Castle in the Sand (7 page)

"Until today? Yesterday? Last week?" She
still wasn't sure how long they'd been here. She let out deep sigh.
She would have wept, but had no more tears. "I wanted so badly to
make sure nothing was ruined for the Fellowship. And it was. I
ruined it."

"Hush." He squeezed her closer to him. "You
didna ruin it for them on purpose."

"But it was ruined anyway." Grief for the
pain she had caused her friends stabbed her. "If I could take it
back--"

All at once, another memory flooded through
her. "You said that same thing to me. Here. When I finally saw
you."

"And you told me I couldn't take it back." He
gave a soft laugh. "But then you changed your mind. You decided to
give me a second chance. And every day, I watched you forget more
and more of what had happened. I didn't want you to remember, not
if it meant I'd lose you again, but Claire, I love you too much to
lie to you any more."

"I'm not sad I remember now."

He sighed then kissed her hair. "It had been
so long, and so many years of me watching you while your eyes slid
by me like I didn't exist for you. I didn't realize what it would
take to get you to see me again."

"You told me you'd gone swimming."

"I did. The water was high. I swam verra
hard. But I got tired in the end."

The implication of what had happened during
that swim hung between them. Claire waited for something. A bright
light, a tunnel, a spectral voice telling her it was time to let
go. All she heard was the beat of Malcolm's heart and the sound of
his voice.

"The past is gone, Claire. It's like a sand
castle washed away by the waves. We can remember what it looked
like, but even if we build it again, it won't be the exactly the
same."

"I'm glad you came back to me," she
whispered.

"I'm glad you gave me a second chance," he
whispered back.

Malcolm's arms around her were strong. He
held her tightly. As he kissed her, Claire realized something
bright and important and wonderful.

She wasn't cold any longer.

Some things change.

And some things don't.

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About the author:

I was born and then I lived a while
and I did some stuff. Then I did some things and whatnot. Now, I
mostly write books.

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photo credit: Scott Church