The valley laid before me, a pale spring landscape painting thrown across my vision. So close that if I were only to reach my hand forward, I could almost touch it. The cold air swirled through my lungs like smoked ice, the wind violently whipping my hair about my face and chanting through the vale below, calling me forward. It was so easy. It was as natural and effortless as breathing in the icy air. I let go, and let that landscape claim me as I fell.
Long golden hair cascaded over her shoulders and veiled us from the indifferent chittering of squirrels and the curious eyes of sparrows in the branches of the old Oak above us. Her sweet laughter reverberated down her arms and through the press of her small hands into my chest; coaxing my own laughter from me. My eyes traced every detail of her face – from the curve of her lips, the straight slant of her nose to the crinkles at the corners of her eyes. Slowly I reached upwards to touch her cheek, barely able to contain the overwhelming elation I felt swimming inside my chest. Amidst the joy, however, there was an undercurrent of something else creeping in. Anxiety? As my fingers brushed along the line of her jaw, my lips began to tremble. A squall of fear was flooding in and taking over. I firmly held her face between both of my shaking hands, just to make certain she was real and here with me. She continued to smile down at me “Something troubling you?” Relief cascaded ...