Mindful of ice as he guarded against the wind, he walked the ridge until it tapered to a crumbling point. Hardened by the elements, hollowed out by scavengers, the edge looked like the half-eaten heart of a god. Was this once an amphitheater, a place of prayer? Was the sheer drop into bitter chill and gleaming white his only hope for shelter?
He thought of when this journey was a mere jest. When she wrested the covers as he rose. When she desired song and wandering upon his return. When much was taken for granted. Why had she wanted to come here, why would she take this path so remote and perilous? The cold metal of her pendant gave no answer. The hawk overhead, soaring against the faultless sky, offered no hints.
Cold, hungry, he took in the moment that should have been theirs together. With his promise fulfilled, he stood resolute, committed, at peace – as he should have for her, as he wished he had for her.
Exposed wood and sloughed bark from a dying tree.
Minolta XD 11
Minolta 50mm MD Rokkor-X f/1.7
Kodak TMAX – ISO 100