Promises Unkept

Epilogue

It was the blooming morning in month of April.

The winter was past.

The green was returning, in a slow, mystical_ enchanting advance.

Bare branches were starting to sprout tiny foliages, vines meandered through the bends and curves of the wooden fences, snaked up the stone walls in soft sunlight, minuscule dandelions flourished the roadside earth, blond in the early morning and then furry white cotton balls_ blowing away at the slightest offence of the breezes.

Touchy things.

Squirrels rushed through the hedges in search of the right kind of nuts, dragonflies resurfaced the sky, flickering their rainbow wings.

River gathered back its snow- stagnant torrent. Fishes were enthusiastic, flapping their fins and darting through shallow brooks.

It was a re-embodiment of all that winter had extinguished.

It was, afterall, the flourishing month of April.

An year past their marriage. Six month hence their actual coming together.

"We are late." Eden exhaled, ducking against the dense underbrush of wild climbers, up the hill.

It was a shortcut.

To the vicarage.

"Not much." Stephen muttered, removing the dangling shrubberies off their way.

The falling off remnant of the ruins echoed with ancient noiselessness as their steady steps crushed the dry leaf and trampled the untraded cobbled floor of the monument.

Eden held firmly on Stephen's elbow as he made way for the two through thick undergrowth of age old wilderness and opaque cobwebs.

It was silly not to have used the coach instead.

But then, Stephen wasn't much thrilled either, to attend her uncle's wedding.

"How much time do we still have?" Eden sighed, dusting off a stray spider from Stephen's black overcoat as they progressed further by the feral conduit.

Stephen gave her an undecipherable look.

She got the message. They had no time at all.

She shook her head and walked on, as fast as she could.

Oh yes! They were quite late.

***

They reached the place much after the service had started.

The old pair stood at the altar, with the vicar reading to them all that had to be kept in heart when such great promises were being made.

Miss Murphy looked ethereal.

Her uncle looked a gentleman that he was not.

Eden was hopeful for his future though.

Stephen guided her through the grand entrance noiselessly but instead of going to the front, they both wordlessly made up their minds to stay at the back and not disturb the rites.

Stephen escorted Eden to the backmost bench, the darker corner.

They both slipped in to their seats.

In the melodious midmorning silence, the hum of sacred words filled their ears.

Stephen plucked out a dry leaf off Eden hair and handed it to her with a quiet smile. She frowned at it just as quietly.

And then, he fell asleep on her shoulder.

***

"Stephen!" Her soft hiss teased his undisturbed sleep tenderly. "Stephen, wake up!"