Winter Rose

The mid-day sun blazed in the sky, as the birds sang and the sweet scent of jasmine kissed the leaves. They sat in blissful silence and watched as the world faded beyond their eyes. No words could explain, that which their hearts spoke. He touched her face, and she shyed away. "I am no beauty, I am like the grass, walked on but never admired", she sighed with years of pain and sorrow welling in her voice. Gently he guided her eyes back to his, "angel, you are no mere blade of grass, you are the rose that lay beneath the thicket, overlooked and often forgotten". Never had anyone said such things to her, she began to cry. "My love", he whispered "you are the reason I have treaded through the dark merkey waters of life, why I rose to meet every challenge, and even when fear caged my soul, I forged on. This single moment in time has been the meaning for it all, to see the sun reflect in your eyes like the finest jade".

As she stared at this man before her, she could feel his hand tremble, softly against her pale skin. "Why do you love me so?", she whispered to him. Simply, he said to her, "destiny". As the summer breeze wisped around them, time stood still. Together. Finally, their lips touched, the world exploded in a million colors, and all went silent. The breath escaped from his lungs, and she held him like a long lost love. When they separated, the world had changed. Sixty years had come and gone, and silver now streaked her beautiful brown hair. His hand still trembled, but not from fear or anxiety, but from the years of being strong and unwavering. The field was covered in snow, and the trees were all bare. The sun now set below the horizon, as they closed their eyes. Sixty years of love, began and ended in this single perfect moment. No mourning need be had, a life of love and devotion is a life well lived. Down a winding path, two lovers strolled through the snowy fields, hand in hand. Nerves shaking and anxiety rising, they passed a row of forgetten bushes, frozen in time. He knelt down and beneath the thicket, coverd by snow, a single rose.........