Alone he sat, sank in his thoughts
Oblivious to the world around
As one thought drifted to the next
Only to return to that same longing

That longing to love and be loved
To have someone to laugh with
Share tears with
Someone to care for
For the rest of his days

Another year draws to a close
Minutes tick away
Days, weeks, months
Endless time alone
If only…
He had someone to call his own

“Books, books, books! Nothing but goddamn books!” screamed Barbara as she grabbed a book from the top of a pile. She threw it back down with such force that it’s pages flew open like a frightened bird spreading it’s wings in haste.

Through a cloud of dust Barbara watched as something escaped the pages, flying aloft before descending to the grubby floor.

A photograph, yellowed with age, lay there amidst the falling dust.

Picking it up, Barbara held it between her thumb and index finger. Two smiling faces, full of elation, stared back at her.

Feeling her legs weaken beneath her weight, Barbara groped towards a well-worn chair, letting herself fall into it.

“You kept our wedding photo all these years?” Barbara whispered as the memories flooded her mind. “Why did you keep it? Did our marriage mean something to you after all?” her voice choked.

“We were so happy on our wedding day – a lifetime ago. A time before you started drinking. Before you lost your job. Before you moved out of our home to seclude yourself in this one-roomed den with nothing but your books and your whisky.” Barbara knew he couldn’t hear her anymore.

It was too late to look back. Too late to wonder what went wrong.

Barbara let the photograph and the memories rest with the dust. She had work to do.

“Come here, babe.”

Stephen slung his arms around Janice, pulling her close. His lips found hers as they both fell on the bed. In a moment of frenzy they pulled at each others clothes, trying to free themselves of the unwanted fabric.

The sudden shrill tone of his mobile interrupted the moment. Nuzzling deeper into Janice’s beautiful, slender neck Stephen tried to ignore the irritating sound, but it wouldn’t stop.

Stretching his arm out to reach his phone, he knocked it off. Relieved to have put an end to the shrill interruption, Stephan returned all his attention to his babe.

Brrrr…Brrrr…. “Shit!” yelled Stephan as the phone rang again. Furious, he jumped up, grabbing the phone, he screamed into it, “Yeah?”

“I’m gonna put an end to it, Stephan.” He recognized the voice of his best friend, Andy.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Stephan let out all his anger.

“I’ve made up my mind. I’m gonna put an end to it,” Andy’s voice was calm and unhurried.

“Andy, do whatever you like but don’t call me up at midnight to tell me about it. Look, I’m busy right now. I’ll give you a call in the morning. OK?”

Without waiting for Andy’s reply Stephan turned off his phone and threw it aside.

“Sorry, Babe.” apologized Stephan as he took Janine in his arms again.

“Was it important?” asked Janine, happy to have Stephan back to herself.

“Nah, it was just Andy going on about something or other that he was gonna put an end to,” mumbled Stephan as he ran his fingers along Janine’s curves.

“Put an end to!” Janine sat bolt upright, knocking Stephan back.

“Hey, what’s the matter, babe?”

“Phone him back, Stephan. Now!” Janine was out of the bed searching the floor for the phone.

“Shit! Oh, my God! You don’t mean……” realization hit Stephan as he saw the expression on Janine’s face.

Grabbing the phone from Janine’s hand he pressed the buttons in a mad frenzy.

There was no answer.

“Shit, why didn’t I listen to him,” shouted Stephan as he fumbled with his clothes trying to dress, find his car keys and get out of the door all at once.

Driving like a madman he reached Andy’s apartment in record time. The word END…END…rang in his ears.

Taking the stairs two at a time he threw himself on Andy’s doorbell and didn’t let go until it was opened by his surprised friend.

“Stephan! What are you doing here?”

“Don’t do it, Andy!” Stephan was completely out of breath.

“Do what?” asked Andy, a puzzled frown forming on his brow.

“Put an end to your life! Whatever problems you’re facing, man – hey, we can talk about it.”

“Put….put an end to my life. What are you talking about?”

“Your phone call half an hour ago, don’t you remember?” Stephan’s voice was frantic as he looked around him.

“Ohhh! Stephan, I think you’d better come inside,” Andy’s face broke into a smile as he moved aside to let Stephan pass.

