The wind rustled through the ancient trees and curled around the figure sitting on the bluff. If it weren't for the wind playing with their hair, I would've thought they were just a statue. There are a lot of those in these parts. Suddenly, the man stood and turned to face the beach...and me. For a second, our eyes locked and my heart contracted at the sorrow I saw in his. I knew he could see into my emotions just as I could see his and I blinked furiously. For a moment, his eyes lingered on me, and then he turned to face the sea again as if waiting for someone. Hesitantly, I took a step forward, intending to go speak to him, but I saw something among the waves and I froze. Evidently, he had seen it too, for he took a half pace backwards as if frightened, then clenched his teeth together and made his way down to the beach. As the object got closer, I realized that it was a boat, but not like any boat I had ever seen. It looked like something that had sailed right out of ancient legend. However surprised I was, the strange man was even more. He took a full two paces backwards and turned as if to run, but one of the boat's occupents leapt out into the knee-deep water. "Macalaurë..." the man froze and slowly turned around to face the red-haired man. "Matimo..." he whispered and moved forward as if in a trance. The red-haired man - Matimo - met him halfway and they embraced each other. The other two occupents of the boat - a man and a woman - stepped off and moved slowly towards the men. "Maglor..." the man I had seen on the bluff straightened up and looked the older man in the eyes. "Father." there was no emotion in the word and I got the feeling that the two of them weren't exactly on good terms. They stood there, facing each other and not saying anything. Hesitantly, the older man put a hand on the other's shoulder. Maglor looked away and his father gently put a hand on his cheek and pushed his face to look at him. "My son...can you ever forgive me?" Tears gathered in the son's eyes and he suddenly threw his arms around his father and sobbed into his shoulder. The father rubbed his back and whispered words too soft for me to hear. After what seemed like hours had passed, the foursome made their way back to the boat. As it vanished onto the horizon, the man who had haunted the shores of my village for centuries turned to face to shore. His eyes locked onto mine and this time, I didn't look away. I said it with my eyes, as my voice would not be heard over the roaring of the sea. He must have understood me because his eyes softened and he raised a hand in farewell. A shiver ran up my spine as if someone had placed a cold hand on my shoulder and I plainly heard someone whisper; "Be at peace with yourself, daughter of suffering." I just stood there and watched the horizon until long after the boat had vanished. "Be at peace with yourself, daughter of suffering." I repeated his words to the ocean air. "If you can, son of sin, I will try. I will try."
