A/N: Hello all. This is my first BBM story and I hope it's not too terrible. I absolutely fell in love with the movie and the book and I was just moved to write this.
Disclaimer: Am not A. Proulx but would like to be. Ennis and Jack are not mine. I wish.
A Slow Mournful Tune
The mountain loomed ahead, dark and haunting. The majestic rise of the sun coming up over the jagged edges filled with memories was like something both old and new.
The car rolled up to its stopping point, still a little far off from Ennis' final destination. Ennis got out of the car, in his slow and deliberate manner, his eyes blinking as he stepped into the first rays of dawn.
He opened the back of the truck, and his old mare neighed in response to his mumbled greeting. Ennis quickly went through the familiar routine of saddling up and checking his bags.
He was ready. Ennis mounted, grunting as he swung his legs over, noticing, not for the first time, that he was not as young as he used to be.
Ennis kicked his horse into a steady trot and they moved steadily through the trees, past the lakes, away from the hills. Along the way, he saw times of old, when things had been so simple. Day was growing old quickly as he and the horse weren't in much of a rush. The journey captured most of the day. Finally, he slowed his horse, as the surrounding area grew more and more familiar. His insides welled up with sheer nostalgia and pain as the horse walked into the clearing that held so much of his heart.
Some time later, he was sitting with an open beer bottle warming himself by the fire. And old stories and times came rushing back at him like a dam breaking loose.
A small smile curved on his lips when he remembered the time that they wrestled all the way down the hill, eventually crashing into pots and pans. There was a mess everywhere and both of them had their hackles raised.
"Son of a bitch," Ennis had murmured underneath his breath.
But, Jack had surveyed the situation with a wary eye and said, "I had enough of the damn beans anyway."
Ennis chuckled and rose to his feet and put out a hand to help up Jack. Instead, Jack pulled him down with him and Ennis had landed in a dusty heap on the ground.
The red ball of fire steadily disappearing brought Ennis back. It was hazy, the mountain looked as if it was shimmering with some kind of glow. The water was still for once and looked like a photograph of the scene above it. A breeze swept across the land, rustling the trees and grazing Ennis' worn and weary face. Not for the first time that day, his brown eyes were filled with unshed tears.
And he could see Jack before him. Not in the way he was the last time he saw him, but the way Jack was in his youth. He was lively and so sure of himself. But, he also saw the doubt that flickered in his eyes every once in a while. And he had that blasted harmonica in hand and it was making the slow mournful tune that Jack had loved.
This was the time of the day that Ennis had enjoyed most when he was up on the mountain. It felt like the world stood still. And he watched what wasn't there except in memory sway back and forth to the rhythm of the tune and look at the sun, which had all but disappeared by now, and just reflected on life.
And Ennis would be at his side. He would look over and see Jack with that proud look of concentration on his face and have a million thoughts go through his head all at once.
Jack would finish, but wouldn't remove the harmonica just yet, and leaned back and gazed on the surrounding area. And every night he told Ennis with a hint of sorrow in his voice about how he was damn lucky to be here.
In this moment, Ennis wiped away the forbidden drops of pain and thought that Jack was right. He was damn lucky to be sitting here, watching the stars sparkle against the blanket of black, and lie on the ground and remember.
It was like time had transcended; his memories were alive. And for one blissful happy moment, he could see Jack getting up, putting his beloved harmonica away and lying down next to him. And he was damn lucky. Because at that moment, he had everything he needed.
A star, moving at the speed of light, whizzed past in the deep sky. Ennis sighed, and muttered an inaudible, "Jack, I swear…", before closing his eyes one last time.