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
