7.

There is no kindness

There is no charity

There is no penance

There is no forgiveness

There is no God

There is rage

There is intolerance

There is ignorance

There is darkness

There is emptiness

There is no God

~C. Cullen 1666

8.

My dearest Lisbet,

I have failed. We are damned. Forget me.

I am cursed.

~Carlisle

9.

My love,

The stories and letters contained in this journal thus far had to be recreated from memory. I have added the ones I kept to myself in my solitude even though they do not reflect the man I am today.

With all my love

~Carlisle

10.

My darling Lisbet, in a moment of rage I left this world behind me and retreated like a common animal. There are no excuses that I could ever provide that could satisfy the anguish I feel for turning my back on your memory. It has been a very long time. I haven't seen you and I haven't heard your voice since that terrible day at the prison. I have purchased a new journal so that I can write to you now and beg your forgiveness. Please come to me again Lisbet. Another millennia in silence is unbearable to even consider. My new friend has reminded me that hope will always exist. He has returned the fire to my soul. With a heavy heart and a prayer for forgiveness, I am always yours.

Love

~Carlisle

11.

It is Spring

The animals return from their slumber

The trees change from brown to green

The ground is covered with grass again

There is color

There is light

There is life

It is Summer

The children of the animals run the forest

The flowers salute them in a rainbow of color

The ground swells in delight at the abundance of life

There is color

There is light

There is life

It is Fall

The animals hasten to prepare for their slumber

The flowers lose their petals and disappear

The trees change from colors of life to colors of fire

There is still color

There is still light

There is still life

It is Winter

The forest has grown silent with the absence of life

The ground has disappeared in a blanket of white

The trees are but skeletons where no life remains

There is no color

There is no light

There is no life

12.

My dearest Lisbet,

My heart is still. It has not beat since that fateful night. In truth, however, it stopped beating when I let go of your hand. The world changed Lisbet, and I wanted no part of it. I was content to live my days here in this forest. I was the listener in the trees and the grave digger for wayward travelers. This was good enough for me.

I find you in the strangest of places. I excised you from my thoughts yet you return to me in a bundle of blank pages. In the journals of a dead Gypsy I once again see your face. I feel your caress.

I can no longer be content in this life. There is something left that I am meant to do. I am bewildered. My mind is a blank canvas with no direction of what to paint next.

Please come to me. Please show me the way.

I am so sorry that I ever let you go.

With all of my love,

~Carlisle