“Beer?” asked Andy. “I’m afraid I can’t offer you a cigarette,” he added as he pointed to the waste paper basket. “I crushed every fag I had an hour ago,” grinning he went on,. “when I decided to put an end to this sick obsession. Once and for all! Oh, I didn’t spoil your evening, did I?”

Such silky, shiny, ruby-red skin
I need to know, what’s hidden within

Smooth and glossy to the touch
As my greedy fingers around you clutch

Holding you tight in my sweaty grip
My tongue caresses my trembling lip

My mouth, it’s open at the ready
My heart, it beats all but steady

I sniff your scent as nearer you come
So sweet and succulent, my senses hum

Hungry teeth penetrate deep into your skin
Warm sensation as your juice trickles down my chin

Flesh revealed, immaculate, pure and white
Now it’s impossible, not to take another bite!

Sun Lie’s hands trembled slightly as she rolled out the dusty painting onto the kitchen table before holding it flat with her feeble fingers.

“Oh, how romantic!” swooned Susan beside her.

“Nan, do you know them?” she asked her grandmother excitedly.

Susan, always eager to spend time with her grandma had come over to clear out the loft in her grandmother’s old house. She came across the painting, rolled up and tied with a pale pink ribbon hidden away in a dark corner behind boxes full of faded memories.

Although the colours had faded somewhat, Susan was aware that she was looking at a beautiful work of art expressing deep feelings of love and anguish. She saw despair in their distraught eyes. The way they clung to each other emphasized a shared fear.

Noticing suddenly that her grandmother sat motionless, Susan tore her eyes from the young Chinese lovers to turn to her grandmother.

Shocked to see tears trickle from her beloved Nan’s eyes, Susan impulsively pushed the painting aside.

“Who are they, Nan?” asked Susan softly, taking her grandma’s hands between her own.

Releasing her fingers, her grandmother pulled the picture back towards her.

Her aged eyes glistered and her pale lips formed a sad smile.

“Hu Jie,” she whispered as her fingertips traced the handsome face of the young man in the picture.

“They forced me to leave you.” Sun Lian’s anguished voice disclosed decades of hidden affliction.

“Nan, what happened?” Susan’s voice was full of concern.

“They sent me as far away from you as possible, Hu Jie. Across the big sea. You were too good for me, they said.” Sun Lian shoulders sagged as she continued. “Your parents had other plans for you – and my parents agreed. That’s what hurt the most, Hu Jie….my parents agreeing…..they knew – you see.”

Susan didn’t move, she was afraid to breathe. Her grandma seemed to have forgotten that she was sitting there.

“Did they ever tell you, my darling? She looked just like you, the same fine features, your charming smile. She inherited your gentleness too, Hu Jie.”

Nothing could be heard but the ticking of the clock as Sun Lian closed her eyes for a moment before continuing.

“Robert took good care of us – little Julie and me. He was a good husband. He loved us.

Sun Lian’s face lit up as she turned her wrinkled face towards Susan.

“Your granddaughter has your dark almond eyes, Hu Jie.”

Susan’s eyes shot from her grandmother to the painting. “Oh my God,” she gasped. “The resemblance is staring right back at me.”

Taking her grandmother tenderly by the arm, Susan suggests, “shall we move to the sofa, Nan? I’d like you to tell me everything – from the very beginning.”

Henry sensed that something was wrong as soon as he opened the front door.

Something was different.

“Elizabeth, “ he called out. “I’m home.”

Silence.

The house felt cold. The homely smell of cooking didn’t greet him.

Dropping his briefcase to the floor and his keys onto the hall table, Henry paused apprehensively before stepping into the sitting room.

The room looked exactly as it had that morning. The used coffee cups from breakfast were still on the table amidst scattered newspapers.

Tentatively taking the stairs up to their bedroom, Henry’s quiet voice called out once more, “Elizabeth, are you upstairs?”

The bedroom door was wide open. Henry’s eyes flew to the open wardrobe as he entered the room. Nothing but empty hangers hung on her side. All her clothes were gone.

A cold sweat broke out all over his body, as the fear he had been carrying for some time materialized before his eyes.

