined during her pregnancy into the cold, dark air in hopes of washing her clean. she cried and unraveled into harry's chest against that tree they met at, and she felt the spirit of the meadow pick up every emotion and hand it to the wind.

harry thought back to the time when the weather was warm, but not warm enough to compare to what was felt between delilah and harry. her head was in his lap while she focused on the words in front of her and harry snapped pictures here and there. they stayed until the sun dipped down and traded places with the moon. he carried her on his back and ran to the car, and as she was laughing in his ear he swore it was the most beautiful sound he could have possibly heard. it was a week after they had given themselves to each other in the most vulnerable way. delilah made him a grilled cheese that night, and they stayed up laughing about the most random things. he remembered thinking about how that meadow intertwined their souls into one.

the memory of returning with delilah when he had asked her to be his officially played back in his mind. with a book in her hand, he recognized it. it was the book he picked up on her nightstand years ago when he picked her up to head to the airport. the book that contained a letter folded up inside from her mother, elizabeth. that was the day she told him about the book and how it was her mother's favorite. he saw the adulation in her eyes as she flipped through the pages of the tattered book with notes written in the margins. he saw a side to delilah that he missed.

reliving memories could be great, or it could bring a pain to your chest. but as the lovers of the meadow felt every emotion through their memories of the place they held so dear to their heart, they couldn't help but feel the loss together.

tears fell from both beings as the magical place found itself in jeopardy. after sitting in the meadow with gloomy thoughts and a silent atmosphere, they went home where they dreamt of that damn sign that could have quite possibly destroyed the magic.

waterstone developments. beautiful new homes to be built by fall of next year.