CEM Book Five: DARK WATERS

Epilogue -- Wings

He closed his eyes and opened his heart and mind to the world he had immersed himself in. He let the sweet smells of nature carry away the little bits and pieces of his soul that he could give to her. The early morning sun was warm upon his skin despite the cool mountain air surrounding him.

He stood, silent and alone, his favorite guitar safe in his hands, and watched the sun as she rose into the sky and began to wake the Earth, shining bright and sharing her light with his sweet blue-green eyes. A salty tear perched on his lashes as his thoughts inevitably drifted to the one and only woman he was destined to love, then slowly slipped down his face as he closed his eyes.

He moved without thought his hands gravitating to the strings of his guitar, the tender sound of his voice mixed with the somber and dulcimer sounds of the strings gently being plucked and gracefully strummed. Rhythm and sound, soft and smooth, rang out over the expanse of land he would always call home as Avi poured his heart and soul into the one thing that he knew how to do honestly with all he was.

Nothing moved him like the music of his heart did, nothing soothed his soul quite so completely as waking the sun with just his voice and guitar. Nothing meant more to him than spending time at home.

Shelly Kaplan was standing at the kitchen window listening to the soft and sweet music that drifted through the opening she'd left, in the cool morning breeze when she felt the strong warm hand of her husband, gentle upon her back.

"Avriel?"

"Yes. Always so haunting, beautiful, but haunting."

"Mmmh." Mike set his coffee cup on the counter next to the woman that held his heart and always would and listened to the beautiful agony his son played.

"I'm worried about our baby, boy."

"I'm not so sure we need to worry about him."

"But he'll never love like that again."

"NO! He won't, but he'll never be alone. Shelly, we raised a kind, caring, compassionate, humble, and strong loving person. His heart is stronger than we think. He will surprise you." His warm brown eyes looked deep into his wife's beautiful blue eyes and smiled.

"There's no use in telling you not to worry, is there? You will, but try not to let him see it."

"Okay. I'll try." She slipped gently to her husband's side and listened quietly while her son sang the saddest song she'd ever heard.

***

Fall came early in California that year, the sun was warm and bright, but the night air was cool and crisp on her skin, it lingered as the sun rose shedding its light and warmth over all that it touched. The soft golden-orange rays that danced down over the California mountains, were filtered through the trees, turned his hair auburn with their light, his black jacket almost brown. She watched as he stood under trees whose boughs kissed the sky and their massive trunks were as the legs of giants steeped deep within the earth and played a quiet song of pain and misery. He was a silhouette, outlined only by the russet golden light that shone around him. He was a beautiful contrast of light and dark.
***
Slow tears rolled from his eyes as he let the music carry him back to moments he didn't want to remember, but could never forget. His heart broke over and over again as each note fell while the song poured from it and he questioned, for perhaps the millionth time, why he did that to himself, when he didn't have to.

One day he would share with the world the music of his heart and hoped they too would learn to feel the sun beneath the trees, something he had once forgotten, and that in their darkest hour, there is always a light, always. Until then he'd let it flow whenever he had the chance and with it the tears that followed the pain.