Dropping himself onto the unmade bed, his head falling into his hands, Henry’s body began to shake, as irrepressible sobs shattered the silence of their home.

He then saw it.

It lay there – alone. Looking lost, neglected – unwanted.

Lifting his head, Henry’s eyes fell on his reflection gazing back at him in the bedroom mirror. The truth hit him as he glared at his own wretched self.

Prising his own ring from his left hand, Henry placed it beside his wife’s wedding ring – the band of gold he had lovingly placed on her finger so many years ago.

Her ring no longer looked lonely.

Staggering from the house in a daze, the front door left wide open, Henry stumbled, as he began to run…run…run.

“To have and to hold, for better and for worse, until death do us part.” Henry’s muttered words were lost in the piercing screech of the train brakes and horn.

As the path steepened, Joe slowed down to keep in step with Nina. She was so enthusiastic as they set off hours ago, full of energy, eager to climb her first mountain.

But now he noticed how she’d slowed down, her breath coming in short gasps as she suggested that they take a break.

Joe stopped in his track, searching Nina’s face anxiously for signs of fatigue or pain. The apprehension he’d felt when Nina told him she wanted to accompany him on this tour still hung over him.

“Are you OK, love?”, he asked affectionately, stroking her cheek with his hand.

“I’m fine,” she gasped, between deep breaths. “Just a bit out of breath, that’s all.”

“Let’s sit down here for a while,” Joe suggested, spreading the cover he’d taken from his ruck-sack over the nearby patch of grass and stones.

Nina sat down thankfully. She hadn’t realized just how strenuous the climb would be. Maybe I should have given myself a bit more time to recuperate after my illness, she thought, with a frown.

Joe was quick to fill up a mug with warm tea from the flask.

“Here you are, love”, Joe said, as he handed her the mug. “You’ll feel better once you’ve had a few sups of tea and a bite to eat. This mountain air doesn’t half give you an appetite.”

After resting on Joe’s chest for longer than they both realized, Nina felt her strength returning and suggested that they carry on with their trek. It was turning chilly and they needed to reach the top and still have enough time to descend before it got dark.

Hand in hand they continued along the serpentine course of the path, admiring the view opening up as the thick forest cleared to reveal a breath-taking panorama before their eyes.

As wonderful as it was on the summit, they couldn’t while there for long. The clear blue sky was slowly disappearing behind a mass of thick cloud.

“We’d better get a move on,” suggested Joe. “I don’t like the look of that sky!”

With quickened steps they got back onto the path. They hadn’t got far when they felt the first drops of rain. What started off as a drizzle soon turned into a heavy downpour. Joe knew how fast the weather could change in these places and felt annoyed with himself for not checking the forecast before setting off that morning.

Suddenly, a dense fog arose, impairing visibility to a minimum. Terrified, Nina clung onto Joe’s arm as they threaded their way forward, unable to see exactly where they were heading.

The path – or what they thought was the path – came to a sudden end. Joe’s stomach felt queasy as he realized that they’d come away from the route. They were lost! He could feel Nina’s body trembling with cold and fear. They were both soaked to the skin. He knew they had no choice but to keep going, there was nowhere to shelter. If only the fog would lift, he thought, with despair.

“Listen!” cried Nina. “I can hear a dog barking.”

They stopped in their track, trying hard to focus through the fog.

“Joe, look! Over there!”

Joe could just about make out the faint contour of a man with a dog facing them a few metres ahead. He had his right arm stretched out, pointing his finger in the other direction, while gesticulating frantically with his left hand.

“Hello there!” shouted Joe, “Are we glad to meet you! Can you help us? We seem to have lost our way in the fog.”

Without answering, the figure turned and started walking to the right while gesturing with his hand to follow, his dog close by his heals.

Joe and Nina rushed forward to follow but no matter how fast they walked, they couldn’t catch up. The stranger with his long, old-fashioned overcoat and his dog were always twenty steps ahead.

“He seems to know where he’s going,” said Nina, quickening her step to keep up. “Joe, make sure we don’t lose sight of him!”

“Strange that he doesn’t say anything,” said Joe.

“I don’t care if he talks or not, as long as he helps us to find our way down,” answered Nina.

