Ok, I felt the need to write this down. Now. Warning: this is sad. Really sad, it nearly made me cry. But at the same time I tried to make it peaceful… bad description. Do me a favour: turn on 'The Queen Symphony' by Kashif, 3rd movement, look for it on iTunes, search your parents CD-stand, and I'm sure it's on youTube. Just be sure to have it playing while you're reading this. It makes 50% of the story. No, 90%. Pleeease! I tried to put the sentences according to crescendos or change in tune so the storyline fits the music. Hope it worked. And Reviews are welcome as always.

Wind rushed through the October trees in their bright colours, leaves rustling and twirling on their way to the muddy ground. The sun sent her rays through the old oaks, shimmering on the marble tomb stones and painting patterns of shadows on the graves. Kneeling angels, praying hands, plain ashlars reading names and dates, emotionless remains of keen and ardent lives. As she moved on between the rows of extinguished candles and withered flowers she let her freckled hands graze the mossy stone, warm from the sun. Some of the stones had toppled during the centuries, but even the oldest sometimes had blossom at their base. Somehow they had a calming effect. Death had always caused grief, she would not be the first to feel and not the last. But it was her grief, her loss, her endless sorrow.

She slowed her pace as a certain tombstone came into sight, the ivy already covering some of the letters. Letters of a name that had once meant the world to her – they still did.

A gust of wind ruffled her white hair which she had cut short on the day he passed away. A smile crept across her face as she heard his voice in the wind. He mockingly scolded her for letting her wonderful curls fall to the earth as the leaves did on this day, and memories of him winding his gentle fingers into her long brown strands danced in the branches of the ancient trees. She could see him leaning against one of the split tree trunks as he had always done when waiting for her outside University. She could feel him all around, reaching for her hand.

Sighing, she closed her eyes. The warm sunlight stroking her skin was like his ever fiery touch, his voice growing louder in the wind, whispering to her as he used to do every night before she fell asleep in his arms. Is that you? She asked silently, no need to disturb his presence by letting the words slip. His arms closed around her from behind, his breath tickling her cheek. She raised a hand to cup his face, those brown eyes taking her in as if to never forget her again. He brushed away a hot tear that had begun to trickle down her face and gave her one of those rare smiles he kept only for her. Or for cradling their first child. Or for telling her how much he loved her. Or as a thank you after she had put him back together again when he had broken apart in the innermost places.

It was a sudden surge of memories that brought her back into the church on the day they had said their vows. Until death… when she couldn't manage to speak any further, and he finished the sentence for her …do us part, wiping a tear away on her cheek. So loving, so gentle.

Her vision was blurred from weeping so she only glimpsed his shadow moving away from her, turning round one last time before he vanished, and his voice grew hushed until it faded into the wind.

A little boy tugged her sleeve, shoving a bunch of coloured leaves into the hand that sported her wedding ring.

"Grandma?" Unsure what to do, he hesitated a little before pulling her down by her scarf and wiping the tear away which had reached her chin by now.

"Thank you, Arthur." she gently laid her wrinkled fingers on his jet black hair, neatly combed back and sank into his dark eyes. "Let's go home."

She kept her gaze steady over her shoulder while walking back. And sure enough, there he was. Watching her. Guarding her. Never really parting from her.

Till death… she shook her head, smiling. And when she shot another glance back, he was gone.

Um, you liked it? Hope you did. Isn't the music beautiful? Inspired me to write this in the first place. Thanks four reading.