THE OFFERING

ENDLESS SOUNDS OF WATER RUSHED ACROSS THE SAND TO GIFT US WHERE WE SAT WITH A CURIOUS MIXTURE OF POWER AND SMALLNESS. WAVES, SILVER FLECKED, ROSE TALL AND BLACK TOWARD THE BEACH AND BROKE HEAVILY AT THEIR END, MAKING PATTERNS, LIKE RIPPLES OF LAUGHTER, WHEN THEY AT LAST DREW BACK. MOONLIGHT BATHED US GENTLY, AS

THOUGH KNOWING IT SERVED ONLY TO ENLIGHTEN WHAT TRANSPIRED BEFORE US. IT WAS AS THOUGH WE WERE ALONE IN A WORLD THAT FRIGHTENED, YET SOOTHED AND PROMISED NO END TO THE PRESENTS IT BESTOWED.

FOR ALLONG TIME IT WAS SO, UNTIL I COULD FEEL AT LAST FILLED WITH THE FASCINATION THE SIGHT TENDERED, AND I TURNED TOWARD HER. SOMEHOW SHE WAS PART OF ALL THIS: A BLEND OF THE BEAUTIFUL AND OF THE PEACE OF LISTENING AND WATCHING. HER HAIR FELL SOFTLY TO HER SHOULDERS WHILE A FEW VAGRANT WISPS OF IT PLAYED ABOUT HER FACE. HER EYES PONDERED THE SEA AND SEEMED TO ACCEPT GRATEFULLY WHAT WA OFFERRED. SHE FELT MY GAZE ON HER AND RETURNED IT FOR A LONG MOMENT, SMILING GENTLY. I MOVED CLOSE TO HER AND SHE SLIPPED HER HAND INTO MINE WITH THE THIS WOULD HAPPEN AGAIN A HUNDRED TIMES IN THE HER LIPS PARTED AS I BENT TO THEM AND RECI IVE PLETELY, HER MOUTH SWEET-TASTING AND WARM. E D

URENESS THAT NIGHTS TO COME. MY KISS COM-

THE SEA WHISPERED THEN IN A LOUD VC ID NEVER HE RD. AND THE WHISPER ROSE T SHOUT THAT ECHOED ICE THE SAND. 1. LEANED AWAY FROM THE KIS A THAT INGE ED ON MY OWN LIPS, LOOKING QUICKLY INTO HER EYES. THEY MIRI ORED WHAT I HAD HEARD AND 2 ❘ KNEW I HAD NOT BEEN WRONG.

PERHAPS SHE SENSED THE FRIGHT AND CONFUSION INSIDE ME, AND SHE DREW AWAY. SHE MOVED HER FACE THAT THE MOONLIGHT CAST SHADOW AND I COULD NOT READ HER EXPRESSION. THE TIME WAS OVER,

THE MOMENT ERA ED BY THE CONFUSION THAT SWEPT OVER ME STRONGER

THAN ANỲ MURMURS OF; THE

SE/

THERE WERE NO WORDS SPOKEN BETWEEN U AS WE CROSSED THE DUNE: AWAY FROM THE BEACH. THE NIGHT WA CRISF NOW AND THE SOUNDS OF S WATER WERE FADING BEHIND US. MOONLIGHT STILL SERVED TO GUIDE US TO THE ROAD PAST THE DUNES, WHERE SHE STOPPED TO STEP INTO HER SANDALS,