Romeo and Juliet

Scene 5

The man looked up into the dark overcast night. A flash of lightning split the sky in half. An uneasy wind blew restlessly through the long grass. His tethered steed whinnied fearfully. The man walked to his horse and put his hand on its nose. He patted his horse absently. It was some time before he noticed the night had gone incredibly still. The wind no longer blew. The grass had stopped swaying. Even his horse seemed like stone. It was dark, very dark. And as if time had returned the wind picked up again with a ferocious intensity, frenziedly whipping the grass. The stallion buckled under his hand, snorting fiercely. The wind roared angrily in his ears trying desperately to deliver a message, and suddenly he understood what it was saying.

Return to me.... Romeo.

Rain lashed down on rider and horse as they raced through the storm. The horse's hooves were punishing the road, spewing gravel everywhere. As if sensing his master's intensity the stallion grunted and pushed harder. It was already covered in a shining sheen of sweat and rain and frothing heavily at the mouth. The man was bent over the beast's neck urging it to go faster, faster. The road seemed endless. He heard her voice again in his anguished mind. Juliet was calling him.

The crypt was cold and quiet. A man knelt beside the silken covered bed on which a lady seemingly slept. The candles lit around her gave her white cheeks and blue lips a red hue so one could have actually believed that she was only sleeping. But she was not sleeping. She was dead, cold as the stone slabs beneath the man's feet. He raised his head and gazed at her face. His features were those of aristocratic bearing. His face was lined with grief and his hair was tinged with white. Shadows deepened below his eyes and his hollow sunken cheeks. He had not eaten nor slept since the lady's passing. The rain beat down against the walls of the crypt making a low drumming sound. The wax from the burning candles slowly dripped onto a puddle on the floor. Paris did not notice. He was oblivious to all things, especially the passage of time. He had been kneeling there for two whole days.

The stone building loomed up in the distance. The journey was nearly complete. The stallion sensed it. It put his remaining breaths into those last few lengths to reach the steps of the building. There it promptly collapsed and died of exhaustion. But its rider didn't notice. He had already thrown open the wooden doors and entered the maw of death.

The crashing of the wooden doors finally woke the County from his reverie. He whipped around a growl in his throat. His eyes widened as he saw the man before him. He bared his teeth and snarled like a mad beast. His hand reached for the rapier hanging on his belt.

"You cur that murdered my wife and her cousin! You shall yield your head to me!" howled Paris.

Romeo brushed his wet hair from his handsome face. He was drenched thoroughly and a puddle of water was gathering where he stood. Yet he still stood tall and proud, his dignity undiminished. He drew his rapier also and regarded the County with narrowed eyes.

"Your wife? It would be a grave insult to the fair maiden were she titled so. For that you owe your life in debt," Romeo's voice was laced with quiet contempt.

The County's face contorted into ugly spasms. He looked terrifyingly demented in the soft candlelight. With a shriek he lunged at Romeo. Romeo parried with a swift flick of his wrist, brushing aside the Paris's charge easily. He brought his rapier up in a quick circle and made a fast stab at Paris's torso. The County sidestepped and his rapier flashed at Romeo's thigh, swift as a snake's strike. Romeo jumped in time to avoid it but it was so close he could feel the rapier swishing by. They circled each other warily. Outside the storm continued raging.

Romeo leaped forward, rapier glinting in the light. A parry by the County. Attack, parry, attack and parry. The game continued, neither side giving up, neither side with anything left to lose. Finally the County slipped, weakened by days of emotional harangue and lack of sleep and food. A misplaced thrust to Romeo's right side left him wide opened and unable to defend. He did not have the energy to return his rapier quickly enough. Romeo struck, driving the rapier deep under Paris's ribs and into his heart. It was over in a matter of seconds. The County slid from Romeo's rapier onto the floor. His glazed eyes stared into the ceiling embossed with cherubs. He wanted to call out to Juliet one more time. But he couldn't as blood rose up his throat and filled his mouth.

Romeo dropped the bloodstained rapier next to the body of the dead Paris. He panted heavily with the exertion. Then he saw Juliet. He stepped over the body of the dead County and hastened to her side. Such sorrow filled his face it would have broken even the heart of old Capulet himself.

"Forgive me, Juliet my love. I fear I am late again..." he whispered. He held her hand gently. "Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, hath had no power yet upon thy beauty. Why art thou yet so fair? Shall I believe that unsubstantial Death is amorous and that lean abhorred monster keeps thee here in dark to be his paramour? For fear of that I will stay with thee and never from this pallet of dim night depart again. Eyes look your last! Arms, take your last embrace! And, lips, O you the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss a dateless bargain to engrossing death!"

With those softly spoken heart-rending words Romeo lifted a vial of clear liquid from his pocket. With a swift motion he popped the cork and downed the deadly venom. He closed his eyes and lay beside her. He could feel his heart pump the searing bane through his body. Warmth seemed to spread through him. But wait, this warmth was a soft, tender warmth, different to the painful heat of the poison. He opened his eyes in confusion. With a sleepy moan Juliet propped herself up on her elbows. She turned her head and saw Romeo.

Her smile was beautiful beyond words. It encapsulated all the pleasure of heaven and earth for Romeo. He smiled weakly back in return. The glass vial in Romeo's limp hands fell and shattered on the floor. Juliet turned startled at the sound. She spied the glass glimmering in the gentle light. In that moment she understood what had happened. She stared at Romeo horrified.

He chuckled faintly, "Dear Angel, it would seem that I would be destined to lose you again." He raised his hand. It felt so heavy. He put it lightly against Juliet's warm cheeks. He could feel hot tears. "Don't...cry," he whispered softly, "Please don't." The lights seem to dim. Everything was getting darker. He could no longer feel her breath on his frozen hands.

She threw herself sobbing on his chest, "You are cruel to leave me wanting again! You...you ..." She reached for the dagger in his belt. She raised it high above her, and brought it down in one swift motion. Outside lightning flashed and thunder rumbled.

The man jerked awake in his bed. It was raining heavily and the sound of raindrops against the windowpanes rang noisily about the room. He lit a candle beside his bed. He was sweating all over. He got up and sat in the chair in front of the table while he waited for his trembling to subside. When he felt composed enough, he opened up a book and dipped his quill in ink to write. In the book he wrote 'The most incredible visions have visited me as I slumbered. Here I will write and share them with the world' He wrote till early in the morning whence he finally finished. He slapped his book closed and grinned contentedly. He then dressed and left the room. At the bottom of the scroll was signed William Shakespeare.