Mourning At Sunrise

Together, they stood on the clifftop. A wind fluttered over them, tugging at their hair. But they were oblivious to all that, their focus on one another.  They had come together to this place, the site where they had first met on a rock-climbing weekend.

From the lips of the woman came a contented sigh. Their hands were entwined, and her head rested upon his shoulder.

"Are you cold darling?" His voice was low, soothing, concerned. The voice of a man in love. She smiled and shook her head.

"No. When I'm with you, I'm always warm." Gently, he kissed her.

"Maria, I love you so much. Will you marry me?" Her cry of joy clearly indicated her response. In delight, she flung her arms about him, kissing his cool face over and over. Laughing, he drew a beautiful diamond ring from his pocket, and slid it onto her finger.

"I love you." He whispered into her ear.  They stood there for a moment, unwilling to let one another go. "I've got something else for you.  Hang on, I left it in my rucksack."  Darren released her and turned to rummage through his hefty bag.  Maria let out a chuckle - no matter where he was, Darren could almost always be relied upon to be carrying a whole matter of junk in his bag. But she loved him for it.  There was no other way she would have him.

It was then, as he let out a triumphant cry and withdrew his head from the bag, clutching a scrap of paper, that it happened. His rucksack was precariously placed on an outcrop, she'd told him to move it further inland, and his sudden movement caused a shift in the weight.  The bag slipped sideways, backwards, and Darren's wrist was still wrapped around the strap.

"Be careful." As the words left her mouth, the bag finally slid over the edge.  Darren stumbled and for a moment the world slowed down.  In a fraction of a second which felt like a year, Darren's eyes met hers.  Those familiar eyes, wide with shock and surprise. He gave a faint gasp of surprise and quite suddenly he was gone.

"Darren!" Maria screamed the name aloud, running forward to the edge of the cliff. Looking down, she saw him. He lay some thirty feet below, limbs sprawled. A dark shadow was spreading around his head like some grotesque parody of a halo.

"No..." The word was a whisper, all the grief Maria felt was put into that one syllable.

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It took nearly an hour for Maria to reach the ledge on which Darren lay. Her hands and face had sustained so many scratches and scrapes it was a wonder she was still climbing. But climb she did, over rocks and lichen, until she reached him. He was dead, there was no doubt about that. His head lolled in her lap, eyes empty. Every bone in his body must be shattered or snapped, she thought
.
The tears fell thick and fast as she knelt beside him. She cradled his dear face, clutched at his cold hand. He was so pale...yet still so handsome. Even in death he was beautiful.

Kneeling there, her blood-stained hands on Darren's, Maria watched the sunrise. The sky flooded with red and gold and pink, as the beautiful warm sun awoke for another day.  Down on the ledge at sunrise, the woman mourned.