Love, Hope, and Time

A Bedtime Story for the Distant

The sun shone its amber and gold rays through the slots in the window shutter spilling its warm the on the bedside where Love had left a petite and still warm imprint of her body on the bed.  Hope shook his head and rubbed his eyes, thinking it would make her appear again at any second.  But little did he know that Love had stolen herself away in the midst of the morning's mist to search for a gift for Hope. Love never thought she deserved Hope at all.  She was always conflicted, wondering if she was truly making Hope happy.   All she wanted was that slight grin to appear on her lover's face, to see his eyes light up like that of her heart whenever she saw him.  She knew that he gave her everything.  He gave her his heart, he gave her his love, and he would never stop giving because he knew beyond any doubt in the world that she was the who he belonged with.  So Love always wanted to keep Hope on his heels, never knowing and always surprising him with her endless gifts.  But this particular morning Hope was afraid.  He climbed to the top of Heavens Hill and looked over the muted white clouds forming endless mountains and peaks, each to be blown into wisps by the early morning's wandering breaths.  Hope did not see Love.  He sailed across Forever Sea and only saw the teal waves continually forming and reforming themselves in his now pallid reflection.  Hope did not see Love.  By now Hope was drooping in demeanor.  He didn't know what he had done wrong.  All he ever wanted was to stay with Love till the end of time.  He couldn't think of a life away from her, he could still see her wry smile in the midmorning light, her soft chocolate hair drifting on for hours, her drowning eyes that you could never quite understand.  She was his everything, his heart, his soul, his breath, his voice, his expression.  Hope could not live a life without Love, because he knew that they were destined to be together.  Yet this was not enough, he gave up and wept on the trunk of a tree.  As he sat he felt the familiar rustle of a cream colored parchment paper under his hand.  It read:  "There is no gift, there is no surprise, I am sorry for leaving you.  I guess the fact is I want to be better for you, in reality I don't deserve you.  You are too good.  But I can always try to make myself better for you.  I guess the only thing I can give you is something that can never wear away.  Time."  Hope looked up, into those exceptional eyes that had always confused him before.  Now he understood.  Her eyes looked right back and showed a reflection of himself, Hope.  She looked into Hope's eyes and saw a reflection of herself, Love.  "You don't have to shower me with gifts, just give me you.  Never leave, and always love me, that is all" said Hope.  Love replied, "Hope, you are what I was looking for all along."  Time, was the perfect gift, and they never let it escape them.