The Love Story

I have a story I want to tell.

It is called, The Love Story.

It is about a man and a woman. When they first met, they adored everything about each other.

The man was smart and strong and the woman, fierce and free. One morning, they went for a walk on a beach. The man watched his woman dance at the shoreline. He watched her move with the moon and reach for the sun. Then, he grabbed her hand.

“Come on,” he laughed.

“Where to?” she asked.

“Ahead,” he said.

And so off they ran.

It didn’t take long for the woman to grow weary. She was weak and needed to slow.

“Let us rest, my love,” the woman said, “let us rest and sit by the water.”

“No, there is no time,” the man replied, “I promise we are almost there.” 

“Where?” she asked.

“Ahead,” he said.

And so, on and on they ran.

They ran until the woman was sick and starved, until the sea had turned to smoke.

“Please, my love, I beg you! Let’s rest! Let’s breathe!” she pleaded.

The man got very annoyed.

“You woman, are my one and only! You are my love and my life! You woman, are my heart! I promise not to hurt you! But we must keep moving! I swear. We are almost there.”

The woman watched the words tumble from her lover’s mouth. She watched him look away. The woman watched her man avoid her blue green eyes and stare sternly to outer space.

“No,” she said, and shook her hands free.

“This is the end. Right here.”

The woman fell to the dirt, spread out her arms and took in a gasp of air.

The man got very angry.

“I will leave you! I will power on alone!” he yelled.

He spun to run, but suddenly…

There was nowhere left to go.

The ground had given way. There was nothing else beneath. There was only a cliff-face. Then a darkness. That went on and on. And on.

Frightened the man turned back to his woman. She was lying beneath the sky, humming a quiet song.

“Come,” said the woman, “come to me my man.”

“I know I am your one and only. I believe you,” she whispered. “But you forgot. You are not mine.”

“I know I am your love and I know I am your life. I believe you. But you forgot. I have loved before you. And I will live long after.”

“I know I am your heart, my darling. I believe you. But you forgot. I gave you your heart. I even wrote it, with the letters of my name. But you forgot.”

Mankind became afraid. He took Mother Earth’s hand once again.

“Do not be frightened my little one,” she said.

“Come and lay beside me. And bid the stars good-bye. Remember I birthed you. I fed you and bathed you and sheltered you. Remember I hurt you. I fought you and forgave you and loved you all the while. So, just like the birds I made to wake you, and the waves I made to soothe you, come, let me hold you. And sing you to sleep my child.”