Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The Summer Girl



The summer girl wears lilies in her hair and sunlight on her skin, always. She favors skimpy silk dresses and is partial to boys with curls. She kisses a number of them, lips reckless in the moonlight, until she finds her favorite, the one without tan lines. 

He is so smitten that he forgets his own name until she gives it back to him, murmured over and over into his hot skin while the rest of the world slumbers. In the morning his eyes shine and his limbs glow. All of his friends are jealous.

The couple spends long afternoons lounging on the beach or splashing in the sea and at night they chase fireflies. They have not spent more than a few moments apart since they met; their entire world is comprised of one shared delight after another, each pursued with a leisurely disdain for time. And then the nights turn crisp.

He is surprised to discover that she owns neither jacket nor socks. He slips his sweater over her head, but it is not enough to stop her shivering. The next day he wakes to a cold pillow and a puddle of silk on the floor. He cradles the dress in his arms and weeps her name into it, but the summer girl is gone.

For months he pines for her touch, dreams her shape back into the bed beside him. He sees her face in every passing cloud and shouts his love for her into the sky until he is hoarse with longing. Eventually her memory fades to a whisper only, but for the rest of his life, the scent of lilies instills heartache.

8 comments:

  1. Wonderful little story personifying the bitter sweetness of lost love. I so enjoy reading your posts :-)

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  2. Donna~Q~, if you have a sore throat, 1 teaspoon of organic honey every hour on the hour - magic! Also good for cold sores (just rub the honey directly on to it) Hope you're feeling better soon.

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  3. Lynn ~ Thank you!

    Annieoatcake ~ Thanks for the comment on my story, I'm glad you enjoyed it! It is flash fiction written to loosely accompany my layered photo. * About honey... I use it in my tea daily, a sweet way to start the day :~) I'm happy to report that I don't have a sore throat, though I do appreciate the well-wishes! I think the reply from "Bette" is a bit of spam. I didn't know that happened on Blogger!

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  4. oh my, so romantic and magical
    thank you
    and your photo is so very lovely too~

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  5. ~ Thanks for stopping by and commenting Tammie Lee!

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  6. I love this so much, both the story and the image.

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  7. Erz ~ Thank you for letting me know that! *hugs*

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