Last day of this week’s prompts. I suspect my current fantasy writing is showing through>
They met once a year, at the same place
For 364 days, their lives never touched each other. Their homes were scattered over the island. They knew which days each of them visited the markets and avoided them. They knew which beaches each others’ families preferred, and swam elsewhere. If by chance they passed on a cobbled trail on a hillside, the smell of thyme filling the air, they nodded, briefly, and passed on.
On the 365th day, they met, at the same place.
A sandy cave reached by a hidden goat track wending across a slope which fell steeply to wave buffeted cliffs. The way down is gravelly, treacherous, to be taken cautiously – one misstep and the walker would slip, slide, tumbling over the edge into the maw of the wet rocks below.
Every year, they left their homes in the cooling evening to make their secret ways to the cave.
Every year, their hearts grew full. This was their time.
In the cave they shed their clothes, ran to the water’s edge, into the surging seas, kicking up glistening spray, falling into the current when their legs clamped tight together, growing, muscular, silver, fish-scaled.
Every year they met, at the same place, and for a night they danced their mermaid dance in the swelling waters under a silver moon.
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They met once a year, at the same place – the roof of the Empire State building.
It was impossible to see each other than on this single occasion, simply because she lived in London and he in New York and she could only visit during the company’s annual conference.
Melanie was a senior executive for a large UK financial firm but travel other than at this one time of the year was out of the question.
The CEO was always adamant – no travel required other than for the annual get together in their New York head office. Every other meeting must be conducted by zoom or over conference calls.
So, Melanie had to bide her time until she could once more meet with Tim – and always it was the roof of this iconic New York landmark.
Why the roof? Perhaps it was because it reminded them of that romantic love story Sleepless in Seattle – or maybe the spectacular views from the top of the Empire State was a fitting venue for such a lovely tryst.
Anyway, whatever the reason, this was the place they had chosen. But this year promised to be different. Tim sounded mysterious on the phone. There was something he wanted to discuss when he saw her.
Melanie wondered if he was looking for something more. She had such a busy work life that relationships were a luxury she could not really afford. Still, maybe this was the time to become more involved.
Conference day arrive and Melanie woke in her hotel room with some trepidation. She couldn’t wait to meet her once a year lover who was in charge of their New York office.
Tim looked somehow different. He had trimmed his hair and grown a beard and she like what he saw.
He seemed nervous and fidgety and found it difficult to meet her gaze. What was wrong, she wondered. He was always so confident and self-assured.
Tim perfunctorily kissed her cheek in greeting before his opening remarks.
“There’s something we need to discuss,” he said a little shakily.
“What’s that,” she replied, not quite sure where the conversation was heading.
“We have been meeting like this for nine years,” he said “and we can’t go on this way anymore.”
Melanie’s heart sank. Was this the end? She should have shown unbridled enthusiasm, encouraged him to form a permanent relationship, made a much bigger effort to see him more often. Too late, she realised he was brining everything to a final irrevocable conclusion.
She barely heard Tim’s words. “I can’t stop thinking about you and I want you always to be with me.”
He dropped to one knee and she burst into tears.
Aww… Sleepless in Seattle is one of my all time fave movies