Now and again the stranger held his hand up giving them the sign to keep following, but never once turning around to check if they were still there. He just kept on going, his dog, obediently by his side.

After what seemed like hours, the fog began to lift, the rain became a drizzle and Joe and Nina could, at last, see their surroundings clearly. They caught sight of their “helper-in-need” as he hurriedly took the next bend.

“Where did he go?”, asked Nina, as they followed around the bend. Joe looked all around him but there was no sign of either man nor dog anywhere to be seen.

Miraculously, the fog had cleared completely and Joe caught sight of a wooden hut not far ahead. Keeping their eyes open for the stranger, they carried on until they finally reached the warmth of the hut. Exhausted and relieved they pushed the door open.

“Hello guys,” welcomed the elderly owner. “Come in, come in and warm yourselves beside the fire. You’re lucky to have found your way here through that thick fog!”

Both Joe’s and Nina’s eyes searched the tables full of fellow hikers but there was no sign of the stranger with the long overcoat and his dog.

“Excuse me, did a man and a dog come in here just before us?” enquired Joe, his eyes still looking around the room.

“A man with a long, old-fashioned overcoat?” asked the owner, his eyes suddenly wide open.

“Yes!” replied Joe, excitedly.

“Oh, I’ve been asked that question many a time,” smiled the owner. “But, no, you won’t find them in here.”

“We were completely lost,” said Nina.

“He showed us the way,” added Joe. “We want to thank him. God knows, if it hadn’t been for him, we would have strayed further and further from the route.”

“I’m afraid you won’t be able to thank him,” remarked the owner. “Sounds like came across old Tom Mcdowell, he was well know in these parts – spent most of his life walking these mountains. He’s been dead these past forty years.”

“What!” Both Joe and Nina couldn’t believe what they’d just heard. “But….but….he….he was there…right in front of us!” stuttered Nina.

“He could well have saved your lives,” continued the hut owner, “There’s a very dangerous spot not far from here, a deep drop – impossible to see in dense fog. It’s where Tom and his dog lost their lives.”

Joe put his arm around Nina, she was unusually calm as she closed her eyes and sent a prayer of thanks to their helper and his dog – wherever they may be.

“A penny for your thoughts.”

Was he talking to her? Janice turned to face him. She stared at his inquisitive eyes for a long moment before returning her gaze to the fireworks.

Loud cheers of elation rang in her ears as the rockets soared towards the sky before exploding into a million stars.

“Impressive, isn’t it?”

She dug her hands deeper into her pockets. She didn’t look at him.

“Ooh! Look at that one. Awesome!”

No reaction.

He stole a glance at her.

“You don’t seem to be enjoying the show too much.”

Stephan noticed a deep sadness, an emptiness in her eyes. She’s looking at the show but she’s not seeing it, he thought to himself.

“So,  fireworks aren’t your thing?”, he added, hoping for some kind of reaction.

She was in a world of her own and Stephan began to feel as if he was trespassing on forbidden ground. But he couldn’t take his eyes of her. He noticed, now, how she seemed to give a slight tremble and tense up with every loud explosion. He felt the urge to wrap his arms around her slight frame and protect her from the noise.

He began to wonder what brought her out here, alone, among this massive cheering crowd. It was obvious that she wasn’t enjoying the spectacular show. It was – after all – New Year’s Eve. And just about everyone loved celebrating New Year’s Eve.

“He loved fireworks.”

He turned to her. Had she spoken? He didn’t catch what she’d mumbled amid the racket that was going on around them. He moved his head closer to her.

“Mike loved fireworks.”

“Mike?”,  he asked.

“My brother, Mike. He loved fireworks.”

“Loved? Doesn’t he still love them?”

“They killed him. The thing he loved killed him.”

She turned to face him and now he understood the sadness in her eyes.

“It happened 5 years ago. He built a massive firework himself. He was so excited about it, brought it to this very spot to light it.   But something went wrong.   It didn’t ignite straight away. As Mike went back to light it again, it exploded in his face. He was rushed to hospital but…..he died.”

As tears rolled down her face, Stephan did what he felt like doing earlier. He put his arms around her and held her tight, as the fireworks exploded in their ears.