I have been trapped in the gazebo the whole afternoon. Having come out only for a relaxing spot of tea and cake, I was enjoying myself, when all at once it started to pour. Funny, I don't remember a single cloud in the clear, pleasant sky. But when I look to the sky all I can see is a dark horizon that bodes ill for a clear sky anytime soon.
What could I do but wait out the storm as I nurse the dwindling supply of tea. A particular delicate blend of jasmine with a hint of lemon to sweeten the concoction. I have just brought the cup to my lips when a shadow catches the corner of my eye. I slowly set my beverage down on the glass table and stand from my place.
I move to the furthest point allowed by my shelter and lean out against the railing for a further, unobstructed view. I place a hand over my eyes as I anchor my free hand to one of the wooden pillars that hold the roof up. This affords me a better look while I ensure to stay within the confines of the shelter.
All the while, the shadow continues its approach, revealing a little of itself with each step it takes. The skin is first to be unveiled and it has the appearance of pale, almost sickly pallor. My heart starts to beat a little faster. A simple suit of plum is the next to come into focus. My eyes go wide and I can feel my breath become rapid.
No more than a few feet from the shelter, the most crucial piece, which had hidden the face, falls away. My heart beats faster as it climbs upward to my throat, while a sweat breaks out all over my body. I back away as my eyes grow even wider, and I'm forced to brace myself against the railing I back into. I have no more ground to retreat to and my body slides to the floor.
I watch as the now identifiable shadow slowly climbs the stairs and crosses the floor, stopping just in front of me. My eyes never move from the face; they don't dare. Could it really be him? Had he really come back to me? My sense tell me that it cannot be true, but my heart overrides all of them while insisting there can no other conclusion.
I observe him climb the stairs and enter the floor while not a drop of water spills from his person. It's as though there was no rain to contend with at all. Though this is a facet buried in the back of my mind as I could not care a fig for the condition of the wood when such a miracle stands before me, large as life. If only...
He stops directly in front of me and gazes down from his towering stature. He puts forth his hand that I might take it. Every part of me screams to turn and run away, but it is my heart that I listen above all else. I take a desperately needed swallow for my painfully dry throat and put forth my hand. He takes it without hesitation the hesitation I exhibited and raises me from my place.
I stare into his bright, green eyes and he smiles at me in a way only he knows how. I simply can't believe what I'm seeing. This can't be possible, and yet it's happening all the same. I'm completely fazed by the scenario, but he's not. Then, he never was. Not my rock. There was no force that could break him, except…
My thoughts leave me as I feel him begin to sway to and fro in rhythmic fashion. He draws me along while he leads me into a dance. At first it's awkward, but only for me, for he cannot be fazed by so simple a thing as a lack of audible music. I continue despite myself and with every step I can hear the music and I dance along with it, while I melt in his embrace.
We move as one, our steps finding the right place as our bodies find the sweet melody's dictations. I am lost to all other sensations as my eyes close, but it all comes to an abrupt halt. No more motion. No more music. No more warm embrace. Only a kind of emptiness that consumes me from the inside out. Just like that night.
I open my eyes as my body returns to my control. Had I been so lost as to give him time to cross the floor to the other side? He never stops smiling, not even as he walks backward so as to watch me the whole time. He makes to leave, but I leap from my place and stop him with a hand on his arm. I look into his face, his handsome, unbroken face.
He says not a word, just clasps my hand, squeezes it, and lets it go. He returns to his backward motions all while maintaining his grin that persists despite his bittersweet departure. He is nearly out in the rain when he stops altogether at the head of the stairs. And as he turns to go, the storm finally broke. And he's washed away with the rain drops.
Exercise #784: Ending Line
Use this line as the last line of your SUB:
As he turned to go, the storm finally broke.