The days moved by them languidly, as if eternity wanted to exist all at once. They walked, discussed, considered and pretended that nothing untoward was happening. Now, several weeks into their decreed journey of discovery and restraint, the air had grown thick to choking with all the things unspoken between them.
Illicit
Sunlight, moonlight, starlight, darkness...none could hide the creeping tide, or dampen the silent roar of things that had not happened. They spoke more, louder, longer, walked a little faster toward the safety of bamboo walls and rice paper doors. There was a leviathan rising; one feared the head, the other dreaded the tail.
Sinful
Others came and went, passing on the tails of kites in the wind, and they looked to each other for the earth upon which to walk. Every moment against the solidity of the other branded them, invisible marks that could be felt with eyes closed to the world. And oh, how they burned.
Desire
A contradiction in lies, the illusion of purity drawn in thick lines of ignorance and yearning for a beacon by which to navigate, they smiled down and held each other close across the chasm. They were perfect opposition in perfect balance, frightened to move lest the scale tip, spilling them forever. Until the day came when the world disappeared, crumbling to the dust beneath their feet and one could abide no longer.
Consumed
Silk makes a noise like the whisper of angels, and the darkness overwhelms the light until the cycle comes full. The breath of need, harsh and low in the hidden corners of the world, became their chorus of enlightenment as they moved together. Shedding lies like skins, they walked ever forward until they became new, and words flitted by like petals, soft, beautiful and meaningless.
