Change of Seasons
"I've missed the change of seasons." These were the first words she'd spoken since they started the walk. The headlands were awash in a brighter light that morning and the fog was hanging just outside the Golden Gate, a grey thickness of air sitting and waiting. He looked down with a deep smile and gave her hand a squeeze. When she glanced at him she was at once caught by the dark brown eyes. She had no desire to be released.
The grasslands were golden after the usual drought of the summer months, spotted here and there with the new, green shoots of winter growth. It was the scent of the air that was different from even the previous week. Musty and almost smoky, laying just below the usual smell of sage and ocean. Perhaps nothing more than the gradual death of foliage that needed rain to sustain it. Perhaps a reminder that nature could cause havoc in these hills with autumn fires. To the couple walking the change in the air and light was a glorious reminder that they were finally back on Earth.
"Are you ready for the rains to start?" She knew he was asking if she was ready for the grey to descend and for the loss of the stars overhead.
"I think this winter will be wonderful." And it was his turn to be lost in her eyes as she gazed upward.
That afternoon they lay under the window and watched the
fog roll into the city, weaving its way between the buildings until the
grey blanket blocked their view entirely. The sensation was not unpleasant,
rather it felt like the blessing of privacy that they hadn't had while
on their starship. They gathered each other into an embrace with a peaceful
sigh. The day was changing to evening. Another reminder that time was no
longer their enemy, no longer the symbol of how much further they still
had to travel to get home. Tomorrow would bring more exploration, of each
other, of the lands surrounding them and of the possibilities for a future
together. Glorious, glorious possibilities